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Haast air service memorial - Source: ONE News -
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The West Coast settlement of Haast is celebrating the anniversary of its air service.
New Zealand's first licensed scheduled air service began in December 1934 and now a new plaque has been laid to celebrate Bert Mercer, the man who started it all.
The plane service would change and save lives in the remote area where the only way out was by sea or on the back of a horse.
Haast local Betty Eggeling says once the plane started they knew if anything happened they could be in Hokitika within hours.
The scheduled aircraft from Hokitika to Haast was a regular and familiar site over settlements along the thinly populated coastline.
The planes got bigger over the years to cater for more passengers and more cargo.
One big problem that has changed little over the years though is the weather which stopped all but a few of the vintage aircraft getting down for the celebrations.
The scheduled flights stopped in 1967 as they were no longer needed once the road from Kokitika to Haast went through.
