Eyewitness producer Lisa Thompson hears the serendipitous story of Tony Forster; a New Zealander who was one of the first to cross through Checkpoint Charlie the night the Berlin Wall started coming down.

"My god, am I ever glad I extended that train pass...to have been through the Checkpoint at that time... I would not have missed it for anything."

- Tony Forster.

It's November 1989 and New Zealander Tony Forster was in love and on his way to Bavaria in Southern Germany to meet up with his girlfriend. But on the way, the 30-something assistant film director was persuaded by a fellow Kiwi to make a three-day detour to Berlin. By making that side-trip, Tony was about to inadvertently write himself into one of the most famous events of the 20th century.

"Martin was desperate to have a Kiwi visitor...I went there for three days but he complained constantly the whole time why wasn't I there for a month but on the third day I decided to go over and explore East Berlin."

By the time Tony arrived, Berlin had been a divided city for 28 years. On 13 August 1961, the German Democratic Republic leadership closed the border to West Berlin and established 8 crossing points to be used by West Berliners, citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany, and foreign nationals. East Berliners and GDR citizens were not permitted to cross the border.

But being a foreigner, Tony Forster was allowed to and on the advice of his friend Martin he decided to enter East Berlin on foot at Checkpoint Charlie, the city's best known crossing point.

It was the 9th of November, and despite the momentous events that would take place later that evening, Tony says there was no inkling that morning of what was to come. After spending the day sightseeing, Tony enjoyed a meal at a restaurant before preparing to cross back to West Berlin about 9 pm that evening.

He was completely unaware that earlier the same evening East Germans watching a televised government press conference were surprised to learn that they were now free travel to the West. And within hours, thousands, including a puzzled Tony, had descended on the crossings. "It wasn't until I was getting close to the Checkpoint when suddenly people started jogging past me to the Checkpoint, and certainly in my observation nobody would run in East Berlin, that was the first sign that something strange was going on..."…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details