Visit New Zealand

- By Diana Tijoriwalla

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• Indians in NZ
• The Howick Historical Village
• School Levels
• The Treaty of Waitangi.
• Maori Cooking
• Anzac Day 25th April
• Auckland Regional Parks
• Tongariro National Park
• The Buried Village (Rotorua)
• Auckland's Islands
• Paradise Valley Springs (Rotorua)
• MOTAT
• The Polynesian Spa
• Rules for Teachers
• Daffodil Day
• The Waitakere Ranges
• Western Springs Tramway
• Auckland Museum
• New Zealand's Pride
• The Tuatara
• Maungakiekie
• Secondary Schools
• Sir Edmund Hillary
• Halloween
• Auckland Zoo

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Anzac Day 25th April

Anzac Day, 25th of April, remembers New Zealanders killed in war & honours returned servicemen & women. The day is just as important in Australia. It dates back to World War I, (1914- 1918). In 1915 Australia & New Zealand soldiers formed Australia & New Zealand Army Corps(ANZAC), part of an Allied expedition sent to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The plan was to capture Constantinople (Istanbul), capital of Turkey & an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on April 25 1915, meeting fierce resistance from the Turks. This dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were pulled out. Some 2721 NZ soldiers died & Australia lost 8000 dead. The campaign holds a special place in Turkey, New Zealand & Australia. The Turks lost 87000 lives & this was the beginning of a national revival. When news of the Gallipoli landings reached NZ on 30th April 1915, a half-day holiday was declared for Government offices. Flags were flown & patriotic meetings were held throughout the country. In August 1916, returned soldiers forced the Government to ban the use of the word “Anzac” for trade & business purposes. The day was first marked as a public holiday in 1921 with hotels & banks closed & race meetings were prohibited. The 75th anniversary of Gallipoli in 1990 coincided with the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It created a patriotic feeling & since that time many New Zealanders have made the “pilgrimage” to Gallipoli for Anzac Day. NZ’s last surviving World War I soldier, Bright Williams died in February 2003 in Whangarei. He was the last man standing of over 100,000 New Zealanders who left to serve in what was supposed to be the “the war to end all wars” of 1914-1918. The last Gallipoli survivor was Alec Campbell, who passed away in 2003. This great historic day, has inspired feelings of unity, courage, self-sacrifice & loyalty in the hearts of many. This day is marked by giving a small donation, towards the NZ Returned Services Association (RSA), by wearing a poppy. Hence this day is also famous as “Poppy Day”.

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