1920 (Aug 27) apparently commercial cover endorsed "First Flight/North to South Island/Wellington/to/Blenheim" with light 'AERIAL POST' handstamp & signed by the pilot "Euan Dickson", with 2d yellow tied by 'OAMARU' machine cancel, light central horizontal fold. The mail arrived late at Trentham Airfield, arriving at Blenheim in stormy conditions which caused the onward flight to Christchurch to be delayed & then cancelled. See Volume One at pages 132 (where illustrated) to 135. (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1920 (Aug 28) Wellington-Blenheim-Christchurch 'NEW ZEALAND SHORT WAYBILL' for mail from Wellington with 'AERIAL POST' cachet in violet & 'BLENHEIM/28AU20/NZ' arrival cds & signed by the pilot "Euan Dickson", soiled, multiple folds & a few separations repaired with archival tape. The onward flight was delayed by poor weather, the mail eventually being forwarded by road & delivered to Christchurch on 1.9.1920. See Volume One at pages 132-5, illustrated at page 132. This was the first-ever north to south air crossing of Cook Strait. (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

1929 (June 24) cover to "Karamea" with 1d Field Marshall tied by 'INANGAHUA [LANDING]' cds, minor blemishes. On 17.6.1929, a major earthquake near Murchison & Karamea in the north-west of the South Island destroyed homes, caused extensive flooding & 17 deaths, and isolated some communities. Four relief flights Westport-Karamea on 21.6, 22.6, 1.7 & 2.7.1929 carried small mails, at standard postage rates. Much scarcer than the Hawkes Bay/Napier emergency flight covers. (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1931 (Feb) group of philatelic covers, the first with 6d Express Delivery & black/orange 'EXPRESS' label, the others with 'EMERGENCY EARTHQUAKE AIR MAIL' cachet in violet, signed by the pilots "GG Wallace", "HB Burrell", "GB Bolt", "CM Duthie" or "DM Allan" respectively. The Hawkes Bay or Napier Earthquake occurred on 3.2.1931, devastating & isolating the region, and killing 256 people. Napier was wiped off the map, the rebuilt central part being one of the best examples of an Art Deco town in the world. Between 4.2 & 27.2.1931 a series of emergency flights maintained contact with the area, with small mails only being carried. Plus a folio of contemporary newspaper broadsheet pages from 'The Otago Witness' including 8pp & 12pp pictorial supplements & 'The Daily Telgraph' News Bulletins No 1 2 4 & 5 including lists of victims. (5 + newspapers) (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1931 (Feb 9) unstamped social cover to "Khandallah/Wellington" with 'HASTINGS' cds, opened a little roughly & a bit soiled. Non-philatelic mail from the Hawkes Bay or Napier Earthquake emergency airmails is very scarce. (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1931 (Feb 6) plain cover with 1d 'OFFICIAL' tied by 'HASTINGS' cds, to "Public Works Department/Auckland" with superb 'EMERGENCY EARTHQUAKE AIR MAIL' cachet in violet, signed by the pilot "S Wallingford", repaired opening tear across the flap. Official mail carried by the emergency air services is even scarcer than social mail. (Image1)

Estimate AU$350

1931 (Feb 9) unstamped social cover endorsed "Earthquake Area" to "The Vicarage/Bulls" with 'NAPIER' cds, 'BULLS/13FE31/NZ' arrival cds, repaired opening tear across the flap. Mail from Napier was flown from Hastings only between 5.2 & 9.2.1931. Bulls is more than 200km by road south-west of Napier and this cover probably travelled by road, such items being much scarcer than those carried by the emergency air services (included here to be offered with the other items from this incident). (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

1932 (Feb 19-20) commercial covers from Dunedin x2, 'OAMARU' (telephone slogan cancel) or 'RANFURLY' all to Christchurch, one with typed "...EMERGENCY FLIGHT/Wigram Aerodrome Oamaru-Christchurch" & signed by Squadron-Leader "JL Findlay", one endorsed "Special Flight/Dunedin-Christchurch" & signed by Sqdn-Ldr "TM Wilkes", another without endorsement also signed by Findlay, the other without endorsement or signature. Heavy rainfall on 20-21.2.1932 in the Canterbury Province caused widespread flooding & extensive damage to buildings & infrastructure, including the Pareoroa Bridge between Timaru & Christchurch. Seven pilots returning from the Invercargill Air Pageant held on 20.2.1932 each carried small mails to Christchurch. Very scarce group. (4 items) (Image1)

