Queen Elizabeth visits Auckland en route to Gallipoli

Moving Tribute to Mark the Centenary of Gallipoli Campaign as Queen Elizabeth visits Auckland en route to Gallipoli

-- Spectacular Memorial Wall with thousands of red poppies to be created at Queens Wharf in tribute to the Anzacs who lost their lives at Gallipoli --

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth will form the backdrop of a moving tribute to New Zealand’s Anzac heroes in Auckland on Friday February 27 as the ship visits the city before sailing to Gallipoli.

Reflecting Cunard's strong connection with Australian and New Zealand troops during the world wars, the cruise line will host a commemorative ser-vice on the decks of Queen Elizabeth to honour the Anzacs who fought in the ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli campaign.

Media are invited to attend the service which will include a tribute to the first Anzacs by Auckland War Memorial Museum Director, Roy Clare CBE and will be attended by members of the Returned and Services' Association, defence forces and political leaders.

Meanwhile, New Zealanders will be able to express their gratitude to the Anzacs and remember lost loved ones by leaving a red poppy in a two-metre high Queen Elizabeth Poppy Wall at the entrance to Queens Wharf. The wall will be formed in the shape of "100" to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign, and will be filled with 11,500 poppies during the ship's calls to Auckland and Sydney (March 3), representing the number of Australians and New Zealanders who lost their lives in the campaign.

Visitors will give a gold coin for each poppy and be invited to leave a personalised message in a special commemorative book, with all donations to go to the RSA.

The poppy wall and the book will be moved onto Queen Elizabeth before she departs Auckland for Australia late Friday and will be the centrepiece of a memorial service onboard the ship as she sails the waters off the Gallipoli Peninsula on April 24, the eve of Anzac Day, during her current world voyage.

A guest of honour at the Auckland and Anzac Cove services will be Herb Christophers whose grandfather and three great uncles were killed in World War One campaigns in Gallipoli and the Western Front. Mr Christophers and his wife Marguerite will travel as the custodians of the New Zealand poppies to Turkey, where Mr Christophers will honour the memory of his ancestors.

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