The ANZAC Bridge at Kaiparoro, Wairarapa, on State Highway 2 just north of Eketahuna.

Wellington–Woodville Historic Highway

The road between Wellington and Woodville, via State Highway 2 through the Wairarapa, is laden with historic war-related sites.

Northbound the highway passes close to what was Silverstream Hospital, where US servicemen wounded in the early days of the Pacific war were nursed back to health.

Patients are awarded the Purple Heart at the naval base hospital at Silverstream in January 1943.		Soldiers board a train at Trentham in 1940.

Then there’s Trentham Camp, the oldest inhabited camp in the NZ army, where soldiers’ tents were first pitched more than 100 years ago.

Apart from tar-sealing and some widening, the Rimutaka Hill Road must look much as it did when soldiers from Featherston Camp marched over it on the way to World War I in Europe. I swear, if you stop at night and listen you can hear the crunch of boots and the clink of equipment as the troops, in groups of about 1000 called reinforcements, laboured up the hill!

	Japanese POW Memorial at Featherston.

The site of Featherston Camp is just a couple of kilometres north of the town. Across the highway is a memorial garden commemorating the deaths of Japanese POWs during World War II. Between Eketahuna and Pahiatua are two memorials well worth stopping and learning about.

The Kaiparoro ANZAC Bridge is the first reached. An information board says, “Alfred Falkner, a skilled draughtsman and mill owner lost his youngest son Victor and his nephew Donald Pallant in the conflict. Falkner drew up plans for an unreinforced concrete bridge to be built by returned veterans and community volunteers. The bridge was built in 18 months at a cost of 800 pounds, half provided by the community. It opened on 1 December 1922. A further ceremony was held on ANZAC Day 1923 to unveil the plaques.”

The bridge was in regular use until 1956. To cross it reminded people of their personal losses. In this way a local monument became a national one and lingered in the memories of those who used it. It is now the scene of annual ANZAC observances.

Closer to Pahiatua you will see The Polish children’s Camp Memorial. The plaque reads,

“This memorial on the site of the former Polish children’s Camp was ererected by the Polish community in appreciation of shelter given by the people of New Zealand to 734 Polish children in 1944. In world War II they survived deportation to Siberia and after a temporary stay in Iran, found in this country a home, friends and security. 2 February 1975.”

The Polish Children’s Camp Memorial.		Polish children in their Pahiatua haven.

The piece of land behind the Polish children’s Camp memorial was the site of the Camp from 1944–49. The site was formerly the Pahiatua racecourse but was converted to a camp to house foreign nationals soon after Pearl Harbour.