Estimate AU$600

1933 (May 4) appropriately endorsed covers flown by AE Willis 'BLENHEIM' to Wellington (backstamp, being a 1d Envelope), and return flight of the same day with 1d Field Marshal. A shipping strike had interrupted the Cook Strait mail service & Willis offered to assist but carried only very small mails. (2) (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1933 (May 29-30) cover & 1d Envelope (light spotting) both endorsed "Emergency Flight", Hastings-Gisborne & the return flight & on to Christchurch (possibly commercial), both signed by the pilot "AG Gerrand". Scarce. The flights were necessary after major flooding caused severe damage to roads between Napier & Gisborne. (2) (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1934 MacRobertson Air Race per JD Hewett & CD Kay in Dragon Rapide 'Tainui' that departed England 20.10.1934, arrived Melbourne 3.11.1934, coming fifth in the handicap section, the cover endorsed on the flap "Bag containing this letter lost in Persia/just arrived by Imperial Airways/Quantas [sic] Empire Airways. Rail to Melbourne/boat to NZ/JDH" (= JD Hewett), Field Marshal 1d affixed & tied by Auckland slogan of '9MAR/1935', minor spotting, see NZAC at page 20, this item unlisted. (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1935 Sydney-Wellington Silver Jubilee Air Mail per Kingsford Smith & PG Taylor illustrated cover with Australian 2d & 3d x2 tied by Melbourne cds of '12MY35', superb 'WELLINGTON/23MY35/ 1 /NZ' relief arrival backstamp & another strike tying New Zealand ½d & 1½d to the face, repaired flap tear, see NZAC at page 22. Seven hours into the flight, engine trouble and a damaged propellor caused all equipment & mail to be jettisoned but a small amount of mail was overlooked. During the flight PG Taylor made a series of untethered trips to obtain oil from the damaged starboard engine, to top-up the port engine. For this he was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal, later upgraded to the George Cross. (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

1935 (Dec) England-Australia per 'City of Khartoum' that ran out of fuel & crashed into the sea on approach to Alexandria, killing all 11 occupants, placed aboard 'Horsa' ex Alexandria 8.1.1935, 'Athena' Karachi-Singapore, then per 'Brisbane' or 'Adelaide' to Darwin, where the mail was finally opened & dried, the cover severely water-damaged, with the Sydney GPO printed incident advice letter & Sydney DLO 'RE-ENCLOSED LETTER' envelope (filing folds) in which it was flown to New Zealand with superb 'AIR MAIL/21JA36/SYDNEY NSW' cds. See Volume Three at pages 352-372, where stated "...a small mail for NZ...was included in the Melbourne & Sydney bags". (3 items) (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1935 (Dec) England-Australia per 'City of Khartoum' that ran out of fuel & crashed into the sea on approach to Alexandria, killing all 11 occupants, placed aboard 'Horsa' ex Alexandria 8.1.1935, 'Athena' Karachi-Singapore, then per 'Brisbane' or 'Adelaide' to Darwin, where the mail was finally opened & dried, from West Germany with 'SOLINGEN/24.12.35' pictorial meter for Solingen Steel, significant water-damage, processed through Melbourne with 'RECEIVED AT GPO MELBOURNE/DAMAGED BY WATER' cachet in violet, resealed with 'FOUND OPEN/OFFICIALLY SEALED' label tied by superb 'MELBOURNE/ 25 /20JA36/VIC' cds, Australian airmail label affixed for transit to New Zealand, opened-out & slightly truncated for display. See Volume Three at pages 352-372. Covers from countries other than Great Britain are rare: Rod Perry's cover from Austria to New South Wales sold for $1690. (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1936 (Dec) Germany-New Zealand per Imperial/Qantas service ex London 2.12.1935, terminating at Brisbane 14.12, mail for southern States & New Zealand being on-forwarded by rail with Sydney machine backstamp of '15DEC/1935', badly damaged en route to New Zealand with blue/white 'OFFICIALLY SEALED' labels on all sides & large 'RECEIVED AT/WELLINGTON/IN DAMAGED CONDITION' cachet in violet on both sides. Very attractive & full of character. (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1938 (Sep) England-Australia Empire Air Mail Scheme (EAMS) service per 'Calpurnia' which crashed into Lake Habbaniyah (Iraq), with four fatalities, Brian Peace's exhibit pages, including underpaid cover with manuscript "Received in damaged/condition ex flying boat Calpurnia, cachets 'RECEIVED IN DAMAGED CONDITION/EX FLYING BOAT CALPURNIA' in violet x7 (three registered, and one on OHMS ambulance envelope with distressed remains), boxed 'DAMAGED BY WATER IN/TRANSIT FROM LONDON' in rosine x3 (one badly distressed), large 'RECEIVED AT/WELLINGTON/IN DAMAGED CONDITION', very large 'RECEIVED IN /DAMAGED CONDITION/ exCALPURNIA' in violet, light 'RECEIVED IN DAMAGED CONDITION/AT CHRISTCHURCH' in rosine, and 'Received at Christchurch/a damaged condition' ('in' omitted) in rosine, or roneo'd label 'Salvaged from air-mail/liner Calpurnia' x2 (one underpaid), most with the stamps washed-off, a few with sealing labels. See Volume Three at pages 237-275, where many are illustrated. The best known of the crashes during the 1938-39 Empire Air Mail Scheme (EAMS) period. (19 items) (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,500

