The Waitangi Day Pub Crawl Expert
By Christian Rose-Day (05 Feb 10)
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Event Date: 19 Jan 10 - 19 Jan 10
He’s not the organiser. He’s not the sponsor. He’s not the guy in charge. He’s just an ordinary Kiwi with a passion for Waitangi Day (6th February) celebrations in London. Fluid London gives you Clint Heine, the Waitangi Day Pub Crawl expert.
Check out Clint’s very Antipodean Top 10 Guide to the Best Pubs, Bars & Restaurants for celebrating Waitangi Day in London.
FL: Exactly what the flippin’ hell is Waitangi Day?
CH: In 1840 in Waitangi (a small settlement in NZ), the English signed a treaty with the native Maori. Today we celebrate it with a public holiday, sunshine and BBQs or in our case in London, wintry gusts and alcohol!?
FL: And exactly how does a pub crawl relate?
CH: Quite simply it doesn’t! Kiwis never need an excuse to gather together and have a few drinks. If anything around this time of year Kiwis are still in winter hibernation and are ignoring the messages from home of long hot summers so we need a distraction!
FL: Does the pub crawl follow a specific route?
CH: We follow the Circle Line around London when the tubes are running. Usually starting at Paddington and heading anti-clockwise until we hit Westminster. If TFL decide to have “engineering works” we walk the route and try not getting lost on the way to Westminster where it all ends with a giant Haka.
FL: How do you decide which bars and pubs to go to?
CH: Ancient legend tells me that many pubs have thrown their doors open when faced with the prospect of thousands of extra customers on an ordinary cold winters day. Most other bars have no choice if they are within a 1km radius of any tube station on the route!
FL: Are there any particular games, stunts or fancy dress rules on the pub crawl?
CH: The rules are simple. Don’t sit down on the tube, no holding on to anything on the tube – apart from your mates and don’t upset the locals. Fancy dress is optional and encouraged. We have anything from sheep, human beer bottles to people bravely wearing just flags.
FL: So are you the official organiser-in-chief?
CH: No. There isn’t any one organiser – my involvement is to inform people, especially new pub crawlers of the event and to make sure people know where to go and what pubs are good to drink at. Because it isn’t organised by a main person, there is a lot of misinformation out there and plenty of confusion. It’s best to have clear information as on the day people will be drinking and will improvise!
FL: No? Are you frightened of what the authorities might do?
CH: Not at all. The police we meet on the pub crawl are very supporting and enthusiastic of the event as we are comparatively less trouble than other nations. Many police on the day pose for photos with us and are interested in the event. In 2008 there were rumblings from Westminster Council over damage by Big Ben – however one expects grass damage when you have several thousand people walking on it on a wet cold day!
FL: You must’ve seen some crazy things on the pub crawl in your time - what are some of the weirdest?
CH: I have seen streakers, over 50 people playing street cricket, a poor fellow who dressed up in a Borat mankini on a zero degree morning. The whole day in itself is crazy – you have thousands of foreigners from the other side of the world bringing tubes to a standstill, for peaceful means and which never fails to make people smile.
FL: There are rumours a-brewing that this could well be the world’s BIGGEST pub crawl – c’mon, tell the truth, is this really true?
CH: This is probably the world’s biggest unorganised pub crawl. I participated in the world's biggest organised pub crawl in London and the Waitangi Day crawl is much bigger. By the end of the pub crawl there are several thousand people getting to Westminster.
FL: How long have you been doing this pub crawl?
CH: For too long! This will be my 6th pub crawl in 7 years. Only once have I managed to complete the entire Circle Line. To prevent mass liver damage, most crawlers including myself end at Westminster and then hit Kiwi and Kiwi friendly bars afterwards to carry on the celebrations.
FL: Which equates to how many drinks exactly?
CH: If you add together the sneaky drinks on the streets, my annual backpack of cider (as the bars get too full) and the numerous cheeky drinks I get offered while doing the pub crawl, I’d hate to even guess. ?It is a sustained effort to drink from 10am until 4pm not counting the after events, so you need to have plenty of food breaks if you want to last all day!
FL: So what should newcomers expect then?
CH: Newcomers should expect a shedload of fun and hilarity throughout the day. Expect singing, meeting up with old friends (NZ is a very small place), wacky costumes and a carnival atmosphere.
FL: This is the second Waitangi Day that has past since the public transport drinking ban - will that be stopping you?
CH: Because the Circle Line is closed again this year, there hasn’t been a chance for Kiwis to test this ban on a mass scale. It didn’t dampen the mood last year and I doubt it will again this time around. The fact that you’re traipsing around one of the world’s greatest cities with several hundred of your mates is pretty cool and whether or not you can drink in a bar or underground is secondary to the event.
If you want to find out more information about the pub crawl on February 6th, check out Clint’s Waitangi Day Pub Crawl blog.
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