Te Arawhata marked the 107th anniversary of the liberation of Le Quesnoy with a day full of activities for the whole family. With free entry all day on Sunday 2 November, more than 100 locals and New Zealanders alike took the opportunity to visit the Museum.
The day began with an invitation to decorate a section of a ladder – an “arawhata” – which would join with other sections to form a symbol of the liberation. Autumn flowers were also cut from paper and coloured before being pinned to a wreath which would be laid at the New Zealand Memorial during the official commemorations for the 4th of November. Finally, small details within the Museum were brought into focus through Te Arawhata’s new discovery trail, where visitors hunt for answers and delve deeper into our incredible story.
As the sun set, Te Arawhata hosted its first dramatised representation, Le Quesnoy 1918: Pathways to a Friendship. The audience filled the Museum’s coutyard and was taken on a journey spanning the four years of World War One. Written by battlefield guide Perrine Chovaux with assistance from local historian Grégory Chermeux and Te Arawhata’s Jacob Siermans, the show charted two stories’ – each setting out from opposite sides of the earth – coming together to forge the deep connection which has existed between Le Quesnoy and New Zealand for over a century. The crowd witnessed scenes from the invasion of Le Quesnoy, the New Zealanders’ trail across the globe to arrive in France, and the climactic climbing of the ladder to free the Quercitains after years of occupation
The performance was followed by speeches from Te Arawhata Director Elizabeth Wratislav and Le Quesnoy Mayor Marie-Sophie Lesne. Elizabeth shared that “today, and every day at Te Arawhata, we are committed to keeping this story alive, and celebrating this friendship through cultural exchange and connection.”
This special evening was also an opportunity to launch the Museum’s collaboration with Naki New Zealand – a mānuka honey producer from New Zealand’s Taranaki region. Naki has launched a new line of luxury honey vessels including the world’s most expensive jar of honey ever conceived – a two-kilogram ceramic pot designed to hold nature’s “eternal gold” for centuries to come, in a nod to the perfectly preserved honey discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs.
Naki’s Derek Burchell-Burger offered a smaller version of this pot to Mayor Lesne in recognition of the enduring friendship between Aotearoa and the town of Le Quesnoy.
A small reception with food highlighting the Kiwi-French connection – think goat’s cheese and mānuka honey tartines and delicate kiwifruit tartes – concluded this important date for Le Quesnoy and for Te Arawhata.
Te Arawhata would like to thank the following entities and people for their contributions to the success of this special event: the Le Quesnoy Town Hall, Perrine Chovaux, Grégory Chermeux, Le Digger Côte 160, the Le Quesnoy Historical Circle, Naki New Zealand and our actors: Todd, Jesse, Logan, Emilien and Ambroise.