Day-long Fog Over Waikato And Auckland

Chronicle (Levin), 31 May 1949, Page 3

Day-long Fog Over Waikato And Auckland

AUCKLAND, May 30. Radar beariiigs from the Mt. Vietoria signal station, transmitted by radio telephone to the overseas sliip Titanbank, assisted the vessel to elear the port of Auckland for Nauru this afternoon when the harbour was shrouded in fog. The most widespread and prolonged fog experieneed for - years eovered parts of the King Country, Waikato, Soutk Auckland, Hauraki Plains, Auckland and the southern portion of the North Auckland peninsula. Airways timetables were seriously aflected. A serviee car driver who made the return trip from Auckland to Thames during the . day, stated that conditions were the worst he had known iu 17 years' experience. While some parts had several hours of afternoon sunshine, the fog did not entirely disperse over most of the district and by 5 p.m. it began to creep back. Everywhere uiotorists returning home at the end of the day felt their

way cautibusly' over shrouded roads. The fog lifted .sufficiently about 8 a.m. to allow the Sydney bound flyingboat to take off. Two flyingboats from Sydney landed without difficulty when a break occurred in the harbour fog between 3 p.m '. and 4 p.m. ' The Whenuapai airfield was closed until noon, Mangere was closed until 1.30 p.m. and Rukuhia was unable to handle trallie for several hours. Becanse of the fog several National Airways Corporation passengCt aircraft on the internal services. were held at Whenuapai for some hours and six took off within an hour when the airport was fmally cleared for traffic.