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The special marble WWI War Memorial is here paired with it's WWII counterpart, after a bit of a trip around town that took nearly a century. Kaitaia was the second town in New Zealand to feel the need for a war memorial, inspired by the terrible losses at Gallipoli, that they went big with the marble angel, in 1916. There was at first no roll of honour as the war continued.
Later moved from it's central location to keep the new WWII cenotaph and War Memorial Swimming baths, plunket rooms and playground company at Memorial Park, both memorials were finally moved to Remembrance Park in 1993.
The rolls of honour were added and they are long and sad.
The inscription on the 'angel memorial' is as follows:
HE
TOHU WHAKAMAHARATANGA
TENEI MO A
MATOU TAMARIKI WHANAUNGA
HOKI. NGA MEA KUA MATE NGA
MEA E ORA ANA MAORI PAKEHA,
O ROTO I TE KAUTE O MANGONUI
NEI. KAORE NEI RATOU I RUARUA
KI TE TAPAE WHAKARERE I O RATOU
TINANA HEI MEA E AWHINA AI RATOU
I TE KINGI, I TE EMEPAEA I TE
KORORIA HOKI O TE ATUA I ROTO
I TENEI PAKANGA WHAKAWEHI. I ARA
NEI KI NGA TAKIWA O OROPI I TE
MARAMA O AKUHATA, 1914, HOROPA ATU
ANA INAIANEI KI NGA TOPITO O TE AO.
KAURIA E TE WHANAU NGA NGARU TO A TEA O TE MOANA-NUI A KIWA.
HAPAINGA TE INGOA TOA O KOUTOU TUPUNA
RAPUA HE UTU MO O KOUTOU WHANAUNGA KUA HINGA
KA WHAKATAU TE ATUA I TE WIKITORIA KI TE TAHA TIKA.
IN LOVING MEMORY
AND
IN HONOUR OF OUR SONS
AND RELATIONS BOTH MAORI
AND PAKEHA, DEAD OR LIVING
FROM THE COUNTY OF MANGONUI
WHO WILLINGLY OFFERED
THEMSELVES TO SACRIFICE THEIR
LIVES TO UPHOLD THE HONOUR
OF THE KING AND EMPIRE AND
FOR THE GLORY OF GOD IN THIS
TERRIBLE WAR WHICH BEGAN IN
EUROPE IN AUGUST 1914, AND
HAS SINCE SPREAD OVER THE
GREATER PART OF THE WORLD.
SPLASHING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINOUS WAVES OF THE INDIAN
OCEAN OUR BRAVE LADS
UPHOLD THE NAMES OF YOUR NOBLE ANCESTORS:
SEEK TO AVENGE THE DEATHS OF YOUR RELATIONS THAT HAVE FALLEN.
GOD WILL GIVE VICTORY TO THE RIGHTEOUS.
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