Chatham Islands - Forgotten Islands at the End of the World

Sheep in a Chatham Island landscape

             It was a warm breezy afternoon. The field of brown grass smelled of late summer. Ahead lay the dusty, gravelled road stretching to a cluster of houses in the distance.  I was walking home from school, alone, shuffling along as a child does, poking with my sandaled feet at the dust-covered stones. A car approached and I scurried across the road away from the enveloping dust plume. Ahead I could see the girl with the blond curly hair, a classmate. I walked faster, closing the distance and called out… but then I awoke. It was a dream. I was about twelve or thirteen at the time and had recently read about the Auckland Islands, a group of uninhabited wind-swept islands to the south of New Zealand on approximately the same latitudes south of the equator as southern England is north, in a feature in the New Zealand Herald . There had been an abortive attempt in the 19^th century to colonise the Islands which has always fascinated me. In my dream, my family, along with those of some of my friends and current classmates, had moved to these Islands, presumably to farm, not that my family had ever had a tradition of farming, certainly not on my father’s side. However, it was the dream that remained deep in my subconscious, in that hazy region of memories that linger between childhood and adolescence.

A dreamscape come true - Chatham Island landscape

So it was quite a surprise when, on a warm spring day, I was picked up at the small Tuuta airfield and, as I was driven along the dusty island roads, something triggered my subconscious memory: “I have been here before!”  There were plumes of dust, grassy fields with a few sparse wind-swept trees. It was uncanny, this feeling of familiarity, even though I had never been here before. I had just arrived on the Chatham Islands, a windswept archipelago in the South Pacific some 700 plus kilometres to the east of New Zealand’s South Island, and further north than the Auckland Islands of my dream but, nevertheless, still remote, wind-swept, with just a small resident population. I had come over here to work the summer as the driver tour-guide for the Hotel Chathams in the main settlement of Waitangi. This uncanny realisation that I had been here before, albeit in a dream, helped me adapt to life in this small island community.

The sometimes-bleak landscape, with wind-swept trees, of the Chatham Islands

The Chatham Islands, an integral part of New Zealand, is 45 minutes ahead of that country’s standard time and are a reasonably large group of islands with a total land area of 966 square kilometres. The Islands are situated at latitude 44° South and longitude 176° West which should, in fact, place it on the opposite side of the International Dateline to mainland New Zealand. Practicalities when the dateline was decided, led to the adjustment bulge around the Chathams Islands. 

The original inhabitants of the Chatham Islands are the Moriori people who, like the New Zealand Maori, are Polynesian in origin. There is still argument as to how long they have been on the Islands. Some historians say they arrived from New Zealand as recently as the 16^th century, citing a lack of earlier archaeological evidence, but Moriori tradition speaks of earlier occupation going back at least a thousand years, very similar to the time that the first Polynesian navigators began arriving in New Zealand. These traditions speak of canoes coming direct from Polynesia and being wrecked on arrival, although there is at least one tradition of a return voyage to New Zealand, which would explain the presence of obsidian, or volcanic glass, found in a Moriori site on the Island. Whatever the truth, it did not happen the way we were taught at school; that the Moriori were the original tangata whenua, or ‘people of the land’ of mainland New Zealand and were driven to the Chatham Islands by the arrival of the more aggressive Maori in the mid-14^th century. This fanciful misinterpretation was concocted from mis-translations of Maori oral traditions by Victorian historians, adopted by the education authorities and taught to generations of young New Zealanders, like myself, for most of the 20^th century.  Maybe even now there are some who perpetuate this erroneous myth!  

The statue of Tommy Solomon, the 'last' Moriori at Owenga

Europeans first discovered the Islands in 1791, with the arrival of HMS Chatham under the command of William Broughton, who claimed the island for Britain. He named the island after his ship. The Moriori name for the island is Rekohu, or 'island of mists', and the Maori name is Wharekauri, or 'house of kauri', an interesting name as the kauri tree only grows in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Evidently an early Maori sealer settled on the Island and built a house out of the kauri timbers of a wrecked ship – the name was given to the entire Island after the Maori arrived in 1835, with European assistance. The arrival of the Maori was disastrous for the Moriori people, as not only were hundreds slaughtered and enslaved but European diseases killed many others. The Moriori population declined rapidly throughout the 19^th century. I was always taught at school that the last Moriori, Tommy Solomon, had died in 1933 and the race had become extinct. Tommy was the last full-blood, but today there are many of Moriori descent on the Islands and in New Zealand.

