298 Dakota Place Raumanga Whangarei, street scene 2019
Reason for the name
This street and adjoining Lancaster Place in Whangarei were named in honour of wartime aircraft. The location was not inappropriate because in the early years of aviation, the Whangarei airport was proposed for the Rewarewa area. The site was eventually dropped in favour of the one at Onerahi.
The subdivision containing Dakota Place and Lancaster Place was commenced by the Catholic Church and Messrs Edwards in 1976. Development was later taken over by Beazley Homes. Council Minutes dated 13 April 1977 indicates Beazley Homes suggested the name Dakota
The C-47 was the first transport aircraft to serve with New Zealand’s armed forces when it entered service with No. 40 Squadron RNZAF in 1943. For the duration of World War Two, these aircraft flew supplies and personnel to New Zealand military stations across the Pacific. After the War, some of the RNZAF’s Dakota aircraft helped establish a civilian airline service around New Zealand, while others were retained for general transport and VIP duties through until 1977.
Author: The Poppy Places Trust
The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner that revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting effect on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever produced. It has a cruise speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs (2,700 kg) of cargo and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km).
The DC-3 is a twin-engine metal monoplane with a tailwheel-type landing gear and was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. It had many exceptional qualities compared to previous aircraft. It was fast, had good range and could operate from short runways. It was reliable and easy to maintain and carried passengers in greater comfort. Before the war it pioneered many air travel routes. It could cross the continental United States and made worldwide flights possible. It is considered the first airliner that could profitably carry just passengers.
Civil DC-3 production ended in 1942 at 607 aircraft. Military versions, including the C-47 Skytrain (designated the Dakota in British Royal Air Force (RAF) service), and Russian- and Japanese-built versions, brought total production to over 16,000. Following the war, the airliner market was flooded with surplus C-47s and other ex-military transport aircraft, and Douglas' attempts to produce an upgraded DC-3 failed due to cost.
In 1945 a Dakota carrying 20 RNZAF personnel (four crew and sixteen others) disappeared in heavy cloud enroute to New Zealand from Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. This accident remains the heaviest single loss in RNZAF history. By the end of the war, 3635 RNZAF personnel have been killed on active service, 350 in the Pacific and 3285 in Europe – the majority with RAF Bomber Command.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) (Maori: Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "New Zealand Warriors of the Sky"; previously Te Hokowhitu o Kahurangi, "War Party of the Blue") is the air force component of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zealand elements of the British Royal Air Force, becoming an independent force in 1923, although many RNZAF aircrew continued to serve in the Royal Air Force until the end of the 1940s. The RNZAF fought in World War II, Malaya, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War plus various United Nations peacekeeping missions. From a 1945 peak of over 1,000 combat aircraft the RNZAF has shrunk to a strength of around 51 aircraft in 2016, focusing on maritime patrol and transport duties in support of the Royal New Zealand Navy and the New Zealand Army. The RNZAF's air combat capability ended in 2001 with the disbanding of the A-4 Skyhawk squadrons. The Air Force is led by an air vice-marshal who holds the appointment of Chief of Air Force.
The RNZAF motto is the same as that of the Royal Air Force, Per ardua ad astra, meaning "Through adversity to the stars".
