UPDATED March 2026
NZNAC
took over Air Travel’s services from Hokitika north to Westport and Nelson and
to South Westland on the 1st of October 1947. The new NAC service to South Westland
had a Monday to Saturday service being flown by Fox Moth aircraft from Hokitika
to Haast and Okuru calling at Wataroa (now spelt Whataroa), Waiho (Franz Josef)
and Weheka (Fox Glacier) as required. Initially two de Havilland DH83 Fox Moth’s
were used by the NZ National Airways Corporation’s services to South Westland,
ZK-AEK Mohua
(c/n 4033) and ZK-AGM Matuhi (c/n
T/S2810). The first NZNAC flight
to Franz Josef was operated on the 1st of October 1947.
 |
| First day covers for the NAC services to and from Franz Josef. The first NAC flight to Okuru was flown on 1 October 1947 by Commander Frank Molloy in de Havilland 83 Fox Moth 83 Fox Moth ZK-AGM, Matuhi. It would seem probable that he flew the return service via Franz Josef but I have not been able to verify this. |
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| NAC's DH83 Fox Moth ZK-AGM at Waiho on a rather cloudy day... The hangar has gone, the Fox Moth has gone, the hotel has gone and the Glacier has receded way up the valley |
De
Havilland 83 Fox Moths were the mainstay of the services to Waiho as at this
stage the de Havilland 89 Dragon Rapide/Dominie aircraft were not licenced to
operate into the Waiho airstrip. Late in 1947, however, the Corporation announced
that it ordered a twin-engined four-seater Mile's Gemini monoplane to evaluate
whether it would be a suitable replacement for the Fox Moth for use on the
South Westland services. NZNAC envisaged that the Gemini would also be
suitable for use as a light freighter or as an air ambulance. Miles M65 Gemini
1A ZK-AQO (c/n 6472) subsequently
arrived in Hokitika in early 1948. The Press reported on the 15th of July 1948 that the Gemini bought by the National Airways Corporation at a cost of more than £6000 for possible use on the West Coast, has not yet been placed in service. The aircraft, which arrived in New Zealand nearly six months ago, is still in the corporation’s hangar at Hokitika, and has not been flown for more than 50 hours. The aircraft was subsequently sold. Meanwhile, the NAC service to Weheka (Fox Glacier) was short-lived and by August 1948 it no longer appeared on the NAC timetable.
 |
| The Miles Gemini, ZK-AQO, purchased for NAC's South Westland services proved to be unsuccessful. Photo taken at Hokitika. Photo : I Woolhouse Collection |
At
the same time as the Gemini left a “new” de Havilland 83 Fox Moth, ZK-ASP Mimiro (c/n 4097) arrived in Hokitika
for the South Westland service. ZK-ASP wasn’t exactly new as it had previously been
operated by Air Travel (NZ) Ltd as ZK-ADI, to company’s original aircraft, before
being impressed into the RNZAF as NZ566 during the Second World War.
 |
| NAC timetable of August 1948 with three scheduled flights to Waiho each week |
On
the 9th of August 1948 the Southside airfield at Hokitika was closed to de
Havilland Dragon Rapides and Dominies meaning that de Havilland 83 Fox Moths
had to operate not only the South Westland services but also the feeder service
between Hokitika and Westport via Greymouth to connect with the Lockheed
Lodestar service to Nelson and Wellington. As well as flying regular services
to Franz Josef the NAC Fox Moths were also used for scenic flights over the
nearby Franz Josef Glacier, this probably being the only situation where NAC
aircraft were regularly used for such a purpose.
In
the late 1940s the NAC timetable showed a scheduled service from Hokitika to
Waiho operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with non-scheduled flights
operating on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays to connect with the northbound
flights to Nelson and Wellington if there was traffic offering. Flight time
between Hokitika and Franz Josef was 45 minutes.
 |
| Evening Post, 22 November 1948 |
The Greymouth Evening Star of the 2nd of February 1950 reported that Okuru and Waiho flights have been suspended on a scheduled basis. Flights are now made to these South Westland centres only when passengers are offering. During the Christmas week no passengers were conveyed from Okuru or Waiho. Seven were accommodated at Okuru in 1948 and nine in 1947, while two were accommodated in both 1947 and 1948 at Waiho.
