A much-photographed reminder of how some of our troops fought and died overseas is being temporarily removed from New Plymouth’s foreshore for refurbishment.

NPDC and the New Plymouth RSA are sending the city’s Pack Howitzer to Porirua, where army volunteers will remove rust and recoat it.

“It’s planned maintenance of a piece of our history – something we’re honoured to be custodians of given its part in our country’s story,” says Acting Manager Parks and Open Spaces Conrad Pattison.

This howitzer was used by New Zealand troops during the Vietnam War. More than 3,000 New Zealand military and civilian personnel served in Vietnam between 1963 and 1975.

The Pack Howitzer was previously restored by the New Zealand Army in Trentham and installed opposite New Plymouth’s Cenotaph in November 2015, as a joint project between NPDC and the New Plymouth RSA.

The gun is being was removed this morning (4 October) with the refurbishment taking a couple of months to complete.

Fast facts:

• NPDC looks after 1,600ha of park and reserve land, including the Coastal Walkway.
• The Pack Howitzer is one of 316 monuments that NPDC maintains throughout the district.

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