My first tour on the Island was with a horticultural group from New Zealand, who had flown in from Christchurch. We set off in the Hotel Chatham's old Toyota bus on a series of day trips, radiating out from Waitangi, the main town on the Island. The Chatham Islands have unique endemic flora and the best known garden plant is the Chatham Island forget-me-not, or Myosotidium hortensia, to use its botanical name. These now grow in gardens in New Zealand and around the world, but the only natural habitat is on these Islands. A big-leaved megaherb, the Chatham Island forget-me-not has a mass of showy blue and white forget-me-not-like flowers in the early Spring. We found several sites where these beautiful flowers grew, resplendent in their natural environment. 

Naturally-growing Chatham Island forget-me-nots on the coast near Kaingaroa

At the north of the Island there is a magnificent wetland and beach area known as the Ocean Mail Reserve. The name comes from the ship Ocean Mail which, on a voyage from Wellington to London, was wrecked just off the coast. 

Ocean Mail Beach, named after the ship that was wrecked off here in 1877

We braved the cold blustery winds and odd showers to walk through the Chatham Island flax of the wetland area, looking for the small flowering plants endemic to the islands. We found the delicate and beautiful Chatham Island gentian, and a couple of small thelymitra sun orchids, the Chatham Island speargrass which was just coming into flower and the very beautiful blue to purple flowers of the swamp aster, a small shrub daisy endemic to the Chatham Islands.

Flowers of the Chatham Island gentian - Gentiana chathamica - in the Ocean Mail Reserve

Very little remains of pre-European Moriori habitation, but what does is extremely interesting. First and foremost are the dendroglyphs, known as momori rakau or tree-carvings which are unique. These stylised figures were cut into the bark of kopi trees – Corynocarpus laevigatus – the karaka of mainland New Zealand, some 220 to 250 years ago. Unfortunately these old trees are fast disappearing as they reach the end of their natural life. Perhaps representing ancestors, these dendroglyphs are a link to the past inhabitants of the island and the grove at Hapupu has a distinct spiritual feeling to it, as if the ghosts of the lost race still move among the trees. While some dendroglyphs are difficult to interpret, others are quite distinct in form and there is a definite eeriness to the grove. 

A ghostly spectre from a past age - a Moriori dendroglyph on a kopi tree at Hapupu Historical Reserve

The other, more permanent, relic of this early civilisation is the cave of the petroglyphs, known as Nunuku’s Cave. These rock carvings are stylised representations of seals which once abounded around the coasts of the Chatham Islands, and were the major food source of the Islanders. Seals were virtually exterminated by the early 19^th century European sealers but the population has since rebounded. Nunuku, for whom  the cave is named, was an early Moriori chief who, sickened by the incessant warfare and cannibalism among his people, introduced a code of pacifism whereby:

“...because men get angry and during such anger feel the will to strike, that so they may, but only with a rod the thickness of a thumb, and one stretch of the arm’s length, and thrash away, but that on an abrasion of the hide, or first sign of blood, all should consider honour satisfied.”

He then followed it up with the curse: “May your bowels rot the day you disobey.” This was obviously effective as the Moriori lived in peace for around 500 years, until the Maori invasion of 1835.

Moriori petroglyphs in Nunuku's Cave, Chatham Islands

German Moravian missionaries arrived on the Chatham Islands in the early 1840s and although they made very little spiritual progress among the locals, they did leave behind a legacy of stone houses, the remains of which are the earliest European constructions on the island. In Mission Bay near Kaingaroa, are the remains of the earliest of the German mission houses, but at Maunganui, beneath the great bulk of the hill, is the intact cottage of Johann Baucke, now with a category one listing from Heritage New Zealand.

The 19th century cottage of Johann Baucke, Lutheran Missionary, beneath Maunganui

A more recent European relic is an old Sunderland flying boat, once operated by the RNZAF which struck a rock while taxiing to take off on Te Whanga Lagoon in 1959.  As it began taking water, the flight was abandoned and a subsequent survey deemed the aircraft, NZ4111, un-flyable. The Air Force recovered the engines, radio and radar equipment and fuel, and the fuselage and wings were cannibalised by the locals, serving as implement sheds and stock shelters. In recent years, an Air Chathams pilot has undertaken the mammoth task of finding and piecing together what is left of this flying boat, restoring for posterity a small piece of the Chatham Islands' aviation heritage.

The fuselage & a section of wing of the Short Sunderland flight boat under restoration near Kaingaroa

While many people will have heard about the geological phenomenon in Northern Ireland known as the Giant's Causeway, here on the main Chatham Island is a very similar formation. Just known as the Basalt Columns, they are located on a small wind and wave swept section of coast at Ohira Bay. These polygon-shaped columns are some 80 million years old and are of the same basic structure as those of Northern Ireland but, unlike the Irish version, paua in numbers inhabit the wave-splashed kelp fringes of this interesting geological feature.

