air mails of new zealand

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THE OVERSEAS FLIGHTS


1991, 1 April

AUCKLAND-NAGOYA, JAPAN

Air New Zealand commenced a weekly service by Boeing 767 ZK-NBA.


1991, 1 July

AUCKLAND-NUKUALOFA, TONGA SERVICE

Inaugurated by Royal Tongan Airways Boeing 737-200 H4-SAL leased from Solomon Islands Airlines. Although the Tongan Post Office had announced that mail would be flown to Auckland, N.Z. Post only decided to place mail on the flight to Tonga shortly before departure time. An unofficial cachet was used on some Tongan covers.


1992, 26 June-1993, 21 August

WELLINGTON-CHATHAM ISLANDS AND RETURN SERVICE

Was operated by Vincent Aviation Company using VH-KAM. This service was originally scheduled to commence with Riley Heron ZK-TAJ which arrived by sea from Launceston, Tasmania but was not granted a certificate of airworthiness. It is not known if any unofficial mail was carried on this service.


1992, 7 August

AUCKLAND-PITCAIRN ISLAND

RNZAF Air Drop.

(click to enlarge)
click to enlarge
map


1992, 11 November

TAGANROG, RUSSIA-AUCKLAND, NZ.

Special flight of the Beriev A-40 Albatross amphibian to Air Expo '92 which was held at Auckland International Airport. The route was Taganrog-Dubai 11 Nov, to Colombo on 12th, Jakarta on 13th, Perth 14th, Sydney 15th and Auckland on 20 November. 10,000 souvenir covers were flown from Russia and were backstamped on arrival with the Air Expo '92 cachet. 500 covers received the HYAT OFFICIAL AIR EXPO DINNER cachet, a "Russian Manufacturers" cachet was applied to a further 250 and final 1,000 received the "Air New Zealand Limited Edition" cachet. The aircraft also carried 160 miscellaneous Russian covers.


1993, 18 June

PARIS-AUCKLAND NON-STOP LONG DISTANCE RECORD FLIGHT

By A340-200 Airbus F-WWBA jetliner in 21 hours 31 minutes. The Airbus flew from Le Bourget Airport, Paris to Auckland International Airport, a distance of 19,808km, and after a five hour refuelling stopover, flew non-stop back to Paris. The route from Paris took the aircraft over Hamburg, Siberia, Japan, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia to Auckland. Four pilots, including Pierre Baud, Nick Warner and Gerard Guyot were used. Some official letters were carried to various dignitaries.


1993, 4 November

AUCKLAND-BRISBANE-SEOUL

Air New Zealand inaugurated a return service with Boeing 767-300 ZK-NCF. The airline produced special souvenir covers depicting the flag of South Korea.

Internal Flights: 1993, 19 Nov. / 1993, 24 Dec.


1994, 17 February

AUCKLAND-SYDNEY 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST OFFICIAL TRANS TASMAN

Air mail by Charles T.P. Ulm. Approximately 110 special covers were prepared by the Aeropex 94 committee in Adelaide and sent by packet post to the Chief Post Office, Auckland where a special "inkjet" two-line cancellation was applied. This reads "AUCKLAND NZ FEBRUARY 17 1994 - 60TH ANNIVERSARY TRANS TASMAN AIRMAIL".

(Note incorrect spelling of February) This is the first known use of this type of special commemorative cancellation in N.Z. The covers were flown to Sydney on a scheduled commercial flight and received a special postmark at the Sydney International Airport on the same date.


1994, 10 & 16 September

AIR FRANCE CONCORDE FLIGHTS PARIS-CHRISTCHURCH & RETURN

Specially prepared aerogrammes are known, with cachets, for both flights.


1994, 6 October

CATALINA DELIVERY FLIGHT ZIMBABWE-NEW ZEALAND

250 specially printed flight covers were carried by a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina flying boat from Harare to Auckland (backstamped 26 Oct).

Internal Flights: 1994, 29 Oct. / 1994, 16 Dec. / 1994, 16 Dec.


1994, 17 December

WORLD GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS, OMARAMA

Covers datestamped at Zurich 17.12.94 were flown to NZ and delivered to the Swiss team at Omarama. These were datestamped Omarama 7 Jan 1995


1995, 29 January

ADELAIDE-AUCKLAND-WELLINGTON-MELBOURNE ROUND TRIP

This solo flight was made by Jon Johanson in a Vans RV4 aircraft, reg VH-NOJ. 10 signed covers and 10 postcards were flown.

Internal Flight: 1995, 17 Feb.


1996, 5-16 February

ADELAIDE-AUCKLAND-INVERCARGILL-MELBOURNE ROUND TRIP

This solo flight was made by Jon Johanson in a Vans RV4 aircraft, reg VH-NOJ. Franked with $1 Australian postage and also NZ $1 postage and pilot signed. 10 covers and 10 aerogrammes were flown.

