~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Air NZ at 80:

From flying boats to 'cuddle class' - a look back at 80 years of Air New Zealand

29/04/2020

This week marks the 80th birthday of Air New Zealand and although it may not be the best time for celebration, it's important to look back at how far the airline has come since its first flight in 1940.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2020/04/air-nz-at-80-from-flying-boats-to-cuddle-class-a-look-back-at-80-years-of-air-new-zealand.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2020/04/air-new-zealand-80-anniversary/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This new video from Air New Zealand expresses the true meaning of exploration and what it means to be a Kiwi abroad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0VspeFtC7E

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.nzstamps.org.uk/air/teal/index.html

NOTE: at the bottom of the page there is a NEXT arrow button for accessing several more pages of 'First Day Covers'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Air New Zealand: The first flights to London

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/kiwi-traveller/116800281/air-new-zealand-the-first-flights-to-london

It was August 25, 1982;
Prince Tui Teka was riding high in the New Zealand charts with E Ipo, ET: the Extra-Terrestrial was dominating at the box office, and Air New Zealand was about to embark on its first flight to London.

In the past it had to codeshare with 'BOAC' (British Airways) in Los Angeles to reach London, but now using a Boeing 747-200, the national carrier was branching out to Europe.

ALAN GILBERT PURCELL/FAIRFAX MEDIA/GETTY

Lounging in a 1st class seat on Air New Zealand Jumbo in 1984.

The first service went pretty smoothly by all accounts. A report in the Auckland Star on August 27, 1982, quoted Air New Zealand chairman Bob Owens as saying it was "an excellent flight".

"We were about three-quarters of an hour late leaving but we made up the time on the way."

AIR NEW ZEALAND

"Something from the trolley?"

The flight, which was Captained by "Spike" Jones, was greeted by a Māori welcome, and music from the band of the 1st battalion of the Queen's Regiment.

In those early days, Flight TE2 operating twice a week to London, via Papeete and Los Angeles.

Such was the luxury on board that it was dubbed the "Ritz of the Skies".

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Air New Zealand's flight TE2 touched down at London's Gatwick Airport to start the new Auckland-London service.

The First Class interior was a light blue livery with lemon sheepskins as head rests. Māori murals and floral displays also helped created an ambience.

On the big screen, up to eight movies were showing on a running video loop.

Original First Class cabin crew member Denis Eveleigh said during the 25th anniversary of the flight, that the atmosphere on board was very special.

AUCKLAND STAR

"The cabin crew were extremely excited to be part of this great journey and we considered it a privilege to work for our country's airline to deliver an unforgettable experience for the passengers."

Tickets weren't cheap. First-class seats cost about $16,000, or roughly $57,040 today.

In those early days the first flights landed at London Gatwick, and it wasn't until 1994 that Air New Zealand moved its operations to Heathrow.

TIM OCKENDEN - PA IMAGES/PA IMAGES/GETTY

The Queen leaves Heathrow Airport for New Zealand for the first time on a scheduled Air New Zealand to Auckland flight.

Over the years the flight has welcomed millions of passengers, and some royalty as well.

In November 1995, Queen Elizabeth II landed in Auckland aboard Air New Zealand flight NZ1 from London via Los Angeles.

It was the first routine commercial flight ever used by a reigning British monarch.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, has made two trips on the flight as well. First as a baby with parents Prince Charles and Diana, then on a recent tour of the Pacific.

Air New Zealand will end the service in October 2020, replacing it with a new Auckland-New York route.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jim Robertson Evans Bay Wellington 1950

1956

*****************************************************

Do you still fondly remember Air New Zealand's 1970's

"FIRST CLASS"?

Click here to view >>> C'mon to New Zealand (1970)

*****************************************************

On 11 November 1962 Lockheed Electra ZK-TEA ‘Aotearoa’ commanded by Captain Ian Russell with Flight Engineer Derek Stubbs flew from Auckland to Melbourne, a large portion the of the New Zealand British Empire & Commonwealth Games team heading to Perth Australia.

