Te Puna residents turned out in force for a hikoi. Photo / John Borren
Te Puna residents turned out in force for a hikoi. Photo / John Borren
A strong sense of history and nostalgia permeated a Te Puna Anzac Day hikoi on Saturday that ended in the community's memorial hall, which is earmarked for demolition.
Te Puna's second hikoi (grand walk) attracted nearly 100 people, from little children to residents in the mid-80s.
"It was a greatmorning. We learned things about the here and now, remembered the past and found out about each other," organiser Beth Bowden said.
The 2km hikoi along Te Puna Rd ended in the hall with tea and home-baked Anzac biscuits.
Ms Bowden said the hikoi was the community's response to Anzac Day, which this year featured talks by Roger Honeyfield and Eric Williams about their forebears who served in Gallipoli and on the Western Front. Simon Eminson read aloud Ataturk's tribute to the Anzacs who died at Gallipoli.
Te Puna War Memorial Hall will be demolished to make way for construction of a roundabout with SH2. Ms Bowden invited the community to think about finding a safe home for the memorial plaques bearing the names of the fallen, until a new hall was built.
