Mechanics Bay landed in Mechanics Bay, which was the centre of international aviation for New Zealand until the 1950s. Even after the construction of Auckland International Airport at Mangere in the 1960s, Mechanics Bay was still used by flying boats to the Pacific Islands, e.g. for the "Coral Route" to Fiji. From 1962 to 1989, Mechanics Bay was home to first Tourist Air Travel, then Mount Cook Airline then Sea Bee Air operating a fleet of Grumman Goose, Grumman Widgeon and Grumman Turbo Goose amphibian aircraft for regular scheduled passenger and freight services to the islands of the Hauraki Gulf (particularly Great
Ocean City Municipal Airport (New Jersey) USD). The city planned on building a municipal airport, replacing the grassy field at 18th and Bay. A week after the city purchased the land, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, which halted plans due to lack of money. On September 7, 1932, then-mayor Harry Headley named the undeveloped airport as "Clarke Field", after Vincent A. Clarke, Jr., commander of the USS Log Angeles airship. On January 5, 1934, Mayor Headley announced that the city received a $100,400 grant (1934 USD) from the Civil Works Administration to construct the new airport – about 75% would go toward labor, employing