The
introduction of Hokitika’s new airport on the 17th of December 1951 and
the introduction of a Lockheed Lodestar service opened Franz Josef up to new
tourist potential. The Hokitika Guardian on the 27th of August 1951
reported that with the new air service it would be possible to fly from Auckland
to Franz Josef Glacier in one day. 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 11.45 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
Lodestar service to Hokitika operated only until the 29th of March
1952 when the Lodestars were withdrawn from service. In September 1952 the Air Services Licensing Authority heard an application from Queenstown-based Southern Scenic Air Services, Ltd. to operate the Westport-Hokitika and Hokitika-Haast services. An agreement for the purchase of the National Airways Corporation’s assets used on the Hokitika-Haast service was subsequently signed. In the event Southern Scenic Airways Ltd withdrew their application for a licence. ,
On the 3rd of March 1953 the Air Services Licensing Authority heard an application for changes to National Airways Corporation's South Westland services. The Authority granted a licence for short flights, not less than 15 minutes, restricted to Haast, Hokitika and Glacier landing strips, and scenic short fights with a minimum absence of 60 minutes from the point where the flight started. This gave more independence was given to the Hokitika unit and the Hokitika manager, Frank Molloy, was given greater powers regarding charter flights and other aspects of his work to suit the local conditions, including scenic flights from Franz Josef.
 |
From the NAC timetable of 15 December 1952 |
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| A better day for flightseeing, DH 83 Fox Moth ZK-ASP at Franz Josef. Photographer unknown – S Lowe Collection |
Meanwhile, in late 1952, a new wing had been added to the Glacier Hotel at Franz Josef, giving accommodation for 90 people and with this development it was reported that the National Airways Corporation hopes to provide a better service to Hokitika, from where travellers move on to the glacier. At present N.A.C. operates Douglas 24-seater aircraft as far as Westport, and passengers to Hokitika are taken by de Havilland Dominie. From March 2 the “larger planes will continue through to Hokitika. The introduction and the extension of the DC-3 service from Wellington, Nelson and Westport to Hokitika on the 2nd of March 1953 enabled the de Havilland Dragon Rapide/Dominies to be released to fly the South Westland services.
At this stage, however, Franz Josef airstrip was not licences for Dominies. Nonetheless the move marked the beginning of the retirement of
the de Havilland Fox Moths. ZK-AEK was the first to be retired in March 1953, ZK-ASP
followed in December 1953 and with ZK-AGM holding the honour of being the last
NAC Fox Moth being sold on the 28th of February 1954. A few days before, on the 23rd of February 1954, NAC commenced an on-demand Dominie service to Franz Josef following works to enlarge the aerodrome for Dominies.
 |
| Evening Post, 7 July 1953 |
 |
| Shortly after the Franz Josef aerodrome was extended NAC DH Dominie ZK-AKU is seen at Franz Josef on 13 March 1954 with Southern Scenic's Percival Proctor ZK-APG in the background. |
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| DH89B Dominie ZK-AKU at Franz Josef. NAC Airline Review, December 1956 edition |
As
well as the scheduled NAC service, the Hokitika based aircraft also flew air
ambulance and search and rescue flights. Captain Frank Molloy recounted, A recent flight which I had to perform was
to locate a disabled fishing boat somewhere off Greymouth in bad weather. We
were lucky sighting it only 17 minutes after take-off from Hokitika and a tug
from Westport was able to take it in tow later during the night and they
reached Westport safely early on the following morning.
 |
| Evening Post, 10 September 1954 |
Meanwhile NAC were still keen to withdraw from the South Westland service. Agreement was finally reached with Southern Scenic Air Services Ltd and in November 1956 the NAC South Westland air service was handed over to a subsidiary of Southern Scenic Air Services’, West Coast Airways Ltd. At the time of the handover the air fare from Franz Josef to Hokitika was £2 10s, from Franz Josef to Wellington £9 4s and from Franz Josef to Auckland £14 13s.
On the 16th of November NAC operated its final South Westland services. On the 19th of November 1956. West Coast Airways' de Havilland DH89A Dragon Rapide ZK-AHS operated the new airline's inaugural flights with a Hokitika-Haast return service.
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