WWII motorbike in Kerikeri swamp - where did it come from?

Many Northlanders have come forward with explanations of how this World War II-era motorcycle could have ended up in a swamp. Photo / Supplied

Northland discovery unearths myriad stories about post-war antics on Army Indians

A call for more information about a mysterious World War II-era Army Indian motorcycle believed to have been retrieved from a swamp near Kerikeri has sparked a number of leads.

Heritage New Zealand Northland manager Bill Edwards has been approached by people from around Northland with stories about Army motorcycles that have disappeared.

"It seems that many of the Indian motorcycles were probably Army surplus and sold off after the war, so it was reasonably common to see them on the road in the late 1940s and 50s. Indeed the one I owned briefly when I was younger was bought off an older farmer in the Kaipara area," Edwards said.

"What that suggests is that there is a very good chance that the motorcycle found in the swamp may well have ended up there after the war, and its demise may be completely unrelated to wartime activity."

Several people reported relatives owning Army Indian motorbikes that had been stolen from their properties or deliberately dumped. All these instances took place after the war.

"One person, for example, said that a farmworker he knew rode his Indian home cross-country every day after finishing work. When it eventually broke down, and became uneconomic to fix, the bike was unceremoniously dumped in a swamp," Edwards said.
"The swamp was located near Portland, south of Whangarei, however, and doesn't tally with the story of the motorcycle that we understand was found in a swamp near Kerikeri."

Another person reported the death of a man riding an Indian near Kaikohe in the 1950s. He said police disposed of the motorcycle by discarding it in a swamp.

"One person who contacted us told us a story that actually occurred during the war, the only such incident so far. It involved a soldier, who was riding an Indian motorcycle, tragically running into a wire fence resulting in some horrendous injuries that killed him instantly," he said. "The story is that this motorcycle also ended up in a swamp, dumped there by his comrades."

Heritage New Zealand volunteer researcher Jack Kemp first heard about the Indian from members of the Vintage Car Club in Whangarei, which cares for the battered bike.

Edwards said: "There are definitely some strong leads to follow up."