The Bishop and the flying boat
WHEN did the Hokianga see its first plane? Almost certainly it was during a few days in July 1920, when Bishop Cleary, Catholic Bishop of Auckland, enlisted the services of the Walsh Brother Flying School in Kohimarama to get him to one of the remote corners of his diocese — Whangape.
In his 60s, and not keeping the best of health, Bishop Cleary found driving the roads of the North left him exhausted and unable to give of his best when he reached his destination. Flying was another story — cruising at 100ft at 60-75mph was quick and exhilarating, the seaplane delivering him to exactly where he wanted to go.
Heading north to Whangape, however, the plane developed a mechanical fault just off the Hokianga Heads, and had to put down in Martin’s Bay. A boat was found to tow it to Opononi, where pilot George Bolt found enough scrap metal to make temporary repairs.
Flying on next morning, they touched down briefly at Kohukohu to deliver mail, then headed to
"Heading north to Whangape, however, the plane developed a mechanical fault just off the Hokianga Heads, and had to put down in Martin’s Bay. "
Whangape, where “the seaplane alighted gracefully near the meeting of the two rivers,” as Bishop Cleary wrote in his magazine The Month.)
He had arranged with Father Becker to hold a confirmation service at Whangape on the evening of July 22, followed by another at the new church school at Whakarapa (Panguru). On July 24 the plane took the Bishop on to Dargaville, to celebrate the silver jubilee of one of the Mill Hill fathers.
On its northern flight the plane also carried mail for Rawene, Kohukohu and Dargaville, the first air mail delivery in the region. — From October 23, 1997.