Tora! Tora! New Zealand! will be held in Whangārei Museum’s Mim Ringer Gallery and the Whare Taonga, at Kiwi North.
Now extended until the 14th March 2022!
In 1941 Japan bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbour, launching World War Two into the Pacific Ocean. Concerned about Japanese invasion, New Zealanders rushed to protect their country with the help of their U.S. Allies.
Recent research by Heritage New Zealand has revealed evidence of 70 military camps across Northland alone. These camps housed the NZ Home Guard and 1st Division forces along with thousands of U.S. forces preparing to launch their Pacific Campaign.
While the camps themselves were deconstructed or repurposed, newly uncovered Public Works Department maps reveal the immense scale of U.S. and NZ military activities in Northland during the 1940s. Original photographs, a U.S. army Jeep, a Japanese Navy uniform, and Home Guard equipment are just a few of the many artefacts and oral histories sourced from around Northland that are shared in this exciting new exhibition.