Internal Flights: 1997, 29 Mar. / 1997, 7 May / 1997, 11 May


1997, 27 October

AIR NZ JAL, FIRST POOL FLIGHTS AUCKLAND-TOKYO & RETURN

Trans Air Philair Club airmail postcards are known flown both ways. The flight from Japan also called at Christchurch.

Internal Flight: 1997, 13 Nov.


1997, 31 December

60TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST NZ-USA TRANS-PACIFIC OFFICIAL AIRMAIL FLIGHT 1938

Illustrated covers were issued by the AMSNZ and these were postmarked at Auckland with a special inkjet cancellation reading "60th Anniversary NZ-USA First Airmail" and then flown by Air NZ to Hawaii and datestamped at Honolulu, 2 Jan.

Internal Flight: 1998, April


1998, 20-24 July & 3 August

INAUGURATION OF CODESHARING FLIGHTS AIR NZ & LUFTHANSA

The Trans World Philair Club (TWPC) organized special pictorial postcards to be used at Frankfurt for the first flights from there to Christchurch via Singapore on 20 July and to Auckland via USA on 24 July. The covers bear various cachets and cancels. The 3 August flight was the first using the Boeing 767 from Singapore.


1998, 12 October

MEDICAL EMERGENCY FLIGHT CHRISTCHURCH-MCMURDO SOUND & RETURN

An RNZAF Hercules flew to Antarctica on 12 October and returned the following day Some mail, consisting of Shades Stamp Shop's Air Polarogrammes No 11 was carried.


1998, 13 October

70TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST TRANS-TASMAN FLIGHT
BY KINGSFORD SMITH IN 1928

The 50c label produced by Fort Augustus Marketing for the Wanaka air show in April was affixed to a special souvenir cover and tied with a circular cachet. To this was added a $1 NZ Post stamp and the covers were flown to Sydney.


1999, 30 January

MEDIVAC EMERGENCY FLIGHT SOUTH POLE-MCMURDO-CHRISTCURCH

Covers franked with a USPO meter at the South Pole Station were carried by a US ski-equipped Hercules via McMurdo to Christchurch Airport. An Indian stroke victim was taken from a Norwegian vessel via a South African helicopter and German Twin Otter to the South Pole for transfer to the US plane.


1999, 17 February

FINAL ANTARCTIC FLIGHT BY LC130 HERCULES OF THE US NAVY SQUADRON
FROM MCMURDO BASE TO CHRISTCHURCH

Shades Stamp Shop's Air Polarogrammes No 11 were postmarked on 12 Feb at the US Air Force Postal Service APO at McMurdo and flown to and from the South Pole on 14 Feb and then to Christchurch on 17 February.


1999, 11 July

MIDWINTER SOUTH POLE MEDICAL EMERGENCY FLIGHT
TO & FROM CHRISTCHURCH

Cards stamped at McMurdo Base APO on 8 July were flown to the South Pole on 11 July and back to Christchurch by the US Air Force


1999, 12-17 October

ANTARCTIC MEDIVAC FLIGHT CHRISTCHURCH-MCMURDO-SOUTH POLE
& RETURN

Shades Stamp Shop's Polarogrammes No 17 were postmarked 15 Oct at McMurdo APO and flown on a Hercules to the South Pole and back to Christchurch.


1999, 15 October

FIRST GLOBEMASTER FLIGHT CHRISTCHURCH-MCMURDO & RETURN

Covers were taken on this flight and datestamped on return at Christchurch with Ross Dependency Agency postmark 18 Oct.

Internal Flight: 1999, 17 Nov.


2000, 6 April

AIRCALIN (AIR CALEDONIA INTERNATIONAL) FIRST REGULAR FLIGHT
NOUMEA-AUCKLAND

By Airbus A330, Transworld Philair Club air mail postcards are known postmarked at Noumea Magenta.


2000, 22 May

AIR FRANCE CONCORDE CHRISTCHURCH-SYDNEY

A Concorde visiting Christchurch for several days took some covers to Australia.


2000, July

AIR CHINA INAUGURAL FLIGHT TO AUCKLAND

1500 flight covers from China were backstamped at Auckland on arrival.


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The information used on this site has been sourced
from the following three publications:

"THE AIR MAILS OF NEW ZEALAND, Volume One,
THE INTERNAL FLIGHTS"
(1897-1955) by DOUGLAS A. WALKER

"AIRMAILS OF NEW ZEALAND, Volume Two,
THE OVERSEAS FLIGHTS
1928-1940" by DOUGLAS A. WALKER

"THE NEW ZEALAND AIRMAIL CATALOGUE" Third Edition, 2009
(editor: Mike Shand) Author JAMES A. STAPLETON

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE PUBLISHER

Kind permission for their material to be used on this website
has been granted by:

THE AIR MAIL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND Inc,
Box 29-144, Fendalton,
Christchurch,
New Zealand

Air Mail Society of New Zealand website

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