Auckland's Pigeon Post
The Original New Zealand Airmail

An unusual phase in Auckland's history at the turn of the century was the operation of pigeongram services for the public. The unofficial stamps used on these messages could be regarded as the world's first airmail stamps.

In the early days of European settlement, Great Barrier Island was an important centre for Kauri logging operations. But, although only 20 miles from Auckland, there was only a weekly steamer service. It took 16 days for islanders to receive an answer to a letter sent to Auckland.

After the steamer Wairarapa was wrecked at Miner's Head, Great Barrier Island, in 1894, with the loss of 135 lives, Mr Walter Fricker,a  pigeon fancier of Auckland, thought of the idea of a carrier-pigeon service to get news from the island more quickly. Mining and quarrying operations of the time on islands in the Gulf strengthened the need for better communications with Auckland.

During 1896 Mr Fricker made several successful experimental flights with pigeoons from the island to Auckland, and in 1897 opened the first regular service at Okupu on Great Barrier, where Miss Springhall, the postmistress, acted as his agent. A rival service began later and eventually Mr S. Holden Howie of Newton Road extended the service to include Port Fitzroy, Whangaparapara, Port Charles, Waiheke and the Hen and Chickens Islands. To make the story even more unusual, his feathered mailmen also flew the pigeon post to an ostrich farm at Whitford Park, near Papakura.

Specially printed forms on very light tissue paper were used and eight different stamps were issued by the two opposition services. Each bird carried several messages at once in a tiny aluminium capsule fastened to one leg with a rubber band. These 'flimsies', complete with postmarked stamps, are now a rarity of the philatelic world. The finest collection belongs to the Aucklander Mr R. J. Walker, who has won prizes in internation exhibitions.

Both services ceased operating when the Government opened a telegraphic link between Great Barrier and the mainland in 1908.

Quoted from "Historic Auckland" by John H. Alexander