Devonport South African War peace memorial

Devonport South African War peace memorial.

Devonport has two distinct South African War memorials in different locations at the foot of the town centre: a concrete-and-tile fountain with a bronze centrepiece statue and a curved metal arch topped by a gas (now electric) lamp.

This South African memorial celebrates peace and is a metal arch with lamp above railed concrete steeps leading from the seaside walkway along the northern shore of Waitematā Harbour down to the beach below Devonport’s town centre.

Seven New Zealand South African War memorials featured lamps, which were symbolic of eternal life and lit pathways. They were also a beacon attracting people to them.

Further information

• Chris Maclean and Jock Phillips, The Sorrow and the Pride: New Zealand War Memorials, GP Books, Wellington, 1990