A blessing and a curse.  New Zealand shuts down for the holidays.  Literally, there is not much to do as everything is closed and everyone is on holiday.  Which is great for New Zealanders, but sort of a bummer for those of us who wanted to go to a restaurant or bar for NYE.  So, we do the one cool thing you can do on New Year’s day, we go to the Waipu Scottish Highland Games.

The Highland Games take place all over he world and are a wonderful mixture of cultural, arts, and sporting events.    Originally the games were started to stop the blood shed between clans by using competitions to identify warriors and leaders.

Many Scottish clans were represented at the Waipu Highland Games.  Each clan listed their septs (sub-clans that have different surnames from the chiefs that they follow).   They listed all the septs so that the attendees can see which clan they belong to.  Evidently, none of my friends belong to a clan – could it be because they were German, Dutch, Lithuanian, and Swiss?

Musicians and Dancers

Throughout the entire day they had dance competitions.  Boys and girls competed individually and in groups for the top honors.  It was really cool to see the strength and agility these dancers had!  They danced on their toes almost the entire time and were so poised and elegant!

Fiddlers, drummers and bagpipe musicians competed for the top spot as well.  It was wonderful to hear all the musicians practicing all around the field.  There was a constant flow of music throughout the entire day.

Strength Competitions

The various strength competitions all took place in the main center arena.  They had 6 designated areas for each competition.   We eagerly soaked it all up!

The Hammer Toss

A 22lb Gaelic hammer is attached to a wooden pole or handle and whirled around the contestant with the hopes of throwing it further than his competitors.  The really interesting thing is that a few of the contestants had long steel knife like things sticking out of the tips of their shoes.  They then dug them deep into the ground to anchor them in spot as they twirl the hammer over head (see bottom left photo)

The Caber Toss

Probably the most notable strength competition at the Highland Games is the Caber toss.  A full length 18′ long Scott’s pine weighing in at 130lbs is lifted and tossed high into the air so that it turns end over end.  The goal is to have it land with the upper end landing before the end originally held by the competitor.  And it is not enough for them to just throw it, they have to make it land so that it lands in line with the original run (if a line were drawn from 12:00 to 6:00, they want it to land as close to 12 as possible.  They will get points if it lands at 12, 1, 2, 3, 11, 10, or 9.  If it lands between 3 and 9 they will not get any points.

Tossing Your Weight Around

A 56lb lead weight attached to a short chain is up next.  Each competitor grabs a handle and swings the lead weight around their body to try to send it the furthest and highest distance.  The winner today thossed his ball 12 meters.

Another 56lb kettle  is tossed next. This one however is tossed up, over, and behind the contestant.  They stand in front of a tall bar and try to toss the 56lb lead over the bar.  The bar is raised as each competitor succeeds until there is only one person left.  The winner tossed it 13′ in the air (the record is 16′).

There is a good technique that the winner constantly used.  He tossed it to the right of his right leg, then in between each leg, then up and over his shoulder.

The Sheaf Toss

The sheaf toss has been a traditional event in the highland games for many years. Competitors hurl a 16-pound (7 kg) burlap bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal bar above their head. Each competitor has three chances to go over the bar, without touching it.  The bar is raised as each person is successful.

It was really funny to watch these strapping men stab a burlap sack with a pitch fork, then attempt to hurl it over a pole 10 meters in the sky.

Tug-of-War

They had many teams competing in the tug-of-war.  Most were evenly matched, but a few came out to be clear and present winners.

Vein Popping Fun

The last competition for the day had the competitors carrying (2) 125lb lead weights.  The person who carried it the furthest won.  Poor things, every vein in their body was bulging but they did not quit.  They crowd cheered each of them on as they passed attempting to hold on to these heavy weights.

We met many Scotts along the way, many of whom explained the rules of the games to us.

We enjoyed a super tasty lunch with all of our friends (me, Simona, Rokas, Minke, Sandra, Andreas, Jaap, Adda and John).

Not only does it take great strength to perform in these incredible competitions but they must have precision, skill, and technique to win. A wonderful to start the New Year!

This blog occurred on New Year’s day.  Our blogs run about 8-12 weeks behind actual events.  Did you catch our last blog about the Waitangi Treaty Grounds (Road Trip Part II)?