Fox Glacier's short lived NAC air service

 

UPDATED AUGUST 2023

 

The October 2013 issue of Aviation News reported that the Fox Glacier airfield was for sale. The Harcourts' website described the Fox airstrip as follows...

This air field is within a freehold lifestyle block of 24 hectares located near the main West Coast Highway (SH6), close to the township of Fox Glacier. The air field was formed about 1935 by a local farming family who still have a very strong presence in the Fox Glacier area. It is the only air field servicing Fox Glacier. Pilots and passengers are only about five minutes walk from the village. The land is farmed with five paddocks all with a water supply for stock, plus a holding paddock and cattle yards. It winters about 40-50 dairy cows and produces good quality feed. There is a small area of native bush on the northern boundary and the property is adjacent to Westland National Park. This is the first time outside the family that this property has come to the market. There is an opportunity here for engagement in the tourist industry.

This airstrip, is in fact Fox Glacier's second airfield. The original airstrip at Weheka, as Fox Glacier was originally called, was established by Air Travel (NZ) Ltd in 1935. It's location, some kilometres down the flat is still easy to find. One needs to simply take Cook Flat Road towards Gillespies Beach. The airfield was located on the left immediately after the road veers hard right towards the bush. There is nothing to be seen to recognise it as such.

 

The landing chart for Weheka, 1946

 

After Air Travel (NZ) was taken over by the National Airways Corporation on the 1st of October 1947 Weheka was also used as an on-demand stopping point on NAC's services between Hokitika and Haast. However, as far back as early December 1946 there were concerns on the state of the Weheka airfield and plans were being prepared for its improvement and extension.

 

The NAC air route map and timetable extracted from Whites Aviation, December 1947

 

 

In January 1948 the Progress League's concern was expressed in the Greymouth Evening Star that the closing of the Weheka airfield might prevent ambulance planes from using the strip...  In view of the rough road conditions between Waiho and Weheka, the need for ill or injured persons to be brought to Hokitika by air ambulance was stressed. The league has taken no action pending the receipt of further information concerning the closing order. 

The importance of the airfield is highlighted in the story of the rescue of Ruth Adams, a climber who fell 150 feet and broke her left arm while making an ascent of Mount La Perouse with three other climbers. The Press of the 16th of February 1948, reports on her rescue and her being flown from Weheka to Christchurch six days after the fall. Sixteen guides and experienced climbers, one of them a doctor, rescued Miss Adams from Mount La Perouse. An aircraft from Timaru made flights to the scene of the accident to drop food and equipment, and on the West Coast side 12 bushmen blazed a trail through the bush up the Cook river valley to the snow-line of the peak. A National Airways Corporation Fox Moth was made available to fly Miss Adams from Weheka to Hokitika, and then to Harewood on the 15th of February 1948. 

On the 3rd of March 1948, despite the Weheka airfield's use for the air ambulance flight, the Greymouth Evening Star reported on the Progress League having received notification that Instructions have been issued that Weheka airfield is not to be used, even for ambulance and maternity cases, because of its present uneven surface, which makes a source of great danger,” stated the National Airways Corporation, in a letter to the league. It added, however, that it had requested that the Weheka airfield be brought back into a serviceable condition at the earliest possible date, and immediately this was accomplished, the corporation would include the airfield on its scheduled services. Adequate communications existed in the event of an emergency arising and medical attention being necessary, the corporation stated. It was vital that a landing ground should be available at or near Weheka, advised the chairman of the Westland Hospital Board, Mr E. W. Heenan, in a letter, in which he referred to the position of a large number of residents in far South Westland who required medical attention urgently. It was decided to make representations on the matter to the Director of Civil Aviation.

Further information was furnished the following month. The Grey River Argus of the 7th of April 1948 reported that, Due to the lack of proper maintenance, and the fact that the Air Department is unwilling to do any thing the Weheka aerodrome cannot be used by Fox Moth aircraft, the general manager of the National Airways, Mr F. M. Clarke, advised the Progress League. “Until improvements are made, no operation from Weheka can be contemplated other than for urgent ambulance cases, the degree of urgency being assessed between the risk to the patient involved in transportation by (a) surface means and (b) by air under existing conditions. Any requests to the Corporation for air ambulance service in cases which may be classed under the above categories will receive every consideration,” Mr Clarke wrote. Mr J. B. Kent, M.P., informed the League as follows: “In connection with the Weheka aerodrome, I have to report that the relicensing of this aerodrome is under review. It. is one of several aerodromes maintained by the Public Works Department and the Minister of Defence states that it is seldom used and owing to the nature of the surface is not entirely suitable. The Minister further states that owing to its isolation combined with the relatively little use it receives it would be uneconomical to effect major improvements at. the present time. It is considered also that the licence which will be issued shortly will probably not include Dominie type aircraft.” 

On the 2nd of June 1948 the Greymouth Evening Star reported that The Weheka aerodrome has now been licensed for use by light aircraft up to 300lbs and by Fox Moth aircraft, stated a telegram received by the league from the Director of Civil Aviation. The airfield was recently closed down, but its use, at least for ambulance planes, had been the subject of representations by the league. It was stated that the new licence would be satisfactory and enable the previous service to be restored.

While NAC undoubtedly used the airfield for air ambulance and charter flights, the regular NAC service to Weheka, was not restored it no longer appeared in the airline's timetable. Weheka thereby holds the record for port with the shortest NAC air service, only being served for some four or five months.

The Weheka airfield on 3 April 1953 with an aircraft on the strip. The road on the top of the photo is Cook Flat Road with Fox Glacier village being some km east. The road from top to bottom is Gillespies Beach Road. Photo : http://retrolens.nz