Waitangi Day 2009: A Kiwi super piss-up in London
February 7th, 2009 by 
James
Nobody has a piss up like the Kiwis do. Fact.
The 6th February is Waitangi Day for the people of New Zealand. It is the day the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. It is also an opportunity to come together and get absolutely rozzered. Since the 6th February fell on a Friday this year, the London celebrations took place today, Saturday the 7th February.
Pub Crawl
Every year they start do a pub crawl on the Circle Line and visit the following locations.
Paddington – Pride of Paddington
Bayswater – Bayswater Arms
Nottinghill Gate- The Old Swan
High Street Kensington – Prince of Wales
Gloucester Rd – Stanhope Arms
South Kensington – Zetland Arms
Sloane Square – Oriel
Victoria – Duke of York
St James Park – The Old Star
Westminster- Red Lion
Embankment – Queen Mary
Temple – Temple Walkabout
I slept in and joined them at Parliament Square, near the Red Lion.
They wanted to show off their skirts as well
This girl had already had a truck full of alcohol but stepped up to the plate for the funnel
Ninja Nun
This guy on the left decided I was Jay-Z; apparently he was The Rock.
At 4PM, tops were taken off and the Haka was performed. Unfortunately there were so many people in Parliament Square I missed it! Cue ‘camera-in-the-air’ shooting blind mode.
I think this photo sums up the celebrations pretty well, though.
Waitangi Day London 2009!
Geeky stuff: Canon EOS 20D, 24-70 f2.8 lens
Posted in Events | 
45 Comments »
February 7th, 2009 at 8:42 PM
Looks like they had a pretty epic drinkup. I have a kiwi brother-in-law, that sob can drink, now I know it’s a cultral thing.
Thanks for not taking proper pictures of the “Haka”.
Were any of them agressive towards you? Must have been hilarious. Did you join them by having a drink or 10?
February 7th, 2009 at 8:48 PM
They’re not aggressive like the English can be. Nothing but a happy vibe. Drunk out of their faces and no aggression whatsoever! Lovely people.
February 8th, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Pfft I saw no agressiveness at all .
We leave that one up to the poms
February 9th, 2009 at 10:53 PM
Good photos! It was a great day and plenty of harmless fun. The police were in good humour all day and I didn’t see any arrests despite the major crowds all through Notting Hill and Kensington.
No aggression at all, I am surprised anybody would think that! Even the cops said to me they’d rather 10,000 drunken Kiwis to a couple hundred drunken Poms. :)
February 17th, 2009 at 4:07 PM
Stupid.
And embarrasing.
Nobody does this sort of thing on Waitangi day in New Zealand. Why on earth do it in London?
Imagine the sort of stir the Samoan community in NZ would create if on their public holiday they decided to get off their faces, clog up Wellington’s public transport and then do a big Samoan Haka in front of the Beehive?
Seriously, if you went half way around the world to paint your faces, get drunk and do stupid hakas… then you could have saved yourslef the trouble and money and gone to somewhere like Palmerston North instead.
Gallery of LOSERS.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:54 PM
Well that guy sounds slightly bitter & twisted..ur not a kiwi if you think like that brosef. Wish I couldve been there, kia kaha
April 4th, 2009 at 8:11 AM
Nope wrong on both accounts.
I ain’t bitter and twisted, just embarrassed. And that IS the proper kiwi way to see it, the smart rational way. Not some socially diseased Auckland way.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:28 PM
This looks very, very interesting.
What exactly happens? :P
December 14th, 2009 at 5:53 PM
So you didn’t get invited to go True Kiwi Joker? Sounds bitter to me. Are you one of those whining Kiwis that has a kumara sized chip on their shoulder?
The Pub Crawl isn’t embarrassing whatsoever. We respect London as much as any other ethnic group in this diverse city. You obviously haven’t done this event – I have and I am bloody proud of it. I look forward to be helping organise it again in 2010!
January 1st, 2010 at 7:42 AM
LOL Clint Heine are you trying to pretend this was invitation only or something? judging by the people in the pictures it would have to be a society of circus freaks. Me bitter? chip on my shoulder? hahaha whatever floats your boat noddy. Gee I really want to be with those foxy girls in those pictures, it would have changed my life.
So is deciding to turn the nicely manicured lawn outside Westminster abbey into a mid pit respecting London is it? Yeah be proud of this highlight of your wasted time in the UK, LOSER. Yep, badly dressed, lowbrow, socially dysfunctional twats; what a culture to add to London’s melting pot!
This is embarrassing. One day when you grow up and get some social graces you’ll probably look back on this and get that feeling in your stomach.
January 13th, 2010 at 4:35 PM
You obviously haven’t seen the grass around Westminster Abbey on a “normal” day have you? Talk about gross exaggeration buddy – how long have you been in the UK for?
