MOTAT for Adults: Jean Batten

Jean Batten is one of New Zealand’s national heroes. Born in Rotorua in 1909, she became one of the best-known aviators in the world in the 1930s, and on 16 October 1936 she landed at Māngere Aerodrome, now Auckland Airport, after the first solo flight from England to New Zealand. Friday 16 October 2026 is 90 years to the day.

MOTAT marked the anniversary with an evening talk on her life in the Aviation Hall. I didn’t know MOTAT ran evening talks. Now that I do, I’ll be looking out for the next one. It was one of the most interesting evenings I’ve had in Auckland this year, and a splendid night out. If you’ve only been to MOTAT with kids, this is MOTAT for adults, and a completely different way to see it.

I took my dad, who had never been to the Aviation Hall.

Arriving

Doors opened at 6.30pm for a 7pm talk, and it was still light outside when we got there. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve been to the Aviation Hall before, but as we walked in my jaw dropped. The hall was lit in coloured lights, and the planes and flying boats stood out in a way they don’t during the day. We could hear lounge music from further in the hall, drifting out softly to us and drawing us in.

The lighting was done in house by MOTAT’s events team, and hats off to them. The way they bounced the coloured light off the planes was a standout.

We stopped at the bombers first and asked the staff on the floor about them. They were very knowledgeable, and Dad had plenty of questions.

Then Dad talked me through the big flying boats, and it turned out our family had a connection to them that I’d never known about. As much as the evening was about history, it started conversations with my dad that we’d never had before, and being there with him for that was really special.

Before the talk

In the middle of the hall there was seating set out in front of a stage and screen, with live music from Spdrtwnbby, with Nia Vavao singing. There was a bar with a gin sour made for the night called the Aviator, based on a cocktail from the years when pilots were racing to fly around the world. Jean Batten’s taonga were on display under their own lighting.

On the bar leaners there were bowls of jet plane lollies for anyone to help themselves. It was a small, whimsical touch, and it made me happy.

Seeing the hall at night, lit like this, was very moving. I hadn’t expected the evening to be so experiential.

The talk

This one was called The Woman Who Conquered the Skies. Batten left Kent on 5 October 1936 and reached Māngere 11 days and 45 minutes later, where around 6,000 people were waiting for her.

After an introduction from the MC, Lauren Tīpene, a presenter and former air steward, Susan Tolich, MOTAT’s Curator of Transport and Curatorial Research, took us through Batten’s life: where her drive to fly came from, what flying was like for her, why she chose the aircraft she did and the changes she made to them for the long flights. Her earlier records were in a Gipsy Moth with an open cockpit. For the flight to New Zealand she flew a Percival Gull fitted with two extra fuel tanks. Susan knew the subject inside out and loved it, and it showed. Batten’s personal logbook was part of the presentation, alongside a collection of photographs.

Scattered through the seats were QR codes you could scan to send in a question. After a short break, Lauren and Susan worked through them in a Q&A. It was so well run.

I left feeling uplifted and motivated. Batten was a phenomenal woman, with a singular passion and real grit, flying solo across the world in the 1930s in planes she chose and adapted for the journeys herself. Hearing about flights most people thought couldn’t be done, in a hall full of aircraft, you can’t leave without wondering what else might be possible.

Who it’s for

It’s suited to adults of any age. The audience was a mix of older people and younger adults. The talk itself is seated, with a screen to follow, but the evening is much more than a talk. You get the Aviation Hall lit up at night, the music, the bar, and time to wander among the planes before it starts and during the break. It would make a good date night, or an evening out with friends who want something different to a bar. It runs about an hour and a half, including the Q&A.

The series covers aviation in Aotearoa and the Pacific, from the past to what’s coming, so the next one will be on something else. It’s on Thursday 22 April 2027, and tickets are usually $25. Keep an eye on MOTAT’s events page for the topic.

Coming back in the day

General admission is $19 adult, $10 child (5 to 15), free under 5, and the $45 family pass covers two adults and up to four children. SuperGold card holders are free with ID. The trams are free for everyone, and run from the Aviation Hall to Great North Road. Prices checked 14 September 2026.

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