The man-o-war's men assembled at the railway station and welcomed by the Mayor of Levin (Mr BR Gardener) and attended by the local Territorial and Cadet Corps

item details

NameThe man-o-war's men assembled at the railway station and welcomed by the Mayor of Levin (Mr BR Gardener) and attended by the local Territorial and Cadet Corps

ProductionLeslie Adkin; photographer; 15 April 1913; Levin

Classificationblack-and-white negatives, gelatin dry plate negatives

Materialssheet glass, silver, photographic plates

Materials Summaryblack and white gelatin glass negative

Techniquesblack and white photography

Registration NumberB.022616

Credit lineGift of G. L. Adkin family estate, 1964

Overview

On 12 April 1913, HMS New Zealand arrived in Wellington, for a 10-week tour of the country. Around 500,000 New Zealanders inspected their £1.7 million gift to Britain's Royal Navy (worth $231 million in 2007) while it was there.

Levin visit photo
A few days after its arrival, a large contingent from the ship's crew enjoyed a day in Levin. Horowhenua farmer and amateur photographer Leslie Adkin took a series of photographs of the visit. He climbed the roof of a nearby shop to take this one, showing the Mayoral welcome, with local Territorials (part-time, volunteer soldiers) on horseback and school cadets in attendance.

All of Levin turned up to welcome the sailors. At the official reception, speakers stressed the ship's role in defending 'our race and the maintenance of all it stood for'. Afterwards, locals and sailors attended a sports programme and watched Māori performances at the race course.

Paekakariki amuses
According to one press report, the Māori place names along the way were a highlight of the excursion. Paekakariki was particularly amusing, to the extent that many sailors took luggage labels from the train station as souvenirs.