Sarah Jensen points out the name of her great-great-great-grandfather Jorgen Gronnebeck for cameraman Cameron Bennett. Photos / Sue Emeny
Sarah Jensen points out the name of her great-great-great-grandfather Jorgen Gronnebeck for cameraman Cameron Bennett. Photos / Sue Emeny
Dannevirke's Scandinavian heritage is to feature in a Japanese television documentary series.
The series is entitled Sekai no Kaido wo Yuku which translates to Travelling the Roads of the World and is being filmed by the New Zealand Network Company.
The series will screen in Japan on TV Asahi in March.
New Zealand Network Company cameraman Cameron Bennett, who spent many years living in Japan, contacted the Dannevirke Gallery of History to ask about filming some of the gallery's exhibits and to inquire about meeting descendants of original Scandinavian immigrants who arrived in Dannevirke in the 1870s.
Sarah Jensen holds an original photograph of her great-great-great-grandmother Bodil Gronnebeck pictured outside her house at 26 McPhee St.
Sarah Jensen, a direct descendant on her father Chris' side of Jorgen and Bodil Gronnebeck, who arrived in New Zealand on the Ballarat in 1872, was chosen to fill that role.
Sarah's mother Kathryn Jensen is a volunteer at the Gallery of History and had put together a family history tracing the family link back through five generations to the Gronnebecks.
The Gronnebecks were assisted immigrants so could only bring four of their six children out to New Zealand.
They were balloted a 40-acre section of land from the main road to the Tapuata Stream, encompassing the area where the old Dannevirke Hospital would stand.
Jorgen died in 1895 aged 68 and Bodil died in 1907 aged 85.
For Sarah, being part of the series kindled an interest in her family history.
"It has been interesting to learn the family history from Mum. I didn't really know much about it but I have developed more of an interest."
Sarah was unfazed by spending an intense hour in front of a camera.
"I belong to the Dannevirke Theatre Company so for me this was just another acting role."
The film crew arrived in Dannevirke on Thursday as part of a road trip that would provide a snapshot of communities from Wellington through Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay, inland over the Napier/Taihape road to the volcanoes, to Waikato and finishing in Coromandel.
Production co-ordinator Koji Sugiyama learns about Dannevirke's Scandinavian street names from Gallery of History vice president Murray Holden.
Production co-ordinator Koji Sugiyama, from Auckland, said the team was halfway through the road trip which began from Wellington, travelled to Martinborough and then to Palmerston North.
Along the way the crew is meeting the local people, learning the history and experiencing the landscape.
Bennett said the series was for the most part unscripted.
The NZ Network is a boutique line production company that organises filming all over the world.
Normally a film crew would come out to New Zealand from Japan but because this can't happen now the New Zealand Network is filming the series.
"It's all about brand maintenance really. The Japanese are looking enviously at New Zealand. They can't come here as tourists at the moment and they see us out and about, not having to wear masks."
After leaving the Gallery of History the film crew stopped at Dannevirke Domain to film the iconic Viking ship in the play area and then headed to Norsewood to visit the museum.
Bennett said a copy of the Dannevirke episode will be sent to the gallery.
