The
Imperial Communications Commission arrived in Auckland on
SS Aorangi from Sydney, Australia in August 1927. So eager
were the New Zealand reception committee that the group were
offered a plane to investigate the area from the air, with
a minimum of delay, as many potential sites for an airship
base were available
Along
with the aeroplane, the group were granted by the NZ railways
"all lines" passes for the period 29th August to 28th September
1927. During this time a site in the Bulls Sanson area offered
greater potential than any other for a base.
As with the South African bases, the area had to be free from
mountains, with good communications and supplies. A site was
located at Ohakea, an area of approx. 1200 acres to the west
of the Main Highway and south of the Rangitikei River near
Bulls was selected as a suitable site for initially one mooring
mast, for the demonstration flight, and with potential for
expansion to a full Airship base with three mooring towers,
Airship Sheds and hydrogen production.
The Australian government were accused of procrastination
over the establishment of the eastern mooring tower base,
which caused the New Zealand Government to also delay on their
decision. With reluctance they had to advise their British
counterparts that they were unable to commit to the additional
expenditure until such time as the Australian authorities
confirmed their willingness to construct a mooring tower in
either Melbourne or Sydney.
Without a refuelling base in the eastern area of that country,
a non-stop flight from Perth to Ohakea could only be made
under the most perfect weather conditions and would be at
best, a marginal operation. It was seen, as with all other
projects of this magnitude, whether the local governments
could be able to raise the hundreds of thousands of pounds
in the depression of the 1930's was one of the conditions
which impeded and curtailed all airship activities from the
British and it's dominions at that time. It can been seen
as this mission was in fact proved valuable later on as the
information gathered for the locations were used in expanding
the sites in to airbases used later in the century in both
South Africa and New Zealand.
