CHUNUK BAIR CENTENARY COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE
INFORMATION FOR TOUR OPERATORS
This newsletter contains important information for tour operators bringing
visitors to Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli, for the New Zealand commemorative service
being held on 8 August 2015.
It outlines the arrangements in place for arrival at the Gallipoli Peninsula
Historical National Park, vehicle movements, security, and departure from
Chunuk Bair.
Please note these arrangements are different to those in place every year on
24/25 April, so it is important to read this carefully. There are also some
differences between the arrangements for the Australian Lone Pine service on
6 August and the New Zealand Chunuk Bair Service on 8 August.
Please also refer to the Gallipoli 2015 website for further detailed information,
via the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.
THE COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE
The commemorative service to mark the centenary of the Battle for Chunuk
Bair will take place on Saturday 8 August 2015, at the New Zealand Memorial
and Lower Cemetery at Chunuk Bair on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The service will begin at 5pm and last approximately one hour. The service
itself will have a different feel to the New Zealand service held at Chunuk Bair
on Anzac Day. This will be a special service which has never happened before at
Gallipoli, and is unlikely to happen again.
This is a public service, open to anyone who wishes to attend. There is no
attendance ballot and no attendance passes will be issued. All Tour Group
leaders and guides are welcome to attend the service.
REGISTRATION
Tour operators who intend to bring visitors to the Chunuk Bair service are
asked to complete the online registration form found here. This assists our
planning and enables us to develop a pleasant experience for tour operators
and visitors alike.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Unlike in April, the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park will be open to all
visitors on 8 August 2015. All roads within the national park will be open to
traffic – including Second and Third Ridge Road.
Visitors may travel to any of the sites within the national park prior to the
event security lockdown which will occur mid-afternoon. After that point
access to Kabatepe Otopark, Hill 261 and Chunuk Bair will be restricted to New
Zealand Officials, registered vehicles and registered visitors only, until after the
completion of the New Zealand service.
ARRIVING AT THE GALLIPOLI PENINSULA HISTORICAL NATIONAL PARK
All vehicles travelling to the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park with
passengers intending to attend the service will be required to register at the
Kabatepe Otopark. This site will be open from 11.00am until 2.00pm on
Saturday 8 August.
During the vehicle registration process, coaches will be given a coach
registration number and accreditation to display in the front, on the side, and
at the rear of the coach. Passengers should stay on the vehicle/coach until
registration is complete.
Once registered, vehicles may travel elsewhere within the park, but must
return to Kabatepe Otopark by 2.00pm, via the Beach Cemetery turnaround, to
queue and await clearance to proceed up to Chunuk Bair.
Private vehicle registration and parking at Mimoza (left) and coach registration and queuing at Kabatepe Otopark (right)
Traffic movement flow - coach registration point to and from Chunuk Bair
Mimoza/ Kabatepe Otopark
Bus and Car registration
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Chunuk Bair
MOVING UP TO CHUNUK BAIR
Registered tour coaches will be released in groups of five, from the Kabatepe
Otopark from 2.30pm. Coaches will proceed up Second Ridge Road and be
directed to stop at the intersection with the beginning of Third Ridge Road and
begin passenger unloading. Visitors will be directed to walk to Hill 261, the
visitor screening and holding area.
There is only capacity for five tour coaches at any one time at the coach
unloading point. If more than five coaches arrive at any one time, the
additional coaches will be instructed to queue, wait and not to offload
passengers until space becomes available at the intersection.
Any unregistered tour coach that arrives at Chunuk Bair wanting to off-load
passengers will be directed to proceed back down Third Ridge Road to the
Kabatepe Otopark to complete vehicle registration.
Once all passengers have been offloaded from the coach, drivers will be
directed to exit down Third Ridge Road and proceed directly to turn around at
Beach Cemetery car park, continuing directly on to Kabatepe to queue on the
road to await the end of the commemorative service.
ENTRY TO THE CHUNUK BAIR SITE
Once visitors have left their coach and arrived at the entrance of the secure
area at Hill 261, they will be:
 Scanned by magnetometers
 Bag searched for prohibited items
 Wrist-banded to show they have been security cleared
 Given an information kit including service booklet
Visitors will be held at Hill 261 until it is time to commence seating at Chunuk
Bair for the commemorative service (which is expected at approximately
4.15pm).
Only visitors with a security wristband will be permitted to move to Chunuk
Bair. Tour group leaders and guides will also be required to go through security
screening and receive a wristband.
FACILITIES AT HILL 261
Limited facilities will be provided to support visitors at Hill 261:
 Shelter (shade/adverse weather tents)
 Portable Toilets
 Limited bottled water
 Emergency medical facilities/first aid
 Information Tent
 Video screen and sound system
It is crucial that visitors are prepared for the extreme heat they could face on
Hill 261 and at Chunuk Bair. They will need plenty of water with them
(unopened prior to security screening), sun protection, and snacks. Further
information on what to bring and what is prohibited is provided below.
AFTER THE SERVICE
At the completion of the commemorative service, visitors will be asked to
remain seated until the official party and guests have departed.
Visitors will then have time to visit the memorials and graves at Chunuk Bair
before moving back to Hill 261 to await coach loading.
COACH LOADING
Coaches will be released from the Kabatepe Otopark to proceed back up to
Chunuk Bair at 6.30pm. Coach loading will commence at 6.45pm and is
expected to be completed by 8.30pm. This is 20 minutes before nightfall.
