Originally unveiled on Anzac Day 1916, the Tīnui cross was one of New Zealand’s earliest First World War memorials. Most were constructed in the decade following the war’s end, during which the Tīnui township unveiled its own First World War memorial. The unveiling of the cross so soon after Gallipoli was the result of the impact that the Anzac campaign had on the small community. The memorial was conceived as both a tangible demonstration of the Tīnui area’s respect for those involved in the campaign, and more specifically, to those who died.
The practical realisation of the project was driven by the Maunsell family, who in addition to being one of the first European families in the area, owned Tinui Station, on which the cross would eventually stand. The cross is dramatically positioned on an outcrop of Mount Maunsell/Tīnui-Taipo, overlooking the township. This must have been especially poignant for the Dunn family, who lived in the memorial’s shadow on the station, as their son – Private John Robert Dunn – was one of the locals who died at Gallipoli, in his case in the attack on Chunuk Bair.
Although the cross was constructed of Jarrah hardwood, its exposed position took its toll on the original memorial. In 1965 the degraded timber cross was replaced with the present one made of aluminium.
The Tīnui cross site was registered as a Category 1 Historic Place in March 2011. Read more about it on the Heritage New Zealand website.
Modern images: Imelda Bargas and Tim Shoebridge, 2010
1965 images: Wairarapa Archives. Not to be re-used without permission.