Located between the Miramar Peninsula and Hataitai, it was the site of New Zealand's first patent slip and served as Wellington's international flying-boat terminal from 1938 until 1956.

[3][4] Today it is bounded by the Miramar peninsula to the east, the Rongotai isthmus to the south, and a hilly ridge forming part of Hataitai to the west.

Formerly the Waipapa Stream flowed from the valley in Hataitai into the head of Evans Bay near the bluff at Wellington Road, creating a large swampy delta.

Equipment for the new slip was delivered in 1865 and 1866, but construction was delayed for several years because of a contractual dispute concerning the suitability of the design for the ground conditions.

However, the site has been listed as a Category 2 Historic Place,[11] and the area is classified as a heritage zone by the Wellington City Council.

During 1910 – 1911 the Union Steam Ship Company reclaimed land at Greta Point next to the Patent Slip and constructed a large complex of buildings, including a laundry, workshops, a sawmill and upholstery department.

[17] In the early 1920s a coal-fired power station was built at Shag Point in Evans Bay (approximately near the roundabout at the intersection of Calabar Road and Cobham Drive).

[19] Coke breeze ( a coal by-product) from the power station was used as infill for reclamation at the Evans Bay Yacht Club site.

[20] While the power station was unpopular due to its unsightliness and emissions,[19] its outlet pipes discharged warm water into Evans Bay, which was enjoyed by bathers.

[21][22] Evans Bay functioned as the preferred flying-boat alighting area in Wellington Harbour during the 1930s, and local officials promoted it through the decade as such.

[23] However a 1938 report concluded that although Evans Bay was the best site for flying boats in Wellington Harbour, it was subject to strong winds that would make a regular service unviable.

[25] Although RNZAF Short Sunderland and Consolidated Catalina flying-boat operations flew intermittently through the 1940s from their seaplane base at Shelly Bay located on the western side of the Miramar Peninsula, it was not until 1950 that TEAL (the forerunner to the national airline Air New Zealand), operated a permanent overseas service to Australia from Evans Bay.

[29][30] The pontoon was built at Gracefield from ship tanks used by US forces during World War 2 to build rafts and wharves.

The tanks were welded together in three sections, which were then slid down a bank into the Hutt River and towed across the harbour to Evans Bay.

Evans Bay could become quite rough in unfavourable weather conditions and at least one Solent was damaged during alighting, needing substantial repairs.

[32] Services to the Chatham Islands also operated from Evans Bay, using aircraft from TEAL and Ansett Airways as well as the RNZAF.

A proposal for a peak-time domestic service to Auckland by National Airways Corporation in 1949 using Short Sandringham flying boats to make up for the 1947 closure of Rongotai Airport was turned down[by whom?]

As advances in aviation overtook the flying-boat concept, TEAL switched to landplane operations and the Evans Bay terminal closed in 1956.

Also at the time, Rongotai airfield started undergoing total redevelopment into today's Wellington International Airport, which opened in 1959.

[41] Wellington City Council postponed its annual Matariki public fireworks display after taking advice about the whale from the Department of Conservation.

The seaward side of the park is on land that was reclaimed in two stages, firstly for the flying boat base in 1951 and then for port purposes in 1967.

The cog wheel used to sit on the grass on the seaward side but was later installed across the road at the patent slip heritage site.

[63] The club still offers children's swimming lessons, which now take place at the Aquadome at Wellington East Girls' College.

[65] The boatsheds are privately owned, with tenure through a coastal permit for a licence to occupy issued by the Greater Wellington Regional Council.

It was the proposed site of a major residential development, but the project was cancelled in September 2023, and the land sold to Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh.