A big hero of Mine Amelia Earhart flanked by Jean Batten a Kiwi Aviator she flew solo from England to New Zealand in 1936.. Jean Gardner Batten CBE OSC was a New Zealand aviator. Born in Rotorua, she became the best-known New Zealander of the 1930s, internationally, by making a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world. She made the first-ever solo flight from England to New Zealand in 1936