Lighting stands will be in place if required.
Groups of five coaches at a time will be moved onto Third Ridge Road for
loading. The coach registration numbers of the coaches arriving will be
announced at the Hill 261 waiting area and passenger groups will be moved to
the marshalling area.
MOBILITY ASSISTANCE
It is important that anyone with health and/or mobility issues carefully consider
whether they will be able to attend the service safely. Visitors will be exposed
to the elements for a number of hours. The terrain around Chunuk Bair and Hill
261 is rugged and sloping, and there are virtually no flat surfaces, which makes
the ground difficult for wheelchairs or walking frames. The staircase access to
the seating is steep.
For those who believe that their health and/or mobility issues would adversely
affect them, they may register for Mobility Assistance. Mobility Assistance at
Chunuk Bair is limited in service and capacity to specific seating at Chunuk Bair
and access to dedicated Assisted Mobility toilets at the site. Assisted Mobility
services will be limited to 100 people, on a first in basis.
Mobility Assistance does not include any of the following:
 Personalised or dedicated one-on-one assistance
 The provision of carers, wheelchair pushers, or physical assistance with
seating or embarking and disembarking vehicles
 Wheelchairs, walkers or mobility aids – any visitor requiring this
assistance must bring their own
 Oxygen or personal medications
 Specialised support for “high care” individuals
 Support travelling to or from the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Visitors requiring any of this support should seriously consider their attendance
given the conditions expected in April. If they choose to attend, they must
travel with someone who is able to assist them.
Anyone seeking Mobility Assistance must approach the Information Tent on Hill
261 after going through the security checkpoint. Staff at the Information Tent
will give these visitors a second wristband denoting their Assisted Mobility
status.
Please note, that those requesting Assisted Mobility status via the online
registration form will also need to report to the Information Tent on Hill 261.
If you or your clients have any questions or concerns around Mobility
Assistance at Chunuk Bair please email us on info@Gallipoli2015.govt.nz.
PREPARING YOUR VISITORS
The weather in early August is expected to be very warm, with temperatures
reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. There are also occasional thunder storms,
particularly early in the day.
The service on Chunuk Bair will be held in the cooler part of the day, at 5pm;
however visitors need to be prepared for extreme heat, sun and also wind and
rain. The whole site is relatively exposed to the elements and there is little
natural shelter. While some shelter from heat will be available in the waiting
area on Hill 261, visitors should expect to be exposed to the weather conditions
for the duration of their time at the site.
Visitors may find themselves up at Hill 261/Chunuk Bair for up to six hours. We
recommend visitors bring the following items with them:
 Light water and wind-proof jacket
 Clothing for sun protection, including a wide-brimmed sun hat and
sunglasses
 Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes
 Non-perishable snacks
 Drinking water (unopened – open bottles will not be permitted into the site)
 Hand sanitizer
 Sunscreen
 Basic first aid kit (bandaids and non-prescription pain relief medication) and
any prescription medications required
 Small day pack to carry everything
PROHIBITED ITEMS
The following items are prohibited from the commemorative site, and will be
confiscated at the security screening point:
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Dangerous or hazardous items
Advertising or marketing messages
Large backpacks or luggage (day packs, aircraft cabin bag-sized are ok)
Camping equipment (including tents, folding chairs, camping mats, cooking
equipment, stretchers etc)
 Opened bottles of liquid
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Flammable liquids
Weapons or sharp objects, including umbrellas
Large objects (eg chairs, musical instruments)
Hiking/walking sticks or poles that do not fold down/telescope (medical and
mobility aids such as walkers, walking sticks and wheelchairs will be
permitted subject to medical need)
Large flags or banners
Professional photographic equipment (including telescopic zoom lenses,
audio visual or cinematographic devices apart from for accredited media)
‘Selfie’ sticks and large camera tripods
Drones and remote control devices
Smoking is prohibited in the stands and enclosed areas
Lighting fires in the National Park is prohibited
Alcohol – it is illegal to consume alcohol in the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical
National Park. Intoxicated persons will be refused entry.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
All visitors attending the Chunuk Bair Centenary commemorative service on 8
August 2015 must adhere to the conditions of entry:
1. Attendees will observe and maintain the solemnity and dignity of the
commemoration and behave appropriately at all times.
2. Attendees must obey the directions of Turkish authorities and official
event staff at all times.
3. The Turkish and New Zealand Governments reserve the right to
postpone, change or cancel the 2015 August commemoration at Chunuk
Bair should it be deemed appropriate to do so.
4. Attendees enter the services at their own risk.
5. Attendees will submit to security screening and searches when required
by authorities.
6. Any prohibited items may be confiscated and destroyed.
7. Smoking is prohibited at the Chunuk Bair site.
8. Intoxicated persons will be refused entry to the commemoration.
9. All attendees give consent for their likeness to be used in relation to the
recording and transmission of the broadcasts of the 2015 August
commemoration at Chunuk Bair.
10.The Turkish and New Zealand Governments reserve the right to refuse
entry (or to direct visitors to an alternative site) to any person from the
commemoration if the Chunuk Bair site is nearing, or has reached, the
maximum capacity of 1,500 visitors.
11.The Turkish and New Zealand Governments reserve the right to refuse
entry or to remove any person from the commemoration should any of
the terms and conditions of entry be breached or an attendee act in any
manner inconsistent with the dignity and solemnity of the
commemoration.
The Chunuk Bair Centenary team