American life in New Zealand between 1942 and 1944 was centred on the camps. Most of these were to be found within marching distance or a short train journey from Wellington or Auckland cities. Some of the soldiers were here to train for forthcoming battles on Pacific islands.
On the day of the reception for children at Athletic Park, the Evening Post wrote: 'As the mother of two young children 12,000 miles away, the Queen today assumed the role of mother to her wider family, and it was this maternal aspect that so caught the imagination and love of the New Zealand citizens of the future'.
