HOKI TO HAAST New Zealand’s First Airline. Author: Richard Waugh. Publisher: The Kynaston Charitable Trust in conjunction with the Craig Printing Company. RRP: $54.95 Times rating:
LAUNCHED as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of New Zealand’s first licensed air service, Hoki to Haast is a fascinating commentary on the life of South Westlanders and the determined spirit of the pioneers who introduced the country’s first licensed airline.
Captain JC “Bert” Mercer started Air Travel (NZ) in 1934 with a de Havilland Fox Moth.
Throughout the late 1930s and the early World War II years, the aircraft transported thousands of passengers, freight and airmail up and down the South Island’s west coast while undertaking many air-ambulance and scenic flights.
Richard Waugh, of Highland Park, peppers the book with profiles of the many pilots who flew the coast, outlines the historical data on the development of the airline companies, and provides meticulously detailed technical data about aircraft types that saw service over the years.
The book reveals the little-appreciated fact that, because of their remote location, the people of Hokitika and South Westland were the country’s first most regular air travellers and users of air services.
Stories of pilots and the incidents they were involved in are a highlight of the book, including an account of Jack Humphries’ service with West Coast Airways.
Mr Humphries now lives in Highland Park, not too far from Mr Waugh’s home.
In a 1996 interview, he said: “Life on the coast was one long adventure punctuated by the conflicts of the locals in Haast.
“There was some tremendous rivalry and fights when passions ran high.
“Some of the South Westland women could knit barbed wire.”
People with special aviation interests will find endless packages of information about an important part of New Zealand’s history.
A large collection of photographs brings the era to life.
For those less interested in aviation but wanting to know more about our heritage, this book provides a compelling insight into life during one of the country’s most vital eras in one of its most fascinating corners.
