Turn inland from Kalamaki, a beach resort outside the ancient city of Chania, and the road quickly starts to rise straight and steep. As you go further, the tourist apartments give way to modest homes with bougainvillea and branches of lemons spilling over their garden walls. If you keep going, you pass olive groves and small herds of goats, remnants of the era before tourism came to this spectacular stretch of coastline on the northern side of Crete.
It was here, near the top of this hill, that on the evening of May 25, 1941, several hundred New Zealand soldiers waited for the order to march into the village of Galatas. The brutal fight to retake Galatas from the Germans was among the final engagements of the Battle for Crete. It was also one of Germany's first defeats of World War II, and would come to be seen as a defining moment in New Zealand military history.
Eighty-two years later, I walked the road to Galatas, where every year a smattering of New Zealanders join the locals to commemorate the fight for the village. It's also a celebration of the bond between the people of Crete and those of New Zealand, other small, earthquake-prone islands on the opposite side of the world.
GRAPES AND GRATITUDE
The ceremony is held in the Galatas village square, in front of the war memorial that sits between the street of Neozilandon Polemiston - New Zealand warriors - and the church of Agios Nikolaos.
Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin July 1-7 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin July 1-7 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.