AWARUA RETURNS TO AUCKLAND

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 192, 10 May 1940, Page 8

AWARUA RETURNS TO AUCKLAND

End Of First Service Flight METEOROLOGIST AMONG PASSENGERS (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 9. Returning from her first service flight to Sydney, the Tasman Empire Airways flying-boat Awarua arrived at Auckland at 1.50 p.m., with nine passengers and 3501 b. of mail. The Awarua left Rose Bay, Sydney at 4.5 a.m., Eastern Australian time, and the trip occupied eight and a quarter hours. Her commander, Captain Garden, said the weather at Sydney was bad for the time of year, with cold and rain. It was necessary to' climb to more than 12,000 feet, where low temperatures were met with, but after that conditions for the crossing were quite good. . The mail, consisting of approximately 20,000 English and Australian letters, was smaller than expectations, as the flying-boat inward bound on the Empire route was one day late, and missed the New Zealand connexion at Sydney. The Awarua carried the same crew as on her trip westward, except that Mr. G. W. Cussans, who had been her radio officer on the flight from England, left her at Sydney to-return to Europe, his period on loan having expired. Mr. J. Berry, one of the company’s New Zealand-trained officers, took his place on the crossing to Auckland. Among the passengers was Mr. B. W. Newman, assistant divisional officer at Sydney for the Commonwealth Government Bureau of Meteorology. Mr. Newman, who has charge of the Sydney meteorological service for flyingboats, has come to discuss matters of common interest with Mr. L. N. Larsen, Government meteorologist at Auckland, and in particular to complete arrangements for co-ordinating weather forecasts at the termini of the- Tasman service. Mr. Larsen similarly visited Sydney some time ago. Mr. Y. Banno, managing director of the Auckland mercantile firm of Banno Brothers (New Zealand), Limited, returned from a business visit to Japan, made entirely by air with the exception of a sea voyage from Auckland to Sydney. Mr. Banno left Auckland on March 21 and spent 15 days in Japan as well as some time in China. His return trip by Japanese, British and Dutch air lines took 11 days. If he had not had to wait for connexions at Bangkok and other points he would have reached Auckland in six days.

Mr. Harvey Turner, Auckland, returned from a short business visit to Sydney, having travelled both ways in the Awarua. He said he greatly appreciated the large saving of time and comfort of air travel under such conditions.

The remaining passengers were: Mrs. E. Barden and Messrs. J. W. Baden Cornes, C. R. Hevener, G. H. Canty, C. H. R. Jepson and N. E. Burnell Higgs.