Le Quesnoy - Flags on the wall landscape
Commemorative Tour To Le Quesnoy
Every New Zealander should experience this at least once in their lifetime!
This Our tour is centred around commemorations at Le Quesnoy and the liberation of the town by New Zealand troops on in 1918.
This special itinerary includes significant sites and memorials, giving participants insight into the involvement of the New Zealand troops and their significant contributions during WWI.
Over 12,000 New Zealand troops lay buried in France and Belgium. We visit major sites, battlefields and memorials on the Western Front. This tour allows the opportunity for like-minded people to visit the Western Front and follow in the footsteps of many of the NZ troops there in from 1916 to 1918.
Included in our 2025 tour is the ANZAC Commemoration service and a visit to the newly opened and amazing NZ Liberation Museum, which includes displays including by NZ’s Weta Workshop. The museum is a tribute to the New Zealanders who served in this area.
The fortified town of LE QUESNOY, founded in 1150 and surrounded by 16th century walls, has a long and rich history. There are many New Zealand street signs and place names in the Old Town, and on the outskirts, on Rue du 11 Novembre 1918, is École Maternelle Docteur Averill. It’s a pre-school named after Leslie Averill, the first New Zealander over the walls on the 4th of November 1918.
The New Zealand attack was successful and the German garrison surrendered . While there were casualties amongst our troops, there we no civilian casualties, and to this day Le Quesnoy still honours the liberation of their city by New Zealanders, over 100 years ago.
This tour commences in Brussels on Sunday 20 April 2025.
N.B: Our tour group size is limited, and this tour will not be repeated.
Includes
- B = Continental breakfast (daily)
- D = Welcome
- Farewell and other dinners as per final itinerary
- Accommodation is in local hotels or B&Bs (AKA gîtes)
- Transport in comfortable air conditioned vehicles.
Optional 4-Day England Extension:
- Visit Churchill’s WWII bunker.
- Explore Duxford Imperial War Museum.
- Visit the National Maritime Museum Greenwich and war memorials in London.
Itinerary
This tour commences n Brussels on Sunday 20 April 2025.
NB: Our tour group size is limited, and this tour will not be repeated.
Day 1: Brussels
- Day 3: Somme Valley Day 2: Brussels – Somme Battlefield Arrival in Brussels and transfer to your hotel for check-in.
- Free time to explore Brussels.
- Welcome dinner (included) to meet other group members.
- Overnight in Brussels. (D)
Day 2: Brussels - Somme Battlefield
- Depart Brussels for the Somme Battlefield.
- Visit Warlencourt Cemetery and see the VC grave of Donald Brown.
- Explore Pozieres and the Lochnagar crater.
- Continue to Thiepval and the British Monument to the Missing.
- Transfer to Somme Valley area for 3 nights.
- Overnight in Somme Valley area. (B, D)
Day 3: Somme Valley
- Visit the New Zealand Memorial at Longueval and Caterpillar Valley Cemetery.
- Explore the Somme 1916 Museum in Albert.
- Lunch (own arrangements).
- Visit Amiens Cathedral and the Australian Memorial to the Missing at Villers-Bretonneux.
- Return via Corbie to view the Red Baron’s last flight crash site.
- Overnight in Somme Valley area. (B)
Day 4: The Somme, Wellington Quarry, Vimy Ridge
- Visit Auchonvillers and La Signy Farm.
- Explore Arras, including Notre Dame de Lorette and the new WWI Commemorative Wall.
- Visit the Wellington Quarry Museum.
- Explore Arras Citadel and Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery.
- Overnight in Somme Valley area. (B)
Day 5: Canal du Nord, Grevillers, Caudry, Le Quesnoy
- Follow the New Zealanders’ March to Victory via Grevillers and Bapuame.
- Visit the remains of the NZ Tunnellers military bridge over Canal du Nord.
- Explore Cambrai and visit the Lace Museum.
- Continue to Le Quesnoy.
- Accommodation in Beaudignies area.
- Dinner included
- Overnight in Beaudignies Valley area. (B, D)
Day 6: Le Quesnoy
- Explore the route taken by New Zealanders to Le Quesnoy.
- Visit the Memorial in the Ramparts and Chateau Potelle.
- Dinner included.
- Overnight in Beaudignies area. (B, D)
Day 7: Le Quesnoy, Ieper (Ypres)
- Visit Le Quesnoy Extension Cemetery and Town Hall.
- Participate in the Commemoration Ceremony.
- Travel to Ieper (Ypres) and overnight.
- Dinner included.
- Overnight in Ieper. (B, D)
Day 8: Ieper (Ypres)
- Visit Tyne Cot Cemetery and New Zealand Battlefields.
- Explore Passchendaele, Polygon Wood, and Polderhoek Chateau.
- Lunch break and visit the Passchendaele 1917 Museum.
- Optional attendance at the ceremony at Menin Gate.
- Evening meal (own arrangements).
- Overnight in Ieper. (B)
Day 9: Ieper (Ypres)
- Visit Buttes New British Cemetery and Polygon Wood.
- Explore Messines and Talbot House.
- Visit Nine Elms Cemetery.
- Return to Ieper.
- Overnight in Ieper. (B)
Day 10: Messines
- Visit Ramparts Cemetery and New Zealand Messines Ridge Cemetery.
- Explore Cité Bon Jean Cemetery and Armentieres.
- Visit Fromelle and Anthony Wilding’s grave.
- Attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
- Dinner included.
- Overnight in Ieper. (B, D)
Day 11: Waterloo
- Depart for Waterloo via Weregem.
- Visit Wellington Museum and Mont St Jean battlefield site.
- Return to Auchonvillers area for overnight.
- Farewell dinner together (included) tonight.
- Overnight in Auchonvillers area. (B, D)
Day 12: Auchonvillers, Paris
- Visit various gravesites and memorials enroute to Paris.
- Visit the French Great War Museum at Perrone.
- Transfer to Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG).
- Tour concludes. (B)
THIS ITINERARY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TOUR COMPANY AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Available dates:
commences in Brussels – Sunday 20 April 2025
Pricing:
