Auckland-Fiji-Tahiti Air
pp. 31-33 · Read in the full issue
Services
PEAL Enterprise Should Open New Era in South Pacific
, , TITH the announcement on r October 20 that, in November, the operation of the air route ckland-Fiji-Samoa-Cook Islands uld be transferred from National rways Corporation of NZ to sman Empire Airways, Limited, d that TEAL would extend the ■vice to Tahiti, on a fortnightly sis, a long struggle and much lind-the-scenes argument came an end. :t is expected that, by December, ;re will be a regular TEAL service. ih Solent flyingboats. from dney to New Zealand (daily); m Auckland to Laucala Bay iva), Apia (Western Samoa) and ;utaki (Cook Islands) (at least ekly); and from Aitutaki to peete (fortnightly). ?AC pioneered the route with id-planes from Auckland to rotonga (Cook Islands), via rfolk Island, Nadi (Fiji), Faleola r estern Samoa), and Aitutaki and rotonga (Cook Islands), and have it completed a trouble-free record 100 flights.
EAL, coming in with sea-planes, makes necessary some important changes.
, , There is no place for sea-planes off stormy Norfolk Island, so NAC will continue to run the Auckland- NI service.
The TEAL Solents will go to Laucala Bay (Suva), which means that the Auckland-Nadi (Western Fiji) link will have to be provided by one of the non-New Zealand companies.
The Solentecan getdown on the lagoon, in Western Samoa, much closer to Apia than did the land planes, which had to go to Faleola; but there is not enough sheltered water at Rarotonga to permit them to alight there, so Rarotonga is cut out of the TEAL itinerary, and it will be necessary to provide, in the Cook Islands, an auxiliary service between Aitutaki (where the Solent lands easily in the big lagoon) and Rarotonga.
In French Oceania, the land planes had to go to Borabora and the journey to Papeete was com pleted by ship; but the Solents can get down in the lagoon close to Papeete (the capital, on the north coast of Tahiti). it can be summed up by saying that land-planes had the advantage at Norfolk Island, Western Fiji and
Rarotonga; while the sea-planes make for greater convenience in Suva (Eastern Fiji) Apia (Western Samoa) and Papeete (Tahiti), which are the three main centres of population in the South Pacific. fTIHE respective advocates of NAC A and TEAL argued the matter at great length. The im portant point was that the Solents could be landed on the water close to the main centres; whereas the construction of airstrips anywhere near Suva, Apia and Papeete was either impossible, or very expensive.
While they were arguing, in 1950- 51, the Australian company, Qantas, which already services Fiji, was showing a lively interest in Tahiti; so the New Zealanders finally got together and agreed on what they call their Coral Sea route.
A great deal still has to be done in providing landing-places and moorings and servicing equipment in all the sites selected, both regular and emergency; but the decisions have been taken, and the installa tions and new services will mark a new epoch in the life of the Polynesian section of the South Pacific.
The New Zealanders have com pleted a shrewd stroke of business.
The TEAL direct connection with Suva, Apia, Aitutaki and Papeete will draw a great deal of valuable traffic from Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands and French Oceania directly
into Auckland. The following are important considerations:— • There is a likelihood that the new TEAL service will pay its way from the beginning. Hitherto the NZ Government has been subsidis ing the NAG services to the extent of between £BO,OOO and £lOO,OOO per annum. • The use of flying-boats instead of land-planes in the South Pacific is held to fit in better with the over-all plans for South Pacific defence, for which NZ takes primary responsibility. Australia did not accept this view unreservedly; but finally United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand did agree on the defence angle.
It appears that land-planes operate more cheaply between land ing points; but where it is difficult to get an airstrip close to the main centre (as in Western Samoa) the cost of transportation between the airstrip and the town wipes out the flying advantage.
It was calculated that it would cost £1,500,000 to provide Tahiti with an airstrip; but a section of the lagoon can be prepared for the reception of Solents near Papeete, for a few thousands of pounds.
Furthermore, if the South Pacific services were to be run with four engined planes (two-engined planes are not 'liked for overseas flying) there would have been delay, be cause these £250,000 Skymasters, etc., are simply not available. But TEAL have sufficient Solents to in augurate the service at once.
Experts, however, insist that TEAL will eventually change over to land-planes.
Apprehension In Rarotonga
ALTHOUGH Rarotonga knew that Teal’s Solents could not land in the restricted lagoon
ters there, it was expected that connecting service would be jvided between Aitutaki and rotonga (140 miles to the south the Solent route to Tahiti), ere is as yet, no such assurance. [This, coming on top of the Union Co. announcement that, even h the advent of the new Tofua, i Cook Is. will still not receive i services of Matua, has raised 5s of protest.
Jnoflicially, however, it is re ted that the amphibious French aed aircraft, now operated be ;en Papeete and Aitutaki, may used to provide the essential t between Aitutaki and Raro ga, connecting with the Solent /ice. Alternatively, this shuttle vice may be thrown open to er private operators. This Raro ga-Aitutaki sector could provide least a full Dakota payload each r once weekly. he Rev. A. H. Voyce, a veteran sionary of Bougainville, has ified the Methodist Missionary iety of NZ that he will retire the end of his present term in years. He had many years of dee before 1942 and returned Torokina as soon as hostilities eluded.