Armistice in Cambridge 2022
A truck used in the desert during World War II forms part of the historic military vehicles display.
More than 2000 people attended the two-day Armistice Day Cambridge event at Lake Karāpiro at the weekend which organisers say is on a par with past years.
And that’s despite bad weather on the Sunday and worries that a two-year absence because of Covid might have had a detrimental impact.
One of the organiser Paul Watkins said the venue at Karāpiro Domain was buzzing with excitement when the New Zealand flag was raised early on Saturday.
By mid-morning, after the Vietnam Battle Re-Enactment, Watkins said he knew the event was going to be a success.
There were a couple of hiccups. After the WW2 Market Garden battle re-enactment, several children ran onto the mock battlefield and picked up shells.
While the participants were using blanks, some shells may still have had gunpowder in them which could cause some burning.
Some shells were returned following an announcement over the loudspeaker but Watkins said if anyone had shells, they should hand them into a police station.
Flying High: A competitor on Nitro Circus’s Jump Flex.
A newcomer this year was Nitro Circus’s Jump Flex which saw BMX bike riders propelled down a shute and then propelled into the sky where they performed tricks while hanging onto their bikes, all with the lake as a backdrop.
A Tiger Moth biplane, piloted by Matamata air veteran Peter Ryan, which had been due over at 2.45pm, was delayed because another Tiger Moth, due to be part of the display, had mechanical problems.
Watkins acknowledged that while most uniforms worn by participants caused no issues, one man wearing a Nazi SS uniform with swastikas, would be spoken to. “There is no place for that,” he said.
Participants in the WW2 Market Garden Re-Enactment fire blank shells which were later picked up by children, prompting organisers to call for them to be returned.
The Madeleines, from left Shannon Evison, Hannah Kee and Jess Rogers entertain the crowd with their Vintage Wartime set.