I meant to suggest that you don’t have any friends who would want to go with you to this event – especially if you talk like that about your fellow countrymen and women.
I suggest you go dig a nice hole for yourself this Waitangi Day and throw yourself into it. What a misery guts.
January 17th, 2010 at 9:22 AM
Hahaha I don’t know what part of your latest reply is the funniest. The clearly defensive tone or the resulting attack on me and my patriotism. Cheap, weak and uncalled-for shots. It is quite clear I’ve got you in a corner.
Considering Waitangi day is only a public holiday in NZ, I quite properly won’t give pay any reverence if I’m not in NZ. I know for a fact nobody in any other country is in the least bit interested in it. Would you expect Brit expats in NZ to observe bank holidays? you’d think they were a right bunch of wankers if they did wouldn’t you?
And don’t even pretend anyone in NZ carries on like this on Waitangi day.
You know as well as I do that the lawn outside Westminster Abbey was turned into a mud pit, that drunken and misbehaving idiots clogged up the tube annoying commuters and that they did a big w*nker haka in front of Trafalgar square to the annoyance (or amusement) of Londoners. And they didn’t seek anyone’s sanction before doing it. What makes you think this is okay?
And it is my sense of patriotism that makes me “talk about my countrymen like that” because to be frank… I’m embarrassed & I’m not the only one. And we both know many Londoners have expressed outrage over this.
What are you doing Clint?
But I’ll now return the personal note of this fracas and say I’ve just *cough* looked at your sad little blog and I must say first I find it an odd double standard that someone promoting neo-liberal economic opinions has a problem with me possibly criticising my countrymen. Or do you only like dissent that fits into what you feel is right?
Well there’s no point in listening to what you think really when it’s so obvious you’re a pathetic little turd with a REAL inferiority complex, no true friends and in desperate need of attention.
That’s what’s really behind your “I love the ACT party” blog nobody credible would take seriously… and this embarrassing “pub-crawl” isn’t it? you’re looking for people to like you and agree with you.
Hahaha you’re like an online Kiwi David Brent.
January 19th, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Err, I don’t know what part of having me in a corner is when you’re the one googling me…I’m a little uncomfortable that you’re doing that – but hey, if that means you get off on it I guess it’s not for me to say hey?!
Listen buddy, it sounds like you don’t have much of an idea on the pub crawl as you got a few facts wrong.
1) Kiwis in Australia, Los Angeles and London celebrate Waitangi day. I never said you should celebrate it, I just questioned your attacks on other Kiwis exercising their rights to do so. I am sure you’ll be equally outraged that the Aussies also celebrate Australia Day in London… and I look forward to reading your attack on them :)
2) NZers HAVE been sanctioned to do the haka at Westminster. We have had permission from Westminster Council and the Met Police. We had to get special permission (due to anti terrorist laws) to perform it. Sorry to prove you wrong there mate!
Other than that I hope you have a nice Waitangi Day, I know going by the amount of people who have signed up on Facebook, that it will be a great day out – celebrating being a Kiwi and each others company.
PS – thanks for mentioning my little blog, you mean the one thats regularly winning best blog in NZ papers, the one with several authors, hitting subjects on sports, beer, politics and international news? It sounds a little petty don’t you think that you’d get some sort of satisfaction from stalking me online and then making fun of me and other people? Hope you feel good about yourself now.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:00 PM
PPS – I hope you’re not too grumpy enough to want to sit down and have a cold beer on Waitangi Day? I’ll be in the city so if you fancy a pint on the day I’m keen – in the true spirit of Kiwi mateship and all that!
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:36 PM
SETTLE DOWN JOKER. IT’S A BIT OF FUN AND GAMES. HEINE IS RIGHT, WE ONLY WANT TO HAVE FUN, DON’T BE A HATER. TAKE YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS AND COME JOIN US!
May 29th, 2010 at 12:08 PM
LOL Clint another desperate and very transperent attempt to not look rattled there. I only have to click on your name to *cough* look at your blog, and you know as well as I do you’re happy anyone can be even that much bothered with it. To answer your rather dumb points;
1) I’ve never ever seen nor heard of any notable celebrations of Waitangi day in Australia except for the absolute gutter of Maoridom living on the Gold coast (also to the annoyance of the locals). As for LA, exactly how many NZlanders are living there again?
And the very simple and understandable fact seems to have escaped your comprehension; you have NO right to do this either moral or legal in the first place. Answer the question; exactly why are you getting drunk and acting antisocial in another country Clint?