The Electra carried a total of 71 passengers so the whole team of 86 competitors would not have been on this flight.

F/E Derek Stubbs had the foresight to retain in magnificent order, the ‘T.E.A.L. Flight Position Report’ autographed by many of those team members on board. Many of the signatories went on to even greater fame and are well recognized internationally 50 plus years on.

Derek is to be congratulated for saving for posterity this absolute gem.

Consider in 1962 the transistor had not been invented, there were no computers/scanners/digital cameras/internet/ etc. so now more than half a century later it is preserved digitally ‘forever’ and will be enjoyed by many.

The reverse side of the ‘T.E.A.L. Flight Position Report’ is of interest also as it shows T.E.A.L.’s 1962 entire route structure including Auckland-Norfolk Island which was flown by chartered Qantas DC-4 aircraft, and the Coral Route, which had been operated by Solent flying boat until 1960, followed in October 1960 by DC-6B and by the Electra in 1961.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Zealand at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_at_the_1962_British_Empire_and_Commonwealth_Games

New Zealand sent a team of 86 competitors and 11 officials to the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, which were held in Perth, Western Australia.

The flagbearer at the opening ceremony was Murray Halberg.

New Zealand was third in the medal table in 1962.

Gold Medals

Athletics:

Murray Halberg — Men's 3 Miles.

Peter Snelll — Men's 880 yards.

Peter Snell — Men's 1 Mile.

Valerie Young — Women's Discus Throw.

Valerie Young — Women's Shot Put

Lawn Bowls:

Robert McDonald and Hugh Robson — Men's Pairs

Boxing:

Wallace Coe — Men's Welterweight 64–69 kg

Fencing:

Melody Coleman — Women's Foil

Rowing:

Keith Heselwood, George Paterson, Douglas Pulman, Hugh Smedley & Winston Stephens
Men's Coxed Four

James Hill — Men's Single Sculls

Silver Medals

Athletics:

Marise Chamberlain — Women's 880 yards.

John Davies — Men's 1 Mile

Dave Norris — Men's Long Jump.

Doreen Porter — Women's 100 m

Boxing:

Bill Kini — Men's Heavyweight 81–91 kg

Cycling:

Warren Johnston — Men's 10 Mile.

Anthony Walsh — Men's Road Race

Rowing:

Leslie Arthur, Darien Boswell, Colin Cordes, Alistair Dryden, Alan Grey, Christian Larsen,
Louis Lobel, Robert Page and Alan Webster — Men's Eight

Graham Lawrence and Murray Lawrence — Men's Coxless Pair

Murray Watkinson and Peter Watkinson — Men's Double Sculls

Swimming:

Vivien Haddon — Women's 110-yard Breaststroke

Weightlifting:

Don Oliver — Men's 110 kg

Bronze Medals

Athletics:

Nola Bond, Molly Cowan, Avis McIntosh and Doreen Porter — Women's 4 x 110-yard Relay

Avis McIntosh — Women's 80 m Hurdles

Boxing:

Paddy Donovan — Men's Lightweight 57–60 kg.

Turori George — Men's Featherweight 54–57 kg

Cycling:

Laurie Byers — Men's Road Race

Fencing:

Bob Binning, Michael Henderson and Brian Pickworth — Men's Sabre Team

Swimming:

Vivien Haddon — Women's 220 yards Breaststroke.

Alan Robertson — Men's 220 yards Backstroke

Wrestling:

Warren Nisbet — Men's 52 kg.

Fred Thomas — Men's 82 kg

Other members of the team who were not on the medals table this time but later went on to greater heights at subsequent Empire and Olympic events were:

Barry Robinson. Gary Philpott. Bill Baillie. Jeffrey Julian. Barry Magee. Pamela Burnett. Lorraine Curtis. Logan Aikman. Paul Dallow. Edward O’Keefe. Kevin Gibbons. Les Mills. Darcy McGonagle. Robin Tait. Dave Leech.

*****************************************************