The first Dominion Day in 1907 was a holiday for public servants. All government offices closed to mark the occasion. An aluminium Dominion Day medal was struck for every school child in New Zealand.
As the Dominion’s Capital, Wellington put on a big show all day and into the evening on 26 September. In the middle of the morning, a Guard of Honour marched from the Mount Cook Barracks to Parliament House. The Garrison Band played lively marching tunes, and some people had erected streamers and emblems of New Zealand in their windows.
Proclamation of Dominion Status
At 11 am on the steps of Parliament the governor of the time, invited the Prime Minister to read the proclamation of dominion status. He did so, and shouted out, ‘Three cheers for the King’ (the response was ‘hearty and unanimous’, according to the Evening Post). This was followed by cheers for the governor, Prime Minister, and the new Dominion of New Zealand.
The military and the school cadets paraded, and Maori performed a haka. It was all over in just 15 minutes. The crowd, which was not large, set off for Newtown Park where it watched a military review featuring 1600 men. The governor inspected the troops, and more speeches were made. Dignitaries had lunch at Government House.
A short-lived celebration
Dominion Day, never really took hold in New Zealand. Wellington was one of the few places that kept up ceremonies after 1907. Elsewhere, the day passed with little fanfare after 1907, especially in centres distant from the capital. In Dunedin, government agencies and banks closed, the garrison paraded and schoolchildren saluted the flag. Although ships in port flew flags or raised bunting, ‘the display, taken all round, was rather a meagre one’, according to the local paper. During the 1910s, politicians and diplomats still made occasional speeches, but Dominion Day faded away as a public event.
Finding the Cache
You will not find the cache at the given location but you would be close to where the proclamation was read in 1907. To locate the cache find some information and answer the following questions.
Find the cache at S41 1A.BCD E174 4E.FGH where
- A = Second digit of the number of Garrison Bandsmen
- B = Number of letters in surname of the Governor
- C = Up to ?000 people watched a Military parade in Auckland
- D = Number of letters in christian name of the Prime Minister
- E = Number of the reigning monarch of the time
- F = Third digit of the year the Public Holidays act “Mondayised” the day
- G = Second to last digit of the year that William Massey became Prime Minister
- H = Numerical number of month the day was observed
Check your answer here
The cache is a Bison tube. Please replace it as you found it.
Please bring your own pen.
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For more information about geocaching in New Zealand,
visit the New Zealand Recreational GPS Society forums or website. |