The basalt columns at Ohira Bay on Chatham Island

Nearby is Port Hutt, a small settlement with a fish factory, whose dominating feature is the wreck of the HMNZS Thomas Currell. This ship had originally been a trawler, but during World War 2 had been converted into a minesweeper. In later years she evidently had been used as a freezer-hulk, before being abandoned and blown ashore in a storm. There was also an old fishing boat named the Betty T anchored, literally, to the Port Hutt wharf.

The wreck of the HMNZS Thomas Currell, a former World War 2 minesweeper, at Port Hutt

Bird-life in the Chatham Islands is, in many instances, unique to these Islands. Probably best-known is the Chatham Islands black robin whose population, in 1979, was just five specimen with just one being a female - Old Blue. Due to a concentrated conservation effort, these little birds now number around 250, all restricted to Little Mangere Island, an uninhabited smaller island in the group. I unfortunately did not get to see this wee bird, but one another bird that was also on the brink of extinction is the parea, or Chatham Islands pigeon. This bird, which in 1990 numbered only 40, is very similar to the kereru, or New Zealand pigeon, but is up to 20% heavier and has a yellow tip to its beak. Again conservation efforts and predator control has been successful in restoring numbers to an estimate of over 650. The Chathams also have their own sub-species of oystercatcher and pipit, and also a number of rare pelagic birds, including the taiko, or magenta petrel, until recently thought to be extinct.

The parea, or Chatham Islands pigeon - Hemiphaga chathamensis

Centrepiece of the buffet at the Kaingaroa Club.

 One of the highlights of a visit to Chatham Islands was the seafood buffet at the small but friendly Kaingaroa Club, some 50 road kilometres from Waitangi. Kaingaroa is the second largest settlement on the island and is primarily a fishing port. It was also near Kaingaroa that the Moriori people first made contact with William Broughton's HMS Chatham, with unhappy results, especially for a native called Torotoro who was killed 'defending his fishing gear'. The Kaingaroa Club sits right on the harbour and the gourmet spread put on by the local ladies always includes a large 'packhorse' crayfish. Other delights include a crayfish curry, paua (New Zealand abalone) lightly fried, also a paua and egg pie, smoked eel, muttonbirds (these are from Stewart Island) and ‘doughnuts’ cooked in weka oil. And there is a dessert selection to die for!

The Kaingaroa Club, Chatham Islands

Direction sign to Alzon, France in Waitangi

One day as I was bringing a tour back to the hotel, I noticed a strange yacht anchored at Waitangi. You did tend to notice these things after a while! In the hotel dining room were a group of Lithuanian sailors. They had called in for a feed of fish and chips, before the long, hazardous haul through the Southern Ocean to Cape Horn on their voyage around the world. Just to emphasise the islands remoteness, virtually at the end of the world, is the sign, next to the courthouse in the centre of Waitangi, that points to the little French town of Alzon in Provence, the antipodes of the Chathams, 12,800 kilometres away, straight down through the centre of the earth!

The reciprocal direction sign to Chatham Islands in Alzon, France

Text & photographs (except the French Alzon sign)  ©Neil Rawlins 

My paperback books on my Overland travels in Asia, Europe & Africa in the early 1970s and the experiences of a tour guide on the Asian Overland routes & leading Camel Safaris in Rajasthan in the 1980s are available from Amazon.

New Zealand - a Photographic Essay

As the aftermath of the corona virus has left borders closed and world travel an uncertainty for the foreseeable future. Perhaps the time is now ripe to have a closer look the homeland, a land of special beauty.

For over 40 years I have been a tour guide, with 30 of those years being in Aotearoa/New Zealand. During that time I have amassed a good number of photographs of this beautiful land. So come with me on this journey and experience, in twenty-two photos, a small portion of what this extraordinary land has to offer.

Cape Maria van Diemen, Northland

Up in the Far North, where the land begins are two Capes. Cape Reinga with its lighthouse, is where the spirits depart and the road begins. Here the South Pacific meets the Tasman Sea and, just to the south, at the end of sandy Te Werahi Beach is Cape Maria van Diemen, the only mainland feature named by Abel Tasman, New Zealand's first European explorer, when he sailed along this coast in January 1643, and still in use today.

Coloured seashells on Omaha Beach

Coloured seashells washed up on popular Omaha Beach, near Warkworth.  Little Barrier Island sits on the horizon.  

Flowering pohutukawa in the summer at Army Bay on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula

Summer comes to Army Bay on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. I have a sentimental connection with this small bay, as for most of my formative years the family bach was near this beach.

Evening in St Patrick's Square in the centre of Auckland

Auckland City has many secluded parks and squares. St Patrick's Square, dominated by St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral, is particularly pleasant in the late afternoon sunlight.

