Acceptance of letters for a sailing of the trans-Tasman steamer
closed several hours before the boat sailed.
However, letters were still accepted on payment of a special late fee.
The cover is routed Per Air Mail Via Australia and so would be sent to Sydney by sea and then sent to Karachi by surface mail and flown from Karachi to London.
The cover is postmarked Wellington 29 November 1933 with a special LATE FEE cancellation.
The surface rate at that time was 1d and so the postage is made up of 7d Karachi-London airmail, 1d surface mail and 1d late fee.
There had been major changes to the Karachi - London route in late
1932 and early 1933.
In October 1932, the Karachi - Basra route was changed from the
Persian to the Arabian
side of the Persian Gulf and
in January 1933, the route from Baghdad to Athens reverted to being via
Gaza, Cairo, Alexandria and Crete.
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All scans were made by the author.