‘It’s really sad:’ WWI monument in Whanganui National Park vandalised

The monument to World War I returned servicemen near the Bridge to Nowhere is pictured here without damage. Photo / Raewyn West

The vandalism of a World War I monument in Whanganui National Park has been described as “callous”.

The public monument, on the Mangapurua track, was where an Anzac Day service was held every second year.

It appears to have been taken to with an axe or heavy instrument.

Mountains to Sea trail champion Lynley Twyman said the monument was put up by members of the Friends of the Mangapurua Society.

“It’s really sad, and whoever it is I just don’t understand how someone could be that callous, it’s unlikely to be political, I think it’s just wanton destruction,” she said.

“It’s our stories that help connect everything, and there’s a long way to go for people to fully learn about what a special place it was.”

It appears an axe has been used to chip at the granite. Photo / Raewyn West

The monument was erected to commemorate 100 years since World War I.

Settlers in the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka valleys were returned servicemen who were given land through a government scheme.

The Bridge to Nowhere was built to provide a vital connection for the settlers to the riverboats travelling along the Whanganui River.

But many of the servicemen had to abandon their holdings due to financial hardship by the time the bridge was built, so the area became known as the “valley of abandoned dreams”.

Twyman said she hoped those responsible for the damage ”got held to account”.

“The jungle drums are now out and it’s more than likely it will be a hunter or dirt biker using the trail, who just didn’t appreciate the importance of where they are.”

Twyman said it was not yet known what the total cost of the repairs would be.

“I’m sure between everybody they’ll do their very best to help get those repairs, but it’s obviously not a particularly straightforward thing to fix.”

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.