WCC, Survey Branch, 1 to 500 scale aerial photograph transparencies

Descriptive Data

Archives Identifier00417Date Range1970-1988DescriptionThis is a series of aerial photographic transparencies covering the geographic area administered by the Wellington City Council. The transparencies were used as in-house reference tools for various purposes, such as town planning, zoning, and management of Council maintained infrastructure. They were produced at a scale of 40’ to the inch (later 1:500), the same scale as the footprint maps used for the same types of work since the 1890s. The aerials complimented these footprint maps, which continued to be used and updated until the early 1990s.

There are four different sets (or fly-overs) of aerials in this series:
1. 1970-1974, 630 sheets
2. 1974-1979, 676 sheets
3. 1978-1983, 709 sheets
4. 1984-1988, 784 sheets

The aerials are indexed using a Wellington City Council devised grid index system based on a trig point on Mount Cook. Around 1989 the Council adopted the NZMS grid system (these are held as Series 00462).

Sheets from all four fly-overs have been interleaved, and arranged by grid reference and date flown (for example all the Sheet A30’s are grouped together, then the A31’s, and so on. Within each of these the transparencies are filed in date order according to when they were flown).

The geographic area covered varies by date; generally earlier fly-overs consist of fewer sheets. For later fly-overs the area covered increases as more funding was available or there were increased requirements to capture a wider area. For example the amalgamation of part of Hutt County in 1973 saw that area included in the next fly-over carried out.

Street names have been annotated to help use the maps. A small number also have working annotations, such as proposed roads and subdivision layouts, property boundaries and lot numbers, trig points and street numbers.

The transparencies can be accessed either by map grid number or by street name. Each item description lists the map grid number, and the streets that appear on that transparency. Depending on the length of some streets more than one transparency may need to be checked to find the exact area required. The index map in Series 00386 can also be used to identify the relevant map location to search this series. Searching by map grid number also allows comparison with earlier maps held by Archives; the Thomas Ward Survey Maps and 1937 Housing Survey Maps (Series 00500, 00514 and 00515).Quantity (Linear Metres)23MediumPhotographSystem of ArrangementArranged alphabetically by map grid reference then by date of flyover within each grid referenceCollection TypeWellington City Council

Maps and Plans

Series

Access Information

Restriction StatusOpen

Related Agencies

Controlling or Creating AgencySurvey BranchRelationship Date Range1988-1991

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WCC, Survey Branch, 1 to 500 scale aerial photograph transparencies