Takaka's First Air Service - Northwest Airlines

  

During World War II, Puramahoi Field near Takaka in Golden Bay was developed as an emergency grass runway for RNZAF aircraft, and in 1950 John Reid established the first regular service in and out of Golden Bay as Northwest Airlines.

In mid-January 1950 newspaper coverage reported that A new private company, North-west Airlines Ltd., will shortly begin a daily passenger and freight service between Takaka and Nelson. A Miles Gemini, a twin-engined aircraft, has been purchased in England and the founder of the company, Mr J. W. Reid, will fly it out to New Zealand. Mr Reid resigned last week from the position of instructor to the Nelson Aero Club. A licence for the service was approved by the Labour Government at its last Cabinet meeting. The distance from Nelson to Takaka by air is 40 miles and the Gemini’s flying time for the journey will be 18 minutes. It will take 15 minutes to travel from the city to Nelson airport and another 15 mintues by road from the Takaka aerodrome to the township. The 72-mile road journey from Nelson to Takaka takes about two and a half hours, the road across Takaka hill reaching an altitude of 2595 feet. It involves a. climb of 9½ miles on one side and 5½ on the other. Takaka is so isolated that a number of residents have never travelled even as far as Nelson.

Subsequently John Reid went to England  with the thought of flying the Miles Gemini back to New Zealand but due to unrest in Indonesia it was shipped to New Zealand arriving on the 1st of October 1950. Meawhile, Miles M65 Gemini 1A ZK-AUA (c/n 6300) was registered to Northwest Airlines Ltd on the 24th of July 1950. On Sunday the 15th of October 1950 the Gemini paid its first visit to Takaka to promote the upcoming service. 

The service began on the 7th of November 1950. The day before it was reported that a twice-daily return Takaka-Nelson air feeder service will start regular flights tomorrow with a four-seater Gemini aircraft. Mr J. W. Reid, former instructor of the Nelson Aero Club, is the initiator of the service, which will connect with NAC planes in and out of Nelson. The flying time is about 25 minutes, compared with three hours’ land travel time by way of Takaka Hill.

Northwest Airlines' Miles Gemini ZK-AUA at Nelson. Photo John Reid

Northwest Airlines flew Monday to Saturday, with flights being offered from Nelson departing at 7.00am, 12 noon and 5.00pm for the 30 minute flight to Takaka. The return flights departed Takaka at 8.05am, 1.05pm and 6.05pm. 

Northwest Airlines advertising taken from Graeme McConnell's chapter on Northwest Airlines in Taking Off - Pioneering Small Airlines of New Zealand 1945-1970 

Even as the service began there were issues with the Takaka aerodrome becoming water-logged after rain. Despite representations to Government no funding was made available for the drainage works. When needed Arthur Bradshaw's Percival Proctor V, ZK-AVW, was used as a backup aircraft. 

The back-up aeroplane,  Arthur Bradshaw's Percival Proctor V, ZK-AVW. Photo : Des White

The autumn and winter of 1951 proved to be very wet and for 74 days during these months the airfield was waterlogged meaning people had to transported by road. Graeme McConnell's definitive piece on Northwest Airlines, Above the Marble Martin in the Waugh-Gavin-Layne-McConnell book Taking Off - Pioneering Small Airlines of New Zealand 1945-1970 recounts the end of the airline... During the period 9-14 July only one Takaka-Nelson flight was possible, and this was without passengers because of the waterlogged state of the airfield. On Monday 16 July the airfield was only able to be used in the morning when the surface was frozen and this flight turned out to be the last scheduled service flown by the airline.

On 25 July it was announced that the service was being cancelled for a month on account of the condition of the Takaka airfield. The last charter flight was from Nelson to Wellington and return on 3 August 1951 and on 8 October, the public were notified that Northwest Airlines had formally ceased operations. Northwest Airlines figures show - Hours flown 438 (all incident free), Flights made 640, Passengers carried 1991. Freight carried 28301lbs (including newspapers carried on contract). A load factor of 74%. 

Meanwhile, in September 1951, the aircraft had been advertised as being for sale - Twin engined Miles Gemini four seat aircraft complete with Radio and with 12 months certificate of airworthiness for sale by company purchasing larger aircraft. Price £3,150. NORTH-WEST AIRLINES, 22 Victoria Road, Nelson. Phone 1831S Nelson. The Gemini was subsequently sold to the Nelson Aero Club on the 5th of October 1951 who used it until 1954. In May of that year it was sold to Aucklander L S McGuire who traded as Mac's Air Charter. On the 17th of July 1956 the Evening Post reported, The two occupants of a Miles Gemini two-engined aircraft walked out unhurt when it crashed between two houses at Onerahi (Whangārei) shortly after noon today. The two men were the owner-pilot, Mr. L. St. J. McGuire, and Father Cullen, both of Auckland. The plane had made a normal landing but failed to respond to braking at the end of the runway. Mr. McGuire attempted to take off again, but a cross wind caught the plane and tossed it between two houses. The aircraft finished upside down with its wings torn off, The plane was bound from Auckland to Kaikohe, but was landing at Onerahi to set down the passenger. Mrs. I. Kennedy was at home in one of the two houses when the accident oceurred. She received a severe fright but was unhurt. The aircraft was subsequently written off. 

On the 9th of October 1951 the Marlborough Express reported that The air service between Nelson and Takaka is to be discontinued. North-Sest Airlines announced yesterday that it had decided to cease operations because a proposed runway on the Takaka airfield cannot be constructed owing to the high: cost. The price for a 300-yard strip at each end of the airfield would be £12,000. An Air Department official told the company that had the job required about £5000 it could probably have been undertaken.

John Reid ultimately moved to helicopters  and was a pioneer in the New Zealand helicopter industry, for many years from the early 1960s managing Helicopters (NZ).

Graeme McConnell has written the definitive history of John Reid's Northwest Airlines and this can be found in "Taking Off - Pioneering Small Airlines of New Zealand 1945-1970" by Richard Waugh, Bruce Gavin, Peter Layne and Graeme McConnell