The Sharktooth, off Motueka Island in Mercury Bay, Coromandel

The rugged Pacific coastline of the Coromandel Peninsula has many dramatic coastal features. This nightmarish rock, off small Motueka Island,  is known as the Sharktooth.  It was taken on a day of mild swells from what is locally known as the 'Washing Machine'.

The Devil's Bath, Waiotapu

The volcanic zone between Rotorua and Taupo is famous for its many thermally-active springs. Minerals present add colour to the waters and have led to these features being given interesting names. This brilliant yellow-green spring at Waiotapu is known as the 'Devil's Bath'.

Sunset on Mt Ngauruhoe, Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park has a wealth of dramatic volcanic landscapes which are ever changing in the light & cloud effects. Sunsets and sunrises, particularly, bring a sense of mystery to the land and it is not difficult to see why this was the 'Land of Mordor' in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Vintage motor vehicles on the road in Napier during Art Deco Weekend

Napier, the Art Deco city of New Zealand, was re-built in that modern style after the devastating earthquake of 1931. Each year the city holds its Art Deco weekend, with the locals dressing the part and many old well-kept vehicles taking to the roads.

Incoming!  Australasian gannet colony on Cape Kidnappers, Hawkes Bay

Room for one more? An incoming Australasian gannet makes a landing among adults and chicks at the seemingly overcrowded Plateau Colony on Cape Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay.

The remote Bridge to Nowhere in the Whanagnui Natioanl Park

The remote 'Bridge to Nowhere' over the Mangapurua River is accessed from the Whanganui River and bears evidence of the failed Mangapurua Farm Settlement, established in this valley after World War One.  The bridge was completed in 1936, but hardly any road traffic was able to use it down to road damage further up the valley. The bridge has been isolated since the road was finally closed during World War 2.

Chinese dragon street art in Te Aro, Wellington

Wellington has some interesting street art, as this 'Chinese Dragon' mural in Vivian St., Te Aro attests.

The clear waters of Totaranui Beach in Abel Tasman National Park

Although the smallest of New Zealand's National Parks, the Abel Tasman has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Here the sparkling blue-green waters contrast with the rich yellow sands of Totaranui Beach. 

The distant Southern Alps appear above the waters of the Tasman Sea from Cape Foulwind

A sight rarely seen from the Cape Foulwind Walkway, except on exceptionally clear days. The mountains of the Southern Alps & particularly Mt Cook, appear to rise directly from the waters of an uncharacteristically calm Tasman Sea.

Trams & post-earthquake architecture of the Christchurch rebuild.

Devastated by the 2011 earthquake, the Christchurch CBD is steadily being reconstructed with interesting new architecture and new stores. The trams survived the earthquake and the network has since been extended.

Daybreak over downtown Greymouth and the Grey River

Greymouth, named after Governor Sir George Grey, is the largest town on the West Coast and is situated on the Grey River. Its prosperity has always relied on coal mining. In this photo, morning mists slowly rise as the town wakes up to  new day

.

Jetboat on the Haast River in Westland

Perhaps the most fascinating river on the West Coast is the Haast, and the best way to see the river is on a jetboat excursion from the one-laned Haast River Bridge to Roaring Billy, a waterfall an hour's journey upstream.

A fanciful mean machine at the Steam Punk HQ, Oamaru

Something from Mad Max? A fantasy creation constructed around a former railway carriage and one of the lager pieces on display at the Steam Punk HQ in Oamaru.

Sunset on Lake Te Anau, Southland

The sun sets over Lake Te Anau, New Zealand's second largest lake. The lakeside town of Te Anau is regarded as being the gateway to Milford Sound.

Morning mists wreathe the Fiordland mountains as the sun rises over Doubtful Sound 

Doubtful Sound is the second largest of the southern fjords, after Dusky Sound. It is much larger than Milford Sound, and has three major arms and several islands. To see the sun rise through the early morning mists in Hall Arm is a magical experience. 

An Otago Harbour tug passes the Dunedin suburb of St Leonards 

Otago Harbour is made up of several flooded ancient volcanic craters and a cruise down the Harbour to Taiaroa Head passes several outer suburbs, including St. Leonards and Port Chalmers before arriving off the Royal Albatross colony on Taiaroa Head.

The lighthouse at Nugget Point in the Catlins, Southland

The lighthouse on Nugget Point, in the Catlins, warns ships of the obvious dangers the scattering of 'Nuggets' pose. Beyond the Point the Southern Ocean stretches southward to Antarctica. 

The ferry leaves Half Moon Bay on Stewart Island for Bluff on the Mainland

Stewart Island, New Zealand's third Island is to the south of the South Island. Most of the island makes up the Rakiura National Park, and the Island's population of around 450 live mainly in the settlement of Oban in Half Moon Bay. A ferry operates twice daily to Bluff in the South Island and there is an air service from Invercargill.

