If you’re in Auckland this week leading up to Anzac Day, pop down to the Auckland War Memorial Museum for a spectacular cinematic experience brought to you by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

Jackson has restored footage shot by famous war correspondent Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett for the rare film “Heroes of Gallipoli”. The twenty-minute film is being projected on the outside of the museum, and will play continuously from 7.30pm until 10.00pm until the end of the week.

Visitors to the museum are invited to watch the film and then venture inside to see collections of art and photographs by current New Zealand soldiers, look up relatives’ war records on the database, and enjoy some light refreshments at the cafe.

Peter Jackson’s terrific restoration has just been listed with UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme.

For those outside of Auckland, documentaries and other ANZAC related features will run all day Friday on Maori Television, so whip some biscuits with our Anzac biscuits recipe and relax on your day off while learning about New Zealand’s history.

Image from Flickr.