3rd Level New Zealand: October 2025

12 October 2025

Aquatic & Vintage Airways' Widgeons and Beaver

After Sea Bee Air ceased operating Grumman Widgeon and Goose aircraft on scheduled services in New Zealand during Easter 1989 there was one final operator that continued commercial operations using G. While this was the end of amphibious scheduled services it was not the end of commercial flying by amphibians. That honour goes to Aquatic & Vintage Airways Ltd and, as it was later renamed, Salt Air.

Aviation often has passionate people in it. While Fred Ladd is well known for his passionate promotion of amphibian flying not so well known is Grant Harnish whose love affair with Grumman Widgeons continues to this day.

Aquatic & Vintage Airways Ltd came into being on 16th of October 1992 when O & C Harnish Ltd was renamed. The new operator was a 50-50 partnership between Grant Harnish and who was to front the operation and his father Owen who provided the initial financial backing. Owen Harnish had acquired Grumman G44A Widgeon ZK-CFA (c/n 1439) in 1987 but on the 23rd of December 1992 Grant took possession of it enabling Aquatic & Vintage Airways to take to the air offering scenic flights from the waterfront at Paihia. The Widgeon ZK-CFA had seen a lot of service with Tourist Air Travel, Mount Cook Airlines and Sea Bea Air and in offering scheduled services and scenic flying. With Sea Bee Air's closure the scheduled flying ceased and the new Bay of Islands-based company used the Widgeon to offer a variety of popular flights around the Bay of Islands as well as an option for a flight around Cape Reinga.

Aquatic & Vintage Airways' Grumman Widgeon on maintenance at Ardmore on 31 May 1996

Meanwhile, Northern Air had developed an airstrip at Waitiki Landing, some some 20km south of Cape Reinga. Northern Air never used the airstrip very much and after damaging an aircraft on it it hadn't been used for some time. Aquatic & Vintage Airways saw an opportunity and on the 7th of June 1995 two of Owen Harnish's aircraft, De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver ZK-CGX (c/n 1548) and Cessna 172P Skyhawk II ZK-EWF (c/n 17275010), were added to Aquatic & Vintage Airways' fleet and these aircraft were used to develop scenic flights from the airstrip at Haruru Falls near Paihia. On arrival at the Waitiki Landing airstrip the passengers were taken from the airstrip to visit the Cape Reinga lighthouse, Tapotupotu Bay and the Te Paki quicksand stream and its giant sand dunes.

Before it went to Aquatic & Vintage Airways, DHC Beaver ZK-CGX, the Eager Beaver, at Ardmore on 19 November 1992. It was used on the Cape Reinga flights in this scheme with small Aquatic & Vintage Airways' titles on the side passenger door. Photo : MRC Aviation

1996 saw the acquisition of a second Widgeon. Grumman G44A Widgeon ZK-AVM (c/n 1466), like sister Widgeon ZK-CFA, had seen service with Tourist Air Travel, Mount Cook Airlines and Sea Bea Air. It was cancelled from the New Zealand register on the 18th of June 1987 after being sold to E J Jones of Cairns in Queensland, Australia who registered it as VH-WET and who operated it as Coral Wings. On the 22nd of April 1994 its Australian registration was cancelled and was registered to Massim Expeditions & Tours P/L, of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea and placed on the PNG register as P2-WET. It arrived back into New Zealand on the 10th of December 1994 and eventually it was cancelled from the PNG register in 1996 being placed on the New Zealand Zealand register as ZK-AVM again on the 1st of July 1996 and registered to Aquatic & Vintage Airways Ltd.

Aquatic & Vintage Airways Grumman Widgeon ZK-AVM at Ardmore on 15 September 1996

A couple of days after ZK-AVM's arrival at Paihia the first Widgeon, ZK-CFA, flew to Ardmore for supposedly a winter overhaul. It was a case of the best laid plans not coming to pass. The overhaul was put on the long finger and subsequently the Widgeon had its wings removed, before it was placed on a trailer with the wings underneath and it was towed back to the Bay of Islands for what would become a 26 year restoration project.

Grumman Widgeon ZK-CFA at the top of the Brynderwyns on its way back to Kerikeri and the start of a long restoration project

Meanwhile Grumman Widgeon ZK-CFA continued to operate Aquatic & Vintage Airways

Some magnificent Lawrence Acket photos of Aquatic & Vintage Airways' second Grumman Widgeon, ZK-AVM, flying over the Bay of Islands during 1997

In 2022, 30 years on from his establishing Aquatic & Vintage Airways, Grant Harnish described that company name as "such a mouthful when answering the phone" that in '97 it became Salt Air. From then the aircraft were rebranded and Aquatic & Vintage Airways traded under the name Salt Air until the company name was officially changed to Salt Air Ltd on the 16th of April 1999.

As stated above Grant Harnish' love affair with Grumman Widgeons started in 1992 with the launch of Aquatic & Vintage Airways and continues to this day. 30 years on, 2022 saw the completion of his restoration of Grumman Widgeon ZK-CFA. I was given the privilege of checking out the magnificent restoration of Grumman Widgeon ZK-CFA on the 14th of September 2025.

The continuation of the story of Salt Air can be found here :

https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/04/salt-air-xpress-service-to-northland.html