Liberty "Down Under"
Some days later (Jan. '43) they arrived in Wellington, New Zealand's capital. Their ships tied up at a long pier and the troops could hardly contain themselves.
Shore leave was granted, but only if you had khakis and a field scarf — one of the dumbest things they could've said. A shipload of Marines right from the jungles in combat uniforms who couldn't wait to get ashore! This was a challenge to Marines. Not to be outdone, they pried open the ship's hold covers and dropped down onto the sea bags stored below, rummaging for the much-needed clothing. They didn't care whose sea bag they came across as long as it contained the needed clothes. By a stroke of good luck, the Kid managed to find his own sea bag, so down the gangway he went on liberty Down Under! The brass didn't like this happening, so any Marine who came back aboard with the wrong clothes was to be stopped and written up for discipline action. Many Marines were written up — but no one was disciplined.
On their first trip ashore the Marines walked Wellington's streets, filled its restaurants and bars, eating all the vegetables they could find. Marines were seen walking around holding heads of lettuce and carrots, eating as they walked. They filled the restaurants, eating all the steak they could afford and gorged themselves on ice cream and fresh baked goods. Their needs and wants came flooding back to them in great waves.
Most got drunk easily as they were no longer used to drinking hard liquor or beer. They had only American money, which was readily accepted, and didn't understand the local change they got in return. In some cases they were overcharged but, all in all, Kiwis were glad to see them and treated them right. No doubt there were a lot of vendors that made a lot of money, but the carefree Marines didn't worry much about that. Hell, there was a war on! Who knew if the next fight would be their last? Many did not go beyond their next fight.
New Zealand
For those who don't know much about New Zealand, you should know that the nation is divided into two islands — North Island and South Island. The southmost tip of North Island is the location of the capital city of Wellington, where the Marines of the Second Division landed. NZ's other major city is Auckland, which lies in the far north of North Island. South Island is the location of Christchurch, the major city in that section of the nation. North Island has no real mountains as such, but is a succession of rolling hills that make for picturesque country scenery — populated with a million sheep! They also have an area of natural springs and geysers. Sheep and wool are New Zealand's principle commodity, plus a small amount of light industry, although NZ has experienced an increase in tourism since WWII. South Island has mountains and plains and is suited to cattle raising, which is no threat to the world market. The mountains afford skiing in the upper reaches and good hiking and fishing at lower heights.
New Zealanders are rugged outdoor types and spend much of their time in the open air. Their sports are typically British — rugby and cricket dominate the scene, but American football is gaining a foothold.
The Kid landed there with a pocket full of money, having earned a goodly amount cutting hair as the company barber. He had no need to draw money from the company payroll as there was no place to spend it on Guadalcanal or other battle islands, plus he wasn't prone to gambling. His liberties were spent in Wellington's bars, restaurants and the city's lone theater, below which was a dance hall. The music was furnished by the Marine dance band and was very good, for less-than-professional musicians.
Women
Of course, Wellington's women were there in great numbers, and Marines had no problem in the romance department. The Kid availed himself of the opportunity and met a few girls and had a few brief encounters, although nothing of great romantic consequence. He was taken home to dinner a few times. A girl whose name was of Maori extraction took him home to dinner and to meet her family. It was a pleasant experience.
Then he found to his delight a NZ WAF that was a pleasant companion and pleasing to his eye. She was small and pretty with dark hair cut short to regulation. She danced well and was not stand-offish. She was pleasant to talk to, being educated in the British school system. She knew about the war and where the Marines had been fighting. They went to the best restaurants in town and the Kid brought her flowers on occasion. That was what a lot of the Marines did — which drove the NZ soldiers crazy.
Kiwi males never gave their women the attention that the Yanks did. In fact, Kiwi men practically ignored their women, whereas Yank males are taught to respect and care for their women. NZ men took them for granted, which is no way to treat a woman. As a result, many New Zealand women had no time for NZ men, which led to a few fights between Kiwi males and the Marines. The Kid's time with his girl was special and romantically rewarding.
Camp life
The division was scattered around the Wellington area in different encampments. The Kid and his outfit was stationed at a small place called Paekakariki, which lay some 40 kilometers from Wellington. The camp was known as Mc- Kay's Crossing as it was located at a wide place in the road, and was comprised of a cluster of buildings that sat along the railroad tracks and the main road that led to Wellington. There was a small bakery, a "petrol station," a small hall where the local dances were held and, of course, a pub.
McKay's Crossing was a mile or so down the road from the town. The railroad ran a special train in the afternoon to take the troops into Wellington, and another late at night to bring them back to camp. There were other trains that came by the camp and stopped at the town. If the men had a liberty pass they could walk the mile or so to town to catch a train to their liking. There was also a "sneaky path" behind the camp that led to the main road and into town. This was bit shorter than going out the front gate and bypassed the sentry on duty there. Coming home that way also enabled the Marines to smuggle in booze.
The train schedule allowed Marines a good eight hours in town if they caught the late-night train back to their tents. If you could wangle an overnight pass you could take the early morning train back to Paekakariki and walk the rest of the way to camp. You could get away with an overnight stay without a pass — if you were not stopped by the MPs at the station in the morning. It was hit-or-miss situation.
The Kid knew this and on occasion would risk being caught, and one fine morning he was caught. After questioning him about his lack of a pass, the MPs hauled him away to the guard house for further investigation. The Kid's excuse was that he had met his unit's "old man" in town and had been given a verbal OK to stay over, which was, of course, a lie. The MPs tried to contact the major by phoning around, but couldn't raise anyone to say yea or nay. With a brief warning the Kid was allowed to go and caught the train just in time to get him back to camp in time for roll call. The CO didn't hear a thing about it, so he was safe from discipline. He did this many times again, but always backed up his story with a note from the CO — in his own handwriting.
Unit barber — A Marine gives another a haircut aboard a ship bound for Iwo Jima, circa 1945.
WWII Kiwi sailors — No liking for visiting Yank Marines who wooed their women