Yeah the more bogan ockers celebrate Australia day in London (at the Aussie pubs, not in public). But I really don’t see what that’s got to do with anything. Or is that your motivation for this? I bet you’re the sort of clown who gets all annoyed at NZ being associated with Australia and yet here you are doing exactly what leads to it – copying them. A nd it’s not as though Australia has the most enviable overseas image and social reputation is it? It seems you remember NZ is a completely different country when it suits you LOL.
2)LOL what a load of garbage, you know as well as I do that Boris himself said you would not be allowed to drink on the tube and that these embarrassing “celebrations” of yours are unwelcome. You have merely fabricated that. HAHAHA How pathetic! it’s idiots like yourself and your entitlement attitudes that are ruining our once good image.
And nice to see your little PPS failing to save face from the more defensive, defensive and now grandeur delusional initial postscript. Have to say that even though I’m someone who like 99% of the population normally has better things to do than waste my time with increadible (and more often than not dubious) weblogs I still think you’re talking more porky’s, as even for a blog yours is pathetic. Who on earth would take some ugly-looking ramble about how NZ must immediately lower its (already 2nd lowest in the OECD behind Mexico) tax rate to catch up with those economic giants Slovakia and the Czech republic seriously?
No Clint I’m not interested in your blog for anything beyond comedic value anymore than I or anyone else is interested in somebody as clearly twattish as you.
So it’s about now you steered this away from the personal tone you adopted and answer my questions; Why are you doing this? and what makes you think it’s okay?
May 29th, 2010 at 12:11 PM
Sorry that should read just “even more defensive and now grandeur delusional initial postscript”.
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:11 PM
This is obviously someone having a conversation with themselves, trying to look like a ‘bad boy’ and coming out with pseudo witty put downs, it reminds me of the ‘mother’ scene in Bates Motel, maybe you should put a fingermouse on when you talk to yourself, if people want to look like cunts and drink in the street, let them get on with it, it’s unfair to refer to yourself as ‘twattish’, surely ‘self righteous, repressed, blame shifting, megolamaniac, delusional, alcoholic but ultimately harmless although potentially randomly violent if not treated immediately, attention seeking, bullying victim with issues that surfaced years later to make an even more annoying, waste of spunk, socially inadequate, misfit a complete borderline strait jacket case’ would be more apt.
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:23 PM
I can assure you, the two gentlemen are posting from opposite sides of the planet.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:01 PM
Gentlemen? It definetly sounds like an alcoholic in denial trying to be ‘ironic’, they often go into a fantasy world when reality gets too much for them. I would suggest this individual seeks medical assistance for his obvious drink problem, his constant boasts about how much he can put away fool nobody, he is trying to supress his anger behind feeble attempts at humour and pass himself off as some ‘geezer’, the life and soul of the party who is in reality actually disliked by the people he hangs around with, they take the piss out of him behind his back and even he knows it, he desperately tries to pass himself off as ‘intelligent’ but there is more originality and insight in the average dog turd, I detect a definite underlying agenda, this is a weak, unconfident person, a lonely wierdo with a desire to dominate and control others, especially women, the writing ‘styles’ of these ‘Gentlemen’ are exactly alike, isn’t that a massive coincidence? This unsavoury character has deluded himself into kidding himself all is well in this fantasy world he has created for himself, but he is starting to convince himself that the confusion he lives in is actually reality, if he doesn’t seek help it will spiral out of control, what kind of person mocks a poor unfortunate office girl on a so called blog for making simple spelling mistakes and yet, makes many spelling and grammar errors himself? The booze has made him into a classic case of a projectionist (I am not talking about cinemas here but those who shift the blame on to others), wouldn’t it be tragic if he didn’t face the truth and ended up drinking sherry in the gutter? ‘They’ are not on opposite sides of the planet as you suggest, I doubt if he even knows what planet he is on, poor misguided soul, another victim of drink, all in all, a tragedy really. Is there any hope for him?
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:16 PM
What I meant was, I checked the IP addresses of both posters – the posts are coming from opposite ends of the planet.
July 3rd, 2010 at 5:01 PM
So in between globetrotting, he manages to get so drunk he bullies office staff for making basic errors simply because he has a hangover, doesn’t believe in stress and is desperate for his next drink? How contradictory is that? Who better to take your frustration out on than some poor girl because he was hungover and frustrated? Makes drunken spelling mistakes on a blog full of contradictory hug the trees/eliminate the weak ramblings, finds time to berate Africans for feeling cold in the presence of his ‘office’, he doesn’t even have a proper job for Gods Sake, the guys an alcoholic and needs help.