1940 (June) Batavia-Sydney per KNILM flight which crashed into the sea soon after takeoff from Bali, killing eight occupants, cover with Netherlands Indies 25c tied by 'TANDJONG/PRIOK' cds, to Wellington with huge 'RECOVERED FROM/LOST FLYING BOAT' cachet of Sydney, minor blemishes, AAMC 888, Cat from $350. Note: the aircraft was a Lockheed land plane, not a flying boat. See Volume 4 at pages 131-148, illustrated at page 143. Only six covers to New Zealand recorded. (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1945 (Jan 25) cover Auckland-Christchurch with 2d meter & superb private double-boxed 'EMERGENCY STRIKE AIRMAIL' cachet in violet. A major labour strike by the Railway Union greatly disrupted commerce. Between 25 & 28.1.1945, the government ordered the Air Force to fly mail between the North & South Islands. (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

1945 (Feb 22) OHMS cover to Christchurch with 2d Whare overprinted 'Official' tied by 'OAMARU' machine carried per RNZAF, and philatelic cover endorsed for the return flight with Guiding Princesses tied by Christchurch slogan. The worst floods since 1868 ravaged the Canterbury & North Otago regions, severing road & rail communications in some areas. The Royal New Zealand Air Force performed two return flights for each of three days 22-24.2.1945. Interestingly, they carried only mail paid at surface rates, items paid at airmail rates travelling as usual per Union Airways. (2) (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1945 (Apr 23) Patrioic Fund envelope per RNZAF Lockheed 'Hudson' which stalled on approach to Piva Airstrip on Bougainville & crashed on the runway, killing three of the five occupants, to "RNZAF APO 308" with 2d Whare tied by 'HOBSONVILLE/19AP45/AIR FORCE' cds, endorsed on the face "Salvaged from Hudson a/c crashed Piva Airstrip, Bougainville approx 0900 hrs 23.4.45", water-stained. See Volume Four at page 124, where illustrated & stated to be "the only cover recorded". (Image1)

Estimate AU$600

1948 cover per National Airways Corporation Lockheed Electra 'Kahu' which when approaching Tauranga Airport encountered turbulence that caused it to crash into the bay, with no casualties, to "Whakata" wih 1d green strip of 3 tied by 'KAIKOHE' cds, endorsed at lower-left "Damaged/plane crash/Tauranga/20-4-48/[initials] Mails", 'WHAKATANE/21AP48/NZ' arrival backstamp. See Volume Four at pages 88-90, where it is illustrated & stated to be "The only cover recorded". (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1952 (Mar) mail from Netherlands per KLM Constellation 'Venlo' which was on fire when it made a non-fatal emergency landing at Bangkok, two covers & a 30c Aerogramme (all with significant fire-damage but with the stamps in place), and New Zealand OHMS ambulance cover, all with boxed 'RECEIVED AT WELLINGTON IN DAMAGE [sic] CONDITION/SALVAGED AT BANGKOK FROM AIRCRAFT FIRE' cachet in rosine. See Volume Five at pages 55-70, two illustrated at page 66. Brian Peace's census lists 17 covers to New Zealand. (4 items) (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1952 (Mar) Dutch 30c Aerogramme per KLM Constellation 'Venlo' which was on fire when it made a non-fatal emergency landing at Bangkok, only minor damage still with light strike of the boxed 'RECEIVED AT WELLINGTON IN DAMAGE [sic] CONDITION/SALVAGED AT BANGKOK FROM AIRCRAFT FIRE' cachet in rosine. See Volume Five at pages 55-70. Brian Peace's census lists 17 covers to New Zealand. (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1952 (Mar) per KLM Constellation 'Venlo' which was on fire when it made a non-fatal emergency landing at Bangkok, cover with 35c block of 4 (one unit with surface-damage), a little charred and with significant water-staining, roneo'd incident advice slip 'This letter was damaged in a plane crash at Bang[kok]' affixed to the reverse. Ex Henri Nierinck. See Volume Five at pages 55-70, illustrated at page 67. (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1952 (Mar) per KLM Constellation 'Venlo' which was on fire when it made a non-fatal emergency landing at Bangkok, two 30c aerogrammes apparently returned to the Netherlands with different bilingual (English & Dutch) roneo'd incident advice slips affixed at Amsterdam, one on the reverse, the other detached. Ex Henri Nierinck. See Volume Five at pages 55-70, illustrated at page 67. (2 items) (Image1)

Estimate AU$600