'From the Uttermost Ends of the Earth' was a reminder of the vast distances New Zealanders travelled to take part in the First World War.
100,000 New Zealanders journeyed to Europe to participate in the First World War.
Almost ten percent of New Zealand's population, including half of its men, served in the war. One in five of them died. Many are buried near here.

This ceremony had two parts.

• Te Hono ki Aotearoa: The waka tauna (canoe) is named Te Hono ki Aotearoa (The link to New Zealand) and was carved from a 600-year-old kauri tree and brought to Europe in 2010. His arrival at the Menin Gate symbolized the whenua (land) of Aotearoa (New Zealand) arriving in Belgium. It also represented a spiritual journey - the movement of those who fought and died here to their final resting place. Some of the waka'kaihoe (paddlers) are descended from soldiers who served in New Zealand's Pioneer Battalion on the Western Front. The paddlers are from Maori arts organisation Toi Maori and the Njord Royal Rowing Club in Leiden, the Netherlands. The waka is on permanent loan to the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden.
• Menin Gate: Like every night there was a ceremony under the Menin Gate. This time with the presence of New Zealand representatives, members of the New Zealand Defence Force and Toi Maori, who remembered those that served. The service was concluded with haka addressed to the buglers at the Menin Gate and the people of Belgium - to acknowledge their care for the fallen soldiers of Aotearoa (New Zealand) for the past 100 years.

Projection onto the Ieper Ramparts. Arrival of the waka Te Hono ki Aotearoa.





Apakura (lament) from New Zealand Defence Force members.



Response from kaihoe aboard waka.









Last Post service under the Menin Gate. Chaplain Class3 Hamish Kirk.









Ode of Remembrance in Maori and English.



Floral tribute.















Meanwhile the Maori Cultural Group sang.











Blessing.



Haka.









Willie Apiata VC.





Page made by IDG, Filip Van Loo and Daphné Vangheluwe.