Back to the Future

THE WONDERS OF NATURE ARE VERY MUCH FRONT AND CENTRE WHEN YOU FLY IN TO WHAKATĀNE. The lush oasis of Moutohorā Whale Island seems to float in the endless blue ocean, while the beaches stretch on forever into a beckoning coastline. And yet it is a very manmade structure that really catches the attention of first time visitors: the extraordinary Whakatāne Airport Terminal, a bold architectural statement harking back to a time when young Kiwi designers were breaking rules and pushing boundaries. Part medieval castle, part child’s playground, the terminal’s round windows and bright colours amaze some and astound others, but love it or loath it, one thing is certainyou will remember it.

Opened in 1974, the terminal was the result of a partnership between the Whakatāne Borough and County councils, who wanted something to put the town on the map and capture the attention of the growing tourism sector. Air travel was becoming more affordable and Whakatāne saw itself as the perfect getaway for windswept residents of Wellington or stressed out escapees from Auckland, and a new airport terminal that made a bold statement was the perfect way to announce that they were open for business.

To make that statement they enlisted Roger Walker, the Wellington based architect who along with fellow designers like Ian Athfield were rebelling against what they saw as the banality and beigeness of contemporary Kiwi architecture.

“A kind of banality had crept in to New Zealand architecture,” says Paul Raven of Shelter Architects, who studied under and worked with some of the Young Turks from the 70s. And having designed the stunning new Taupō airport terminal, Paul also knows a thing or two about the challenges of working in that space. “There were, and still are, all sorts of conventions around design - doors have to be so far apart, ceilings have to be so high, windows have to be a certain shape - and the likes of Roger Walker rebelled against that established way of doing things. They were rebels with a cause, they wanted things to be different and to delight people rather than just be functional.”

A time when young Kiwi designers were breaking rules and pushing boundaries.

The new terminal would not just be unique in design but also in how it worked, being the first in New Zealand to incorporate the airport control tower into the terminal itself. Up until then the Whakatāne ‘control tower’ was in the form of a Ford Thames van (cunningly painted in black and white checkers to improve visibility in those pre-Hi-Vis days) that would drive out from Whakatāne to shepherd arriving and departing aircraft. The airport would also be unique in that passengers arriving at the main entrance could also instantly see their awaiting aircraft on the apron outside through large windowssomething of a rarity in those days.

Not everyone - and in particular the powers that be in Wellington - were quite so enamoured with Walker’s attempt to break the beige mould however. The Ministry of Works considered it ‘silly’ and wanted a design that could be more easily recognised as an airport (whatever that was), but the project found an unlikely champion in the form of local MP Percy Allen. As a Second World War veteran who had served in the Pacific and Europe and been wounded at El Alamein, it could have been expected that Allen would not have been a fan of all this modern malarky that tipped a nod to the - gasp - Japanese Metabolism movement of the 1960s.

But Allen was, in addition to being passionate about Whakatāne, a man with a bit of vision and - most importantly - the Minister of Works. With his support the design was approved no doubt much to the consternation of the Ministry’s guardians of normality; the brave new world was coming to Whakatāne.

Construction began in 1972 and in May of 1974 the new terminal welcomed its first aircraft and passengers.

The Ministry of Works considered it ‘silly’ and wanted a design that could be more easily recognised as an airport (whatever that was).

And from those very first flights it garnered both praise and condemnation from visitors and locals alike, some calling it ‘Disneyland’, others embracing the playful character, and one commentator describing it as the ‘essence of tourist architecture’, though it’s hard to tell whether that is a compliment or a criticism!

Over the years Walkers terminal has indeed grown into something of an icon for Whakatāne. As the Airport grew and visitor volumes increased, there was conjecture that the terminal was no longer fit for purpose and there was even talk of it being demolished and replaced. But in 2013 the terminal received a New Zealand Institute of Architects Enduring Architecture Award, and in 2019 it was designated a Category 1 Historic Place on the New Zealand Heritage list, so it’s future is secure. Thankfully, the Whakatāne Airport terminal will be around to amaze and astound for many years to come.