July 19th, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Hi Surfer, oh no – we are different people. I am the relaxed, proud, London based Kiwi that helps organise the Waitangi Day Pub Crawl – while the other fulla is in denial about what Kiwis may (or may not) get up to on their OE. I only got involved in this because he was calling other Kiwis some quite nasty names, which he has now turned against me. No drama really, he is quite the angry character who has turned down my offer of a social drink to work through his anger. It was quite funny to see he came back here months later to abuse me :)
July 19th, 2010 at 11:58 AM
As I am not one to sit back and let somebody lie about me, or others, I will quickly rebutt :) (sorry for the length)
1) The Waitangi celebrations in Australia are very well documented. They have huge events (10,000+ people) attend events in both Queensland AND the Gold Coast. That’s over 20,000 people mate. Not good form for you to call Maori “gutter” people bro. The Southern Californian expats are big enough to be commissioned by Air NZ to build a huge sand silver fern, to great fanfare. I am sure, due to your expert knowledge of the Kiwi expat community that you know there are Kiwis all over the world.
As for the Australian national day, err, the London borough of Westminster in association with the Mayor of London organise events in Trafalgar Square every year for their national day. They build a huge bloody sandpit and pretend BBQ area and play sports there all day. It’s a fun event – but you must have missed that giant sandpit when you were in Trafalgar Square eh?
I don’t care if I get identified as an Aussie, who cares about that stuff really? I really hate being cruel here, but it seems that if you were in the UK you didn’t get out much as you are wrong on everything.
2) Nope. I didn’t fabricate that the Met Police and the Westminster Council sanctioned the Haka in Westminster Square. You know why I know this? Because I was the one who met the Met Police to discuss this, along with crowd control a week before the event. We floated the idea of moving the haka to Trafalgar Square due to its popularity but dropped it due to traffic congestion issues.
This years pub crawl has LESS police than ever attending due to the drastic improvement of the participants and NO arrests. None, nada, zilch. If you read, which seems to be a huge problem of yours, the tube lines were down so nobody was breaking the underground drinking ban. This has been happening for the last 2 years and I expect in 2011 it will be the same. Good grief.
My PPS was very sincere and still stands. As I will be at the forefront of organising the 2011 pub crawl, along with many London based Kiwi companies – I invite you to attend one of our many meetings we’ll have beforehand to discuss how we’ll keep the event running smoothly. It’s an open invitation, and as you take 3 months or so to reply – and hopefully during this time you’ll be fact checking your reply – I will be probably starting the early prep for the crawl. Come along!
Thanks for coming to my private blog, I suspect it was you under the same nickname as you use here that made those racist and homophobic comments on my blog back in May, around the same time you posted here? I had to delete them as they were quite offensive and as a few of my co-bloggers are Lawyers, we thought it was best we didn’t advertise hate speech there (as you did above by calling Maori “gutter that annoy the locals).
So, as I have now fact checked your answers, I will answer your two questions:
1) Why I am participating/organising the pub crawls
Because it’s a fun day out, for all Kiwis to go to and enjoy. Considering the amount of people who attend (over ten thousand), it’s generally considered a good, sociable event in the middle of a gloomy winter.
2) What makes me think its ok?
Feedback from residents, police and participants usually formulate my opinion on why I think this. Having done this 6 times now, I can honestly say the people you meet and the locals who exclaim that they wish the Brits had the same pride in their own country makes it completely worthwhile.
Hope that helps, please either send me a message via my blog or reply here if you have any more questions, although I am sure “James” may be getting sick of this banter”
July 19th, 2010 at 12:52 PM
Don’t mind at all, you guys say what you need to say.
July 19th, 2010 at 3:33 PM
Oh I’m done… for now :) Don’t know why he hates his fellow Kiwis so much, never mind. Maybe he had a bad OE exp?
July 19th, 2010 at 7:58 PM
Clint is obvioUsly not cutting it in UK, his blog is full of anti unemployed posts which he manages to post in ‘work’ time, great job, you’ve got there Clinty babes, is the rented flat getting a bit much for you, Jeez WHAT A SHAME THIS PLONKIE BRINGS ON KIWIS IN THIS COUNTRY.
July 19th, 2010 at 8:02 PM
Just out of interest. alky babes, how much work time do you dedicate to your blog?
July 19th, 2010 at 9:38 PM
Awfully hard to follow people who hide behind not too clever pseudonyms, but I’ll bite.
I work in that field, so it’s kinda obvious I’d post on that. My job is to not only formulate policy, but to criticise and discuss. Do rather well out of it too buddy. Been in this great country for almost 10 years, no complaints at all. But what does this have to do with the Waitangi Day Pub Crawl and it’s participants? And why would you call somebody an “alky” for organising an event? These little insults would be cleverer if you were not scared to use a real name. Grown ups stand beside their comments.
July 20th, 2010 at 8:25 AM
It’s OK, come and share a big bottle of white cider with us outside King’s Cross, our pub crawl is much better and there is plently