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ANZAC DAY IN LE QUESNOY
WITH TE ARAWHATA

25 – 27 APRIL 2025

2025 will be the 110th anniversary of the April 25th landings at Anzac Cove.

As is tradition in Le Quesnoy, Anzac Day is commemorated on the nearest Sunday to April 25.  Te Arawhata will mark this important date with a weekend of remembrance beginning on Friday 25 April and concluding with the town’s official commemorations on Sunday 27 April 2025.

If you are travelling through France or visiting other Western Front remembrance sites in Northern France, we look forward to welcoming you to Te Arawhata.

Beginning Friday 25 April, Te Arawhata will offer guided tours of the museum and Le Quesnoy’s imposing 17th century ramparts.  At 6 pm, we invite you to join us for a Last Post ceremony in Te Arawhata’s forecourt – a moment to reflect on the sacrifices of the ANZAC soldiers 110 years ago.

On Saturday 26 April, the museum will offer further tours and commemorative events:

  • At 8:30 am, we will walk from Te Arawhata to the Le Quesnoy Communal Cemetery Extension, the final resting place of 50 New Zealand soldiers, to lay wreaths and poppies and read poems and letters written during the Great War.
  • Next, at 10 am, visitors can travel by bus to the nearby towns of Beaudignies, Romeries and Vertigneul, each of which played a significant role in the days prior to the liberation of Le Quesnoy. Visit the tomb of Victoria Cross recipient Henry James Nicholas and witness the 107-year-old bullet holes in Beaudignies’s central church, before enjoying a light lunch and presentation from the Le Quesnoy-Nouvelle-Zélande Association.  The tour concludes by retracing the steps of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade’s 4-kilometre march from Beaudignies to Le Quesnoy.  A bus return to Te Arawhata is alternatively available.
  • We end this special day with the unmissable Anzac Dinner from 7 pm. Join us for a three-course, authentic French meal between locals and Kiwis to celebrate a friendship that has lasted 107 years and stretches across the globe. 

At 11 am Sunday 27 April, the Le Quesnoy Anzac Commemorative Service will take place.  This will be attended by dignitaries from New Zealand and France, locals and Kiwi visitors.  A reception will follow the service, open to all who wish to attend.

This is a unique and emotional service where the efforts of the New Zealand troops during the liberation are remembered with reverence and deep gratitude from the people of Le Quesnoy.

Tickets on sale from 7 February 2025. 

The events will be on a first come first served basis. Once your reservation is made, you will be emailed an invoice for payment.

There are many accommodation options close to Le Quesnoy and in surrounding towns which are easily accessible with a rental car or by train.  For information on options for accommodation and travel, see Getting Here – New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata.

If you require further information email: info@nzliberationmuseum.com

Book your Anzac visit to Te Arawhata

Ticketed Packages

95€ – The Complete Experience

  • Entry to Te Arawhata
  • Guided tours of Te Arawhata and the 20-metre-high ramparts of Le Quesnoy
  • Return bus tour to to three neighbouring towns instrumental in the lead up to the liberation of Le Quesnoy
  • The Anzac Dinner

70€ – The Le Quesnoy Experience

  • Entry to Te Arawhata
  • Guided tours of Te Arawhata and the 20-metre-high ramparts of Le Quesnoy
  • The Anzac Dinner

50€ – The Road to Le Quesnoy Experience

  • Entry to Te Arawhata
  • Guided tours of Te Arawhata and the 20-metre-high ramparts of Le Quesnoy
  • Return bus tour to three neighbouring towns instrumental in the lead up to the liberation of Le Quesnoy

45€ – The Anzac Dinner

  • A three-course, authentic French meal between locals and Kiwis to celebrate a friendship that has lasted 107 years and stretches across the globe

25€ – Te Arawhata Discovery

  • Entry to Te Arawhata
  • Guided tours of Te Arawhata and the 20-metre-high ramparts of Le Quesnoy

Tours of Te Arawhata (one hour in English)

  • Friday 25 April: 4:30 pm.
  • Saturday 26 April: 10 am, 11 am, 3 pm and 4 pm.
  • Sunday 27 April: 9:30 am.

Tours of the ramparts of Le Quesnoy (one hour in English)

  • Saturday 26 April: 10:30 am and 2:30 pm.
  • Sunday 27 April: 1:30 pm.

Register for your tours slots when buying your tickets.  Changes to timing slots will be accommodated subject to availability.

Public Events

Friday 25 April, 6 pm:  Last Post Ceremony at Te Arawhata.

Saturday 26 April, 8:30 am:  Commemorative Walk from Te Arawhata to the Le Quesnoy Communal Cemetery Extension for poppy and wreath laying and the reading of WW1 poetry and letters.

Sunday 27 April, 11 am:  Le Quesnoy Commemorative Anzac Service, commencing at Te Arawhata.  A public reception at the Le Quesnoy Town Hall is open following the service.    

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