Waitangi Weekend

3-4 February 2007

"The rules for the Waitangi day circle line pub crawl is to take the circle line to any stop, get out of the station, turn left and go to the first pub you see - get a drink then get back on the train. Go all around the circle line as the day goes on. You are not allowed to sit or hold onto the handrails inside the Tube as you travel from one stop to the next. Sounds easy? Wait until you've been drinking all day"

Sounds like a challenge Im too kiwi to turn down!

Welcome to the Waitangi Day celebrations in London - just a little bit different from what we do back home. The pub crawl started at 10am at Paddington Station and by 11:30 we had downed 4 pints and were well on our way : )










It's a crazy way to spend a Saturday in London but we got an amazing day for it, a clear blue skied winter's day - it was perfect! Katia (a mate from the Czech Republic) came along with me for the ride and we really made a day out of it. The plan is to be in Westminster by 4pm to see the Haka and we eventually only to miss the Haka because of the crowds. About 8000 people showed up (quite a few in costumes) to celebrate what it means to be a Kiwi.

By the time we left the park at Westminster they had closed the tube station we walked the last two stations - Embankment and Temple. There was a huge queue to get into the Temple Walkabout by the time we got there so instead we decided to head to Belushi's in Covent Garden for a few more drinks. We found some sheep pictures and made some new friends so all in all a good time : ) To read a couple of other people's reditions of the big day and some videos check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqanmTarrEU,
http://thekiwiadventurer.blogspot.com/2007/02/waitangi-day-pub-crawl.html,
http://christhomas.vox.com/library/post/waitangi-day-circle-line-pub-crawl.html

Good thing I stayed at Katia's place in North London because the next day we were up at 10am and off to "The Church" as they were having a special kiwi celebratory themed service that day. So we were back having a few more drinks, making some more random friends, and dancing the afternoon away from 12-4pm. They even put on a haka and a polynesian performance for us - man I love the music from back home!

Starving we grabbed some Chinese and Indian food from the Camden markets - delicious! and headed out to the Redback pub in Acton (West London). Id been there a couple of times before and they have some really great live music and last Sunday night wasn't any exception, lots of Dave Dobbyn, Crowded House and Split Ends and even the New Zealand national athem and a few Maori sing along songs for good measure. Staying until it closed at 12 was a great finish to an amazing weekend! Definitely glad I had planned to take Monday off work!