Text & Photographs ©Neil Rawlins

My paperback books on my Overland travels in Asia, Europe & Africa in the early 1970s and the experiences of a tour guide on the Asian Overland routes & leading Camel Safaris in Rajasthan in the 1980s are available from Amazon.

Remembering the Battle for Crete, 1941 - an Eyewitness Account

The Maleme airfield & Hill 107 Cemetery. The capture of the Airfield was  one of the first tasks of the German paratroops 

Tuesday 20 May 1941

 'Well today is the day of days & Sandy Murtagh's birthday too. The long awaited blitz started at 0800hrs in the form of an extraordinary fierce aerial bombardment and machine gunning. The time is now only 1030, the strafing has finished around us and by  the sounds of machine guns & rifles going our companies have engaged  the parachute troops. Parachutists dropped out of huge Junkers troop carriers. The Huns used gliders this morning, for what reason, I don't know. One glider flew very low over us & to all appearances looked perfectly harmless. Probably the gliders were to attract AA fire.' 

This eyewitness account of first day of the Battle for Crete in May 1941, is an extract from the unpublished diary of Private John Edgerton Jury Westbrook of Auckland, a soldier of the 18th Infantry Battalion who is my uncle, known affectionately to all the immediate family as 'Winks'.

... the Jerry planes were given a reception that made several planes stay for keeps

In a letter home, expanding on the first day's events, Private Westbook says he found out later that, rather than drawing anti-aircraft fire the gliders "carried eight soldiers and a pilot. The pilot of one that was captured was a boy of 15." He goes on: "It was an uncanny experience to have a glider pass low over us. It was an immense thing and it made no noise but a low swish-swishing sound. Our first sight of them - they had us puzzled for a while - was during a lull in the bombing. We saw six of these huge things circling round and round very high up." 
He Continues: "The dropping of parachute troops was a great sight. The Jerry planes had been flying round as thick as flies for an hour and a half, bombing and machine-gunning anywhere and everywhere, covering the island in a pall of dust and smoke. Then we saw the first of the huge Junkers flying slowly through the murky atmosphere. We knew what to expect and weren't so very much surprised when we saw the parachutists drop out - the 'umbrella men' as one Greek woman described them. Out they dropped, one by one, their 'chutes opening as soon as they left the plane, 12 to 18 to a plane. Yes, sir, this war sure introduces some weird and wonderful things!"

"Our A.A, guns were by no means wiped out... when the Jerry planes returned, they were given a reception that made several planes stay for keeps."

Graves of German paratroopers at Hill 107, Maleme Airport

In 1990 I visited the battlefields on the island of Crete, an extention of a tour I led to the 75th Anniversary commemoration at Gallipoli. I had inherited my uncle's 1941 War Diary and had transcribed the contents onto my computer. The object was to visit some of the sites that he, and other New Zealanders, had fought over during the furious battle for Crete; the world's first airborne invasion.  At Maleme we visited the cemetery of German paratroopers who were killed during the battle. It is rather sobering to stand amid the graves of former enemies on Hill 107, looking across Maleme Airfield, which is still in use.  The nearby small town of Galatos was particularly moving.  I recorded my impressions, shortly after I arrived home, which I quote verbatim: "Signs of the battle have all but disappeared, although we did notice that the walls of a couple of older, unpainted, balconied houses near the Square still appeared to be pitted with bullet and shell marks after almost 50 years. The Orthodox Church, with grand Ionic columns at its entrance, had recently been repainted. Once a refuge for the wounded, it was once again the centre of village life and was still the largest building in Galatas. Orange trees in the churchyard were laden with fruit. One of my group, standing outside a teahouse just off the Square, suddenly called out. We entered and in the smoky interior, a group of Cretan men, were playing backgammon and drinking strong coffee and raki. They gave us cursory glances and continued with their game. But it was the notice board here that had attracted our attention. A discoloured sign had the emboldened words NEW ZEALAND 21^st BATTALION, and beneath, on an equally discoloured paper were the names of the 145 New Zealanders killed here during the battle. A faded Anzac poppy had been slipped under the edge of the board, a poignant tribute from some other antipodean visitor." 

At the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Suda Bay, seeing the graves of Maori soldiers brought tears to my eyes, they were about as far away from home as they could get. I particularly wished to see the place of evacuation, which my uncle calls first 'Sparta' and then 'Spakhia'. To the Allies it was Sfakia, and now is the attractive Cretan fishing village of Hóra Sfakion ,where we had lunch in a small fish restaurant. I returned to New Zealand, knowing I had modern first hand experience of the some of the areas he had so eloquently described some 50 years previously in his Diary. 

For the continuing events of the Battle for Crete, I now return to Uncle 'Winks' first hand account, continuing with day one of the battle.

