This centre piece of our display is the wooden propeller from the Caudron C.4 biplane, flown by the young aviator, James William “Will” Scotland. His biplane, nicknamed the “Blue Bird”, played a pioneering role in New Zealand’s aviation history.

He undertook a series of public exhibitions across New Zealand, showcasing the capabilities of the aircraft and capturing the public’s imagination, and one of these took place on farmland just south of the Otaki River in March 1914. He subsequently shipped the aircraft to the South Island of New Zealand where he made a series of cross-country flights, aiming to promote the potential of aviation for travel. His flight from Invercargill to Gore is recorded as being the first cross-country flight in Australasia.

The aircraft was then shipped back to Wellington where, against his better judgment because of strong winds, he took off from Newtown Park and crashed into a line of trees. He was unhurt but the plane was destroyed. The propellor survives. He claimed to be the first person in the country to have climbed down a tree without having climbed up it first!