On 27 June 1937, Union Airways started a regular
airmail service between Wellington and Auckland via Palmerston
North and New Plymouth.
There were connections with the South Island
through Union Airways Dunedin service at
Palmerston North or Cook Strait Airways at Wellington.
North-bound airmails were flown from the South Island to Auckland
in one day,
but south-bound airmails were held overnight at Palmerston
North or Wellington.
The Wellington – Auckland route used Lockheed Electras for
the first time in New Zealand.
They were commemorated in a stamp issue on
early air transport in 1974.
Wellington – Auckland
This cover is one of 2822 flown from Wellington to Auckland
It was then carried to the UK by sea.
Letters were backstamped on arrival in Auckland at 4pm.
Auckland – Wellington
This cover is one of 324 carried on the Auckland to New Plymouth leg of
the Auckland – Wellington flight.
Connection with Cook Strait Airways
New Plymouth – Hokitika
The next cover was flown south from New Plymouth with the intention
of connecting with the Cook Strait Airways service at Wellington.
It was then flown to Nelson on 28 June and from there to
Hokitika on 29 June.
The cover is backstamped at Palmerston North which is most strange
as it should not have been unloaded there, but flown straight to
Wellington.
That suggests that it was held overnight by mistake at Palmerston
North on 27 June and then, on 28 June, flown by Union Airways
to Blenheim and from there to Nelson by Cook Strait Airways.
There certainly were several mistakes in handling the mail on these
flights.
The Wellington – Palmerston North mail was not unloaded there, but
flown to Auckland as was part of the Wellington – New Plymouth mail.
In addition, some covers from Auckland
to Hokitika were flown by mistake to Christchurch.
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All scans were made by the author.
Information on this page is taken from:
Airmails of New Zealand, volume 1 (1955) compiled by Douglas A Walker,
and the New Zealand Airmail Catalogue, (2nd Edition, 1994)
by James Stapleton.
Both are published by the
Air Mail Society of New Zealand