'Moved to a position outside of Galatos. A number of  paratroops landed near B.H.Q. & 9 out of 10 of  them were wiped out almost before they hit the ground. The bombing has been very severe throughout the day and it seems as though most of the AA's have been wiped out or else run out of ammo. Standing picquet tonight. The Huns seem to be well equipped with m.g.'s  & ammo. Found a utility bag dropped by parachute. It contains haversacks of rations, ammo, spades & land mines. More parachute (sic) were landed 1700hrs.'

The Greek Orthodox Church in the centre of Galatos

Wednesday 21 May

'Was told that the 19th Bn found some Hun flags and for a bit of fun staked out an area with them. Later on Junkers planes flew over and dropped troops, ammo, motor cycles, pushbikes and M.G.s in the area. Of course the 19th gave them all a royal welcome. The day has been fairly free from bombing, but what bombs were dropped started a couple of big fires at Souda Bay. Harry Marsh said he saw a terrific number of troops landing in the vicinity of the aerodrome.' 

Thursday 22 May

'The mosquitoes are very bad. First thing this morning Vic Berryman and I went on a patrol to a white house nearby around which we have seen civilians moving. Coming up from olive trees below the house we came across some people living in a dug out. Poor devils were scared stiff at the sight of us & when we got them to understand that we were English, and friends, one old lady broke down sobbing, & brought out photo engravures of Christ & Mary, made the sign of the cross on us then made us kiss the engravures. A reconnaissance of the place revealed that there were a cluster of houses & many civilians. It is a wonder that they hadn't gone because bullets have been whistling round those houses for two days. The people were both scared and relieved to see us and assured us that there were no Huns in the vicinity. One house produced a cup of hot milk and a slice of bread for us. Sgt. Forest-Brown and I went back later on for water and the Greeks told us of a German utility box in the vicinity so a patrol of us set out to get the contents. One of the Greeks produced a German submachine gun & mags from his shed. We removed it from the utility box and hid it so the Huns wouldn't get it. An inspection  of the box brought forth 8 grenades, 3 land mines and two rifles. Apparently the foodstuffs & the parachute itself were taken by the Greeks beforehand. The Tommy gun is a little beaut and we are going to keep it. Was told that the Huns have captured the aerodrome and the consequence of the naval action last night was 80% of a German convoy sunk and the Italian fleet, once again, getting a hiding. A lot of German material has been captured and their M.G.s used against them. They use three types of bullets; tracer, explosive and ordinary. The Germans captured are a very fine type & all the boys admit it. Went  through the usual machine gunning and bombing by the Luftwaffe. Have been told that the Huns are massing for an attack on Galatos.'

The War Memorial for the Battle of Galatos, as it was in 1990

Friday 23 May 

'Had a pretty hard night. Our sector is the weakest point of the line so we had to double the strength of the piquet and by doing so we had two men awake all the time working two hours on and one hour off. There was another naval skirmish during the night. The mosquitoes are extra ordinarily bad. The situation on the island seems to be pretty well in hand. Was told that the Huns tried to land troops on the aerodrome but our guns just picked the planes off as they landed. The Navy is supposed to come in and blow Hell out of the drome tonight. A very concentrated bombing and machine gunning by Stukas & Heinkels at midday made us all think that more parachutists were going to be dropped here. General activity has been very slight, most of the noise seems to be coming from the aerodrome.'

While Private Westbrook does not mention it and his Brigade was obviously not involved, the fighting inside the town of Galatos was vicious. I found this account, in Crete 1941: Eyewitnessed  by Costas Hadjipateras, particularly poignant: 'The New Zealanders had been pushed out of Galatos leaving the great church full of their wounded, and now they returned with a vengeance. Bayonets had been fixed, the Cretan villagers had fastened knives and bayonets to old-fashioned rifles and had joined the Kiwis in a mad charge through Galatos. Their aspect must have been terrible. The troops were angry and cold-blooded, the Cretans proud and hot-blooded, and the result, as we heard later, was a stunning victory - at least for that day. No German soldiers remained in Galatos on Friday evening.' 

Saturday 24 May

'We moved last night & took up a new position on the other side of Galatos.  I'm not feeling the least bit fresh because of lack of sleep. The situation seems to be pretty shaky as the Jerry has consolidated himself at the aerodrome and has landed large numbers of troops, armoured motor cycles & side cars &  light tanks and has actually advanced about  four  miles. His Luftwaffe has  given us the biggest blitz to date, the planes bombing and droning about for the past six hours without a break. The island has been covered in a haze from the bombing. Machine gun bullets are uncomfortably close. D Coy., whose line runs at right angles to us on our left, suffered severe strafings by Messerschmidts & Heinkels. Junkers transport planes dropped supplies by parachute to the odd troops holding out near Galatos. At 1600 hrs we had to man all posts as a party of  Germans  are advancing along the coast road on D Coy's right flank. Our position overlooks the road. The Luftwaffe made two heavy bombing raids on Kania. Nine Blenheims flew over today and it was  the most inspiring sight we have seen yet. They bombed the aerodrome. They kept the Jerry planes away for two hours. We saw four parachutes coming down from a great height. Probably there was a fight up above.'

