On 19 June 1940, the Niagara was sunk by a mine shortly after leaving Auckland.
As a precaution, the ferry services across the Cook Strait were cancelled and ordinary surface mail was flown
between Wellington and the South Island by Union Airways.
The following emergency flights were made [1]:
- Wellington - Christchurch and return, 19, 20, 21 June,
- Wellington - Nelson and return, 20, 21 June,
- Wellington - Blenheim and return, 20 June.
Ordinary air mail services were in operation and so only covers franked with surface postage were flown. According to [1], the GB Postage Stamp Centennial surface postage first day covers arrived in New Zealand during this time and those addressed to Christchurch and further south were flown from Wellington to Christchurch on the emergency flight of 21 June.
The shown first day cover is addressed to Dunsandel, a suburb of Christchurch.
The plane used was a Lockheed Electra.
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All scans were made by the author.
[1] Airmails of New Zealand, volume 1 (1955) compiled by Douglas A Walker,
published by the
Air Mail Society of New Zealand