Jim Sullivan: On the 25th of August 1920 pilot Euan Dickson took off from Christchurch on the first Cook Strait flight, and we pick up his story south of Kaikoura.
Euan Dickson: I came down through the clouds and fortunately I found I was over the sea, and turning inland I looked around to find a suitable paddock to land. And I did fortunately find a paddock in that hilly country, and it was on the property of a Mr Bullen, who was a large run-holder there, and he supplied me with some Big Tree petrol. The ordinary motor spirit which we did use in the aeroplanes in those days, we had no special aviation spirit. I then flew on to Kaikoura, which took a matter of seven minutes, and I found smoke fires, pre-arranged burning, and I landed in a paddock there and was refilled with petrol and took off again for Blenheim. Blenheim - the same arrangement had been made, there was a smoke fire burning in a paddock which I located, and landed in the said paddock. From there, of course, I went on to Trentham. When I was flying over Wellington I paused, as it were, over Government House and stunted a little bit in the way of threw a loop and bit of a spin and then went on to Trentham. It seemed to cause a certain amount of excitement judging from the newspapers which were published afterwards. Certain Members came out from the House to see the first aeroplane which had crossed Cook Strait. They sent through some very congratulatory wires from the House to me at Trentham.
Jim Sullivan: Euan Dickson makes the first Cook Strait flight, 25th of August 1920.
Transcript by Sound Archives.