The photograph is black and white, and taken from an aircraft thousands of feet up.
It's hard to tell, but it's Mangere farmland, and in the top right of the picture is the new Auckland Airport terminal on day one of its grand opening in January 1966.
There are rows upon rows of cars - covering every inch of bare paddock, stretching into the rural middle distance in three directions. The people, from this height, appear either as dense smudges or scattered celestial clusters, numbering more than 98,000 on this particular day. The following two days of the 'Grand Air Pageant' drew this number again for the celebrations.
The numbers of people moving through the airport today - as well those planned for the future - truly boggle the mind.
In 2015 over 16 million people came or went - almost 44,000 per day. All going to plan and forecasts, by 2044 that number will have swelled to an annual 40 million passengers.
When Olympian and national hero Peter Snell laced up his shoes in November 1966 to run the half-marathon from the city to the airport, carrying a torch containing the flight plan for the new airport's first flight, he would have struggled to believe the coming speed of development, scale and economic importance that Auckland Airport would have over the next half-century.
He may also have perhaps been blissfully unaware of the planning challenges of the previous 37 years, since the Auckland Aero Club first penned a letter to the then-Auckland City Council recommending the creation of an airport for the city.
A combination of conflicting politics, upset locals, bureaucratic red tape and multiple possible sites (including the Orakei foreshore, Devonport, the swampy upper Manukau Harbour between Onehunga and Otahuhu and even Brown's Island) meant that by the time the airport took off, New Zealand had some ground to make up on the world aviation scene.
In 1972 Auckland Airport missed out on a visit by Concorde because of a 30cm gap between the runway and an extension that was yet to be filled.
Those historical lessons are often considered in the decision-making of current Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood, who must always have an eye to the future in an industry defined by constant change.
"Auckland Airport has an exciting 30-year vision for the airport's development, with a series of major projects already underway to realise that vision, including a $180m expansion of the international departure processing zone, passenger lounge and retail hub.
"This will be followed by a further expansion of the international airfield and gate capacity. We are committed to expanding and enhancing the airport experience for all travellers and visitors to Auckland Airport," says Littlewood.
Development plans mean that by around 2020 Auckland Airport will complete construction on the first phase of its combined international/domestic terminal, and by around 2025 a second runway will be completed to the north of the current terminals.
It's estimated that this development will mean a further 27,000 construction jobs and almost 60,000 more jobs around the airport.
The growth is forecast on the demographic research which shows that by 2030, two-thirds of the global middle class will live in Asia-Pacific - some 3 billion people.
As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, the airport is giving 150 lucky members of the public the chance to take part in a special airside experience.
Win an incredible behind-the-scenes tour of Auckland Airport
Until midnight on Wednesday 23rd March, entries are open for the Auckland Airport 50th Anniversary Airside Tour, a rare opportunity to see what happens in the restricted areas of the airport. Winners will get the chance to watch planes taking off and landing from a vantage point near the runway.
Every so often a member of the public calls to report smoke off to the side of the airport, mistaking it for the periodical safety drill of fire crews setting a dummy plane on fire and extinguishing it again. Winners will get to see this impressive procedure and witness the technology that is the Panther fire-fighting units. These 36-tonne vehicles can accelerate at speed to reach an emergency, with a top speed of 118km/h.
The tour will also include a drive past the rescue boats and the impressive hovercrafts, which can travel from land into the neighbouring Manukau Harbour in just a few seconds.
To enter for this special prize, click this link www.aucklandairport.co.nz/airsidetour