OUR VISIT TO AUCKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
On Thursday 18 August Sister Ann's Year 8 reading group went to the Auckland International Airport as they have been reading about Jean Batten. We learned a lot about the airport and more about Jean Batten. We saw the plane in which she flew solo from England to New Zealand in 1936. It now hangs above the Arrivals area. It is a Percival Gull Monoplane and has only three seats.
We learned that there are teams of bird watchers working 24 hours a day. They shoot any birds which come near the runways. If birds get sucked into the engine of a plane it may cause the engine to fail and the plane to crash. We also learned that all the colours in the patterns on the floor in the Arrival and Departure areas have a meaning. The green and blue symbolize our green land and blue sea. There is a sand coloured pattern of a waka with brown paddles in between the blue and green.
We went up to the Conference Room which has very big windows. We were able to watch planes being prepared and loaded for take off. We were very close to the planes arriving and leaving the gates.
Most of us don't know that the Auckland International Airport is named after Jean Batten, our famous New Zealand Aviatrx who landed at this airport in her world record flight in 1936.
We really enjoyed this visit and enjoyed seeing how it will show something about our country to the visitors arriving for the Rugby World Cup.
These are some photos of us at the Airport.
