This is unedited raw film footage, shot by Academy Award winning US Marine cinematographer Norman T. Hatch for a US newsreel that was never completed, provisionally titled 'Meet New Zealand'. Around 21,000 Marines were stationed in camps around the Wellington region from June 1942 until November 1943. Most of their time was spent training hard preparing for the war in the Southwest Pacific against the Japanese.
A day off for some US Marines is spent at the Trentham Racetrack, looking for insider tips and sure bets. A military band plays in the rotunda while people mill around. In the stadium, a crowd of thousands watch the horses and check their tickets.