I'm way behind on my posts, as usual, which is too bad because there's actually been a lot going on. Mainly I've been really, really busy with work stuff. These days, I have a full time job (which is going really well) and a couple of freelance projects going on, which can be hard to juggle. Fortunately, the projects themselves are pretty interesting.

One of the projects I am working on is for the NZ Historic Places Trust to develop an exhibition about World War II, and the US soldiers who were stationed here. The finished exhibit will be shown in the Old St. Paul's Church, in Thorndon. It's the oldest church in Wellington, built in 1845, and has amazing gothic timber architecture.

I did not know this bit of history before coming to New Zealand. Roughly 400,000 soldiers passed through New Zealand between 1942-1944, and it was a major strategic base country in the South Pacific. There were several major camps near Wellington, up the Kapiti Coast and into the Hutt Valley in Silverstream.

The troops spent lots of time training here, sometimes up to a year, and in the course of that time many friendships with New Zealanders were formed. New Zealanders quickly warmed to the enthusiastic and outgoing nature of the Americans, and were impressed by their generosity, particularly towards the children. Likewise, the soldiers appreciated the unassuming demeanour of their hosts. Conversations with friendly Kiwis often led to invitations to visit for 'tea' (which meant dinner, much to their surprise--many had already eaten before going over!) gratefully accepted by the homesick soldiers. Indeed, for many soldiers, these home visits were the most memorable aspect of their time in New Zealand. Romances occurred as well, and in the end some 1500 'war brides' would relocate to America.

Soldiers who were stationed here eventually fought some of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific. Many would die. The columns of casualty lists printed in the Wellington newspapers made sad reading for many New Zealanders. Some were now widows; and the papers began to print appeals from grieving American relatives for photos or information about their lost sons' last days of happiness in New Zealand. History buffs can follow this link for the full story.

The flags of the US 2nd Marine Corps and the United States still hang in the church as they have since 1945, gifts from the Marines in recognition of the war years and friendship with the New Zealand people. Many retired marines continued to make pilgrimages to the church in later years.

A few weeks ago, the project took us to Queen Elizabeth Park in Paekakariki, where one of the US camps had been located. I needed to take some photos. It turned out to be a great day to go, as there was an "Anything Vintage" festival going on. And they did mean anything, too--old cars, trains, buses, motorcycles, horse & carriages. If it was old and you rode in it, it was fair game. We rode the 'tram' to the beach, and had a picnic there. Some of the trams at the station had been used in the production of Peter Jackson's King Kong, in the scenes of 1930's New York City. We had a nice time exploring the park, then also stopped for ice cream on the way back to the city (it is about 45 minutes away). It was a fun day.