Sheep on the run in Te Kuiti

Media Release 31 March 2011

Sheep on the run in Te Kuiti

In the largest sheep run in the world, a couple of thousand sheep will be let loose down Te Kuiti’s main street this weekend in the famous Coopers New Zealand Shears “Running of the Sheep” event scheduled for Saturday.

As the approximately 2000 sheep make the one-kilometre dash down Te Kuiti’s main street at 1pm as part of the United Water Great New Zealand Muster festival, thousands of spectators will be trying to guess the exact number and win a $1000 prize, says Waitomo District Council’s iSITE Team Leader, Debie Glover.

“We can say there will be six truckloads of local Romney ewes bought in for the event, but the exact number is a closely guarded secret only known by one person - local farmer John Fagan!” says Debie.

“Spectators used to counting in megabits per second will have to adjust to counting in sheep per second as they sheep run by if they want to get the right number. Otherwise it will be a wild guess as last year’s correct number was 1079 – but it could be anywhere between 1000 and 2000!”

As a highlight of the day-long Festival, spectators will also be able to enjoy more than 100 stalls of local cuisine, arts and crafts surrounding Te Kuiti’s main “sheep drag”.

Entertainment throughout the day on a central stage will be hosted by MC’s, radio personality Ronnie Phillips and balloon man John Martin.

With sunny Autumn weather predicted this Saturday, once the sheep run is over, visitors will be entertained with a show from Auckland hit trio, “The Mermaids” featuring vocalists Joe Cotton (of True Bliss fame), Pauline Berry and Tammy D’Ath, along with guitar maestro Martin Winch.

Starting dead on 10am, The Great NZ Muster sponsored by United Water will continue right through until 4pm. The event has become so popular that around 7,000 spectators are expected to line Te Kuiti’s main street when the sheep make the one-kilometre headlong dash.

“We have visitors coming to the Great New Zealand Muster from all over the world as it coincides with the final day of the New Zealand Shearing Championships in Te Kuiti’s Waitomo Cultural and Art Centre,” says Debie.

“This means visitors can also go and watch the best shearers from New Zealand, Australia and even the United Kingdom battle it out on in the finals of the New Zealand Shearing Championships.”

Ends

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