We were disappointed that we had to look at the Shot Tower from a distance behind the thick bars of a driveway entrance closed to the public. The sign said "no pedestrian exit" to put us off but there was a panel with information near the driveway. We scanned the code and saw black and white photographs of the Colonial Ammunition Company on the slopes of Mount Eden in 1902.
It was nice to be able to show the kids what the area once looked like and my son found a "bullet" on the pavement (probably some twisted beer can metal from the pubs nearby), so it was not a complete disappointment for him.
We searched nearby sites on the STQRY app and decided on the Domain Grandstand for our next stop on the heritage trail.
The trail is set up to explore themes such as going to war, military training, the home front, the economic war effort, opposition to the war and rehabilitation and remembrance. The Domain, which we learned was once described as the heart of the city because it was used for sporting and athletic events, was the site of the emotional public farewells to send off 2000 troops in 1914 -- there was a large poster board with images on site, as well as more on the app.
One photograph showed a sea of men wearing overcoats and army hats, standing to attention stiffly among the same trees we're standing near 100 years later. It was an unusual experience to be at the same location of such old images and made us stop and contemplate.
Another photograph showed a more relaxed gathering at the beautiful old grandstand - that of the Maori Battalion returning to a welcome home hui in 1919. My husband and I were engrossed in flicking through the STQRY photos as the kids ran up and down the grandstand stairs. We took a break for the kids to do some tree climbing and have an ice cream at the Wintergarden Cafe's kiosk, and took a look at the war history at the museum (my kids particularly liked running through the bunkers), before we set out for more sites.
On our list was St Mark's Church in Remuera, the home to many sewing bees and patriotic events during the war. Memorials to fallen soldiers and some of their gravestones, attested to the tragically young age they were taken from their families.
We headed over to Narrow Neck Military Camp in Devonport. The rain had set in, so we huddled in the car and read on STQRY about the army barracks, and flicked through the photographs relevant to this site.
Maori soldiers, as well as troops from the Cook Islands, Niue, Fiji, Tahiti and Samoa trained at Narrow Neck. The STQRY app showed great images of the recruits doing their drills along the beach and play fighting with their weapons, which kept the kids interested.
After a busy, free, educational afternoon, we headed home. The heritage trail reminded us that history is all around us.
Walk this way
For more information on the trail, visit aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or download the STQRY app at stqry.com. Take a tablet rather than a smartphone to scan the STQRY articles because the images are worth seeing in the larger format. The STQRY markers are a way to bring it to life, but to avoid disappointment, do warn the kids that the trail is more about reflection than interaction before you set off.
