Yellow Airplane Has a Spa Day

Pahiatua’s beloved Harvard has had a much-needed deep clean thanks to Patrick Harold of ATD Pressure Washing.
Patrick said it took some elbow grease and several treatments to wash and rinse the plane, which came up really well despite the water restrictions. The water used in the cleaning was collected tank water and was not taken from the town supply.

A longtime icon

The original Harvard NZ918 airplane was built in 1941 and shipped to New Zealand as a training plane during World War Two. During its service years it was piloted by several Tararua residents which established its close connection with the region. In 1963 it was gifted to Pahiatua and placed in the playground as children’s slide. At that time, it was painted sliver grey and later it received its iconic yellow paint.

After over fifty years of weather and play, the old plane’s condition deteriorated to the point that the decision was made in 2015 to remove it. It was a sad blow to the town, that the Pahiatua community banded together and fundraised to have a replica made to replace the original. The slide was eventually removed as there were complaints that it was too steep and dangerous for today’s children. [We GenXers and Boomers were a tougher breed, weren’t we? Lol – Ed].

Our newly-cleaned Harvard looks brilliant and remains a proud monument to the spirit of the community. This plane might not have flown in real life, but it flies in our hearts.

Before and after pictures courtesy of Patrick Harold