The story of Ted’s bottle
A bottle of beer was left at the Waihao Forks Hotel in 1939, for a soldier to drink when he returned from war.
He never did, and the bottle remains there to this day.
It makes the news most Anzac Days. Scottish comedian Billy Connolly called in to see it for himself while touring NZ.
Ted’s bottle is a war memorial and a sad reminder of all the young people who lost their lives while serving overseas.
So, who was Ted?
Born La Tour Mollet d’Auvergne on 21 February 1906, he was the youngest of six. The d’Auvergne family farmed at Stoney Creek, behind the hotel.
He went to primary school at Kapua, then on to Timaru Boys’ High School, where he played rugby and was a strong swimmer. A diving accident there left him with hearing loss in one ear.
With his father getting older, he left school at 14 to help run the farm.
Life at Waihao Downs was much the same as it is now - a close rural community. Ted was part of it all: weddings, birthdays and dances at the local halls. There was the annual Draught Horse Derby and the Arno Swimming Carnival, where he picked up a few prizes.
He has been described as a “likeable larrikin” who worked hard but loved to have fun. He allegedly knew the road between his farm and the Waihao Forks Hotel like the back of his hand.
He had a thing for vehicles and machinery. Local stories say he wrote off more than one car on the shingle roads around the district.
Not interested in playing soldier
Ted’s other interest was the army. When war broke out 1939, he had already spent 13 years in the Territorials. Farmers were considered essential and expected to stay home for the war effort, but Ted had other ideas.
“I haven’t played soldiers for 13 years not to get involved when the real thing happens.”
His farewell was held at the Arno Hall on 23 December 1939. A typical country send-off - ‘ladies a plate’, kegs tucked out the back, and a night of music and dancing.
Ted was posted to the 27th Machine Gun Battalion as part of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, serving as a driver. He saw action in North Africa and Crete.
He was fatally wounded by sniper fire while crossing a vineyard in Crete. Locals cared for him, but he died of his wounds a few days later, on 2 June 1941, aged 35.
Ted's sister Rata also served in the war as a blitz fire engine driver in London.
Bronze sculpture of Ted d'Auvergne outside the Waihao Forks Hotel, unveiled in 2020.
How the bottle ended up there
There are a few versions of how the bottle ended up behind the bar.
One has Ted dashing for the train when he hears it whistle from outside the Forks Hotel.
Another, told by local Wanaka Hall, is that it was left there after the local gun club shoot on December 19. Ted, Stuart Dixon and Dave Ponsonby went to the pub afterwards. They bought rounds, but when it was time to leave Ted had not opened his bottle.
A third account comes from the daughter of publican George Provan. She recalled her father calling the men into the bar to farewell Ted, then placing the bottle behind the bar and telling him it was “for when he got back”.
Did Ted leave it there in a rush for the train? Did he hand it over on December 19? Or did the publican put it aside for him?
It doesn’t matter. What we do know is that the bottle has remained at the Waihao Forks Hotel waiting for Ted since he left for war in 1939.
Updated from version first published on Explore Waimate.