When my sister and I were little, getting on a plane to fly to Christchurch to stay with our grandparents was the ultimate in excitement. As "unaccompanied minors", we were escorted on to NAC Fokker Friendship by glamorous hostesses, got to hand out the lollies, and always had a packet of chocolate raisins as a treat.
It is this sense of excitement and glamour around air travel - whether it be around the country or around the world - which is captured by the Air New Zealand 75th anniversary exhibition, currently on at Auckland Museum. The exhibition, which has previously been seen by nearly 250,000 people at Te Papa in Wellington, is a multi-media showcase of the airline's history and achievements over three-quarters of a century. It is also an incredibly child-friendly and engaging exhibition which both brings back the "old days" but also allows a glimpse into the airline's past and future.
The first thing to really take me back are the crew uniforms lining the entrance to the exhibition. I remember both the NAC navy and white houndstooth combo, and the 1980s "blue wave" style, but the real standout for me are the Mary Quant-style "lollipop" minidresses, worn with knee-high white boots.
Another memory is stirred by the display of giant swizzle sticks; they bring back the little brown or (teal) blue trays that were handed out, defining whether you were having coffee or tea, complete with plastic swizzle stick.
