From Wellington to Whataroa on NAC

Whataroa was perhaps the most unlikely of destinations served by the New Zealand National Airways Corporation. On the 1st of October 1947 NZNAC took over Air Travel (NZ) Ltd’s services from Hokitika north to Westport and Nelson and south from Hokitika to  Whataroa, or as it was spelt then Wataroa, Waiho (Franz Josef Glacier), Weheka (Fox Glacier), Haast and Okuru.

Wataroa, located some 31 km north of Franz Josef by road, (though in the 1940s the road went via Okarito Forks and would have been some 10 kms further), was served on demand as part of services to Waiho or Haast. The aerodrome was located to the north of the township opposite the sawmill. In my childhood in the 1960s and into the 1970s there were still wooden runway marker boards and a windsock but I never saw an aircraft on the aerodrome and, indeed, I have never any photos of aircraft on the aerodrome. 

1946 Whataroa airfield charts

 

Whataroa in 1958 - the aerodrone is the cleared area at the centre and left side of the photo

The airfield in 1978 - the marker boards can be seen. The mill wasn't there when NAC operated to Whataroa

NAC only used de Havilland 83 Fox Moths into Wataroa. One wonders who the key users for the air service would have been. Perhaps doctors doing a clinic at the Wataroa hospital or perhaps the judge heading to Wataroa for a hearing at the local court house? Or perhaps the occasional local or someone visiting family. I suspect, however, few people used the service as I have never been able to find a photo of an NAC aircraft on the Wataroa airstrip... in fact I have never been able to find any photo of an aircraft at Wataroa!  

But NAC certainly did serve Wataroa and various snippets give a glimpse the Wataroa service. On the 20th of July 1949 the Christchurch Press reported, Air transport will be used by a Jacksons Bay-Okuru-Haast representative Rugby football team to travel to Wataroa at the week-end to play a South Westland team. National Airways Corporation will take all the team except the Nolan brothers who have their private plane. The distance to be covered is about 100 air miles. This is the first time a team from the far south of Westland has played a representative fixture, sport to date being restricted to inter-settlement contests... the State Highway to the rest of South Westland was still another 17 years away.

NAC timetable, July 1949

NAC's West Coast schedule from the 15th of May 1950 had one flight from Wellington and Nelson continuing down the West Coast to Westport operated by Lodestars. At Westport passengers transhipped to a Fox Moth to fly to Greymouth and Hokitika, with connections at Hokitika to Wataroa and Waiho (Franz Josef Glacier) on an “as required” basis. The Hokitika to Haast service operated thrice weekly with optional calls at Wataroa and Waiho. 

In May 1951 the New Zealand Geographic Board changed the name of Wataroa to Whataroa.

The 1951 rugby match against Haast was played in Haast. The Press of the 31st of July reported, Horses and aircraft will be used to transport members and supporters of the Wataroa Rugby football team to Haast for the annual match between the two districts next weekend. This will be the first time a Rugby team has visited the isolated settlement, and a banquet and ball will be held after the match to celebrate the occasion. More than 80 residents of the Wataroa district will make the journey, 25 by plane and about 37 on horseback. Those going by horse will leave Wataroa tomorrow (1st of August), and reach Haast on Friday (3rd of August). The population of Haast will be more than doubled, as about 35 men are employed there at present. The match has previously been played at Wataroa, the Haast team usually making trip by air.

In late August 1951 the Hokitika Guardian reported that with the opening of the new and enlarged Seaview Airport at Hokitika a new service maintained by Lodestar aircraft will operate between Wellington, Nelson, Westport and Hokitika, with connections on an "as required" basis to Wataroa and the Franz Josef Glacier. This information is given in circular issued by the Public Relations Office of the National Airways Corporation. Aircraft will leave Wellington at 10.30 a.m. and Hokitika at 1.45 p.m. This facility will enable Auckland travellers to leave Whenuapai by the 8,00 a.m. Main-Trunk service and reach the Franz Josef Glacier Hotel by 2.30 p.m. Likewise, a mid-day departure from the Glacier will permit travellers to be back in Auckland by 8.15 p.m. 

The new Hokitika airport opened on the 17th of December 1951. Bill Rawstron recalls flying in a Fox Moth, circa 1951-2, as a small child my brothers and I flew into the Whataroa airfield with my mum (née Jessie Gunn) to visit her parents Willie and Minnie Gunn. I recall we sat in a cabin across the plane. Two pairs of seats facing each other, and the pilot sat above and behind this compartment . He had a view hole from cockpit down into the passenger compartment. The airfield was in the front paddock of the (once) Hyndman farm with the driveway to the house from road crossing this airfield paddock. The farm was approximately 1 kilometre north of the Whataroa village on the main road.

The Whataroa airfield also provided an important facility for the nearby hospital. The Press of the 2nd of June 1952 reported that a four-year-old child was seriously scalded when he pulled over a jug of boiling water, on Friday. A Fox Moth aircraft of the National Airways Corporation flew the child from Wataroa to the Westland Hospital. 

From the NAC timetable of 15 December 1952

On the 27th July 1953 the Press reported on the now annual airlift of players and supporters bound for the Wataroa-Okuru Rugby football match at Okuru in South Westland on Saturday were carried by aircraft of the National Airways Corporation and a private machine. The annual airlift began on Friday and all aircraft were still busy on Saturday morning. Most of the Wataroa team returned home by aircraft yesterday and the rest will take the regular service flights today. 

Hokitika only had a short-lived Lodestar service and the Hokitika-Westport sector reverted to Dominies while Douglas DC-3s replaced the Lodestars on the Westport-Nelson-Wellington sectors. Under the new timetable which started on the 31st of March 1952 a Dominie aircraft flew a thrice-weekly service to Haast, leaving Hokitika at 8.00am and returning at 11.00am. Under this new timetable it was possible for passengers to leave Haast to connect with all North and South Island services, including Auckland, Palmerston North, Blenheim, Nelson, Westport and Christchurch. Connections for these centres left Hokitika at 11.30am daily. The Dominie had seating accommodation for six persons. An "as-required" Fox Moth service to Whataroa and Franz Josef upon the return of the Dominie from Westport.

On the 2nd of March 1953 when NAC extended the Douglas DC-3 service to Hokitika. The arrival of the DC-3 service meant the Dominies could be released to fly the South Westland services. Franz Josef's aerodrome was upgraded to take Dominies and this allowed the retirement of the Fox Moths. ZK-AEK was the first to be retired in March 1953 with ZK-ASP following in December 1953. ZK-AGM holds the honour of being the last NAC Fox Moth being sold on the 28th of February 1954. 

The retirement of the Fox Moth meant the end of NAC's services to Whataroa.

The only photo I have been able to source of an aircraft on the Whataroa airstrip. Cessna 150 ZK-COI was owned by the Dinty Moore of Harihari. He worked as an Electrical Inspector for the local Power Board but was also an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church. He used the COI for both works and he had a fold up bicycle for getting around the communities he was visiting. Ian Coates captured ZK-COI at Whataroa on 2 January 1977

Any other info, stories, photos that you would like to share would be most welcome - Steve westland831@gmail.com