In the early 1940s, Paekākāriki village was home to 500 locals and about 15,000 US Marines.
This unique part of New Zealand history has now been immortalised in a new website.
MarinesNZ.com features maps, photos, news clippings, and even videos from the US Marines time being stationed on the Kāpiti Coast during World War II from 1942 and 1944.
Journalist Allie Webber is a member of the Kāpiti US Marines Trust and joins Emile Donovan.