New Zealand war graves in the Commonwealth Cemetery at Suda Bay, Crete

Sunday 25 May

'The Luftwaffe has been unusually active bombing Kania again and all around. Started another petrol fire over by Suda Bay. Gave D Coy. another severe strafing. Last night Barney Lawn and I dug our post in deeper and put extra camouflage round it by planting whole grape vines around the trench. The general cave in of our line started about 1630hrs. Barney and I were completely surprised by seeing three men standing on the skyline on D Coy's ridge with their arms up in the air. Machine gun bullets were kicking up the dust behind them and grenades were bursting round them. Several other chaps came running around this side of the ridge but withdrew. The men on the ridge disappeared over the other side and a moment later a party of Huns with a trench mortar came into view. We gave them a bit of a reception and made them go back the way they came. Barney & I were a bit shaken by the bombing & machine gunning by the planes, but this action steadied  us up a lot.  We had several shots at a German creeping around the side of the ridge but registered no hits. We were in a pretty good position but the Jerries put bullets very close. At dusk we were given the order to withdraw. The Jerries had broken through the other companies and were flanking us. Barney & I were the  last two to leave and were being followed through the grape fields by Jerry bullets.  It was a tough little race. We lost the platoon & strung along with the M.G.Bn, an officer of which made us man a line behind the old hospital area. The hospital was a mess of  burned out tents so it goes to show that there is no target immune from bombs as far as the Hun goes.'

Monday 26 May

'At  0200 this morning Bill Lancaster woke us up and told us that everybody had gone so we hopped it, too. We found the rest of the Battalion not far from our last camping area. At 0400 the Battalion pulled out and we went to the area we first occupied when we arrived on the island. Had a short sleep under the trees till daylight then tunnelled into some briars in a drain & Barney & I had a good sleep well secured from planes. At 1100 hrs woke up & was told by Vic Berryman that there was a ration dump nearby so Barney & I paid it a visit and acquired some tins of pineapple, milk & beans. When we arrived back we were told by Jock McGruther to get three days rations & be ready to move. We pulled out about midday and were strafed shortly after. Capt Lyons, M.P. (Captain Jack Lyons was the Labour MP for Waitemata) & his batman were killed & I heard later, Jock McGruther was injured. We were given instructions to make our way to Souda Bay then strike south to Sparta (presumably Sfakia). I was with a small party for part of the time but lost them. Stumbled across a Tommy camp, had a cup of tea then joined C.Coy. who had arrived & were being treated to tea. We marched about eight miles along the coast road before we turned in for the night. During the day, a lone Dornier dropped some leaflets containing dire threats.'

Tuesday 27 May

 'Had a freshening wash and the first shave since the start of the blitz, in a creek nearby. We pulled out from here in sections of six and were given instructions to make our way to Neon Corinth, six miles away, and wait there until nightfall. From there we were to hike it to Spakhia on the other coast some 34 miles away and all our travelling was to be done at  night. Jack Purchase is the section leader of the one I'm in. There are quite a number of troops on the move. The day was very hot & the march over the country pretty stiff. We arrived at Neon Corinth about 1400hrs and moved out as a Company at 2100 hrs. There was a terrific congestion on the road and trucks were having great difficulty in passing the troops.'              

Wednesday 28 May

 'At 0400hrs this morning we pulled off the road and climbed a hill and turned in. The marching was pretty tough. We must have done about 16 miles. Just before midday we pulled out, and after walking a few miles met up with A Coy by a well, waiting for transport. We had to do the same and were transported to a pleasant little valley with countless little wells in the fields. We have to take up positions and have to form protection against parachutists. Looks as though we have to do another rear guard action. The planes have spotted the troop movements & have been doing a bit of bombing & machine gunning & I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see some parachute troops dropped. Artillery sounds can be heard so I hope we don't linger to long. Passed some Aussies today with two Greek girls. The girls must be the same ones that the Aussies smuggled out of Greece. The girls were marching with the boys and looked surprisingly fresh.'

Thursday 29 May

 'Pulled out 0500 hrs and took up another position a further four miles towards the coast at the head of the valley. Had a pretty easy day of resting. 1845 Stukas and Dorniers flew over and it looks as though they have been blitzing the port or ships. 1900 hrs rifle, M.G & artillery fire can be heard in the hills at the other end of the valley. Looks as though the Jerries have caught up. We are moving out from here at 2000 hrs. with 2 days water. The Jerries have broken through a Tommy Regt. and the Commandos and our A Coy is holding them at the pass at the head of  the valley. A Coy pulled out and passed us on trucks. They, only 40 strong  kept the Jerries back for five hours, so I hope the Aussies, who are two battalions strong, can keep them back for 24 hrs. The marines are taking up a rearguard action, too. (Despite all their tribulations, the New Zealanders still had time to take an interest in how the rest of the War was going) Heard that the H.M.S. Hood  had been sunk by the German ship Bismarck and that the latter in turn, had been sunk by the H.M.S. King  George  V. Also heard that Tripoli had been surrounded by the British and Syria had gone Free French.'

Friday 30 May

 'Waited on roadside till 0400hrs, then moved some four miles further on towards the beach and holed up under pine trees on slopes of hills overlooking the beach. On our way to this place we passed a long line of Tommies and it seemed as though they would panic any moment. Only about 1 in 6 of them have not thrown away their rifles. At 1315 a systematic shelling of these slopes made things a bit uncomfortable and the Tommies were the first to move. We moved out ¾ hr later and tried to clear the road to the beach of wrecked trucks, of which there were a great number. It looked as though they had been strafed, well strafed, and a few dead were still lying about. Found one wounded chap in the back of a truck. He had been there for two days. We got him shifted by the medicals. Half way through our job, Huns were sighted coming down the gully this side of our former bivouac area,  so we took up positions on the slopes. At 1700hrs, we withdrew and rested up in bushes nearer the coast. The Aussies are  keeping the Huns occupied. It seems as though we,  the  4th Inf. Bde., will be getting off first tonight. Found out today that we have had five casualties in our Platoon - Jack McGruther, Sandy  Murtagh, Barney Lawn, George Edmonds & Sid Pausina - all wounded. "Wog" Keane is missing but may turn up. At 2000 hrs we moved down through Spakhia to the beach and embarked about midnight.'

The fishing port of Khora Sphakion in 1990, from where the New Zealanders were evacuated on 31 May 1941

 Saturday 31 May

 'Well, once more we are on the high seas. Our convoy of  two destroyers, the H.M.A.S. Napier  & Nyzam pulled out from Spakhia Bay at 0200hrs. During the process of embarkation we formed  a cordon of fixed bayonets around the beach to stop any unauthorized persons from crashing in. Only a certain number from certain units were to be embarked, all the rest had to take chances until tomorrow night. The first thing we received on board was a packet of Woodbines then a feed of stew, bread & jam. The Aussie crew treated us real fine & were all after souvenirs such as Lugers, Jerry Tommy guns etc. The ship I am on is the Napier. I had a shower & a shave - the first since the start of the blitz - then tried to sleep on the floor. I was told that our speed was 30 knots & that we would reach Alexandria at 1400hrs. At 1200hrs we were attacked by Jerry bombers, two near  misses making the ship buck around a bit. Damage was done to part of the radio equipment & one of the engines. We didn't make port until 1900hrs. A movie camera was there & a Y.M.C.A. reception committee who gave us two bars of chocolate, 1 pkt biscuits, 1 orange, tooth brush & paste,  soap & a hot cup of tea. Shortly afterwards we embarked on truck belonging to a South African unit which took us to Amriya. There we were issued with a complete messing outfit & given a hot dinner of  stew, potatoes, bread & butter. The Y.M.C.A. was on hand again & we were given chocolate, cigarettes, soap, shaving soap & razor blades. Were shown to a tent & turned in for a decent sleep.'

Private J.E.J. Westbrook was from Auckland and had had aspirations of being a writer, having worked before the War as a publisher's assistant. He was a third generation descendant of the prominent Wairarapa couple, John Milsome Jury and Te Aitu-o-te-Rangi Jury and was born in 1915 in Apia, Samoa. His paternal grandfather was George Westbrook, who was a prominent trader in Apia. Known to his friends as Jack, he was known to the immediate family as 'Winks'. Private Westbrook enlisted in the first days of the War and was on the first draft of troops sent the the Egypt in January 1940. In 1941, he began his diary 'because interesting things should happen this year.' Private Westbrook served through the bitter Greek Campaign before being evacuated to Crete. In November 1941, he was part of Auchinleck's 'push to the wire' and the relief of Tobruk. The last entry in his Diary, on 30 November, reads: 'We seem to be on the defensive & things are looking a bit sticky.' Private Westbrook was killed on the morning of the 1st December 1941 during the furious Battle of Sidi Rezegh in Libya.

My paperback books on my Overland travels in Asia, Europe & Africa in the early 1970s and the experiences of a tour guide on the Asian Overland routes & leading Camel Safaris in Rajasthan in the 1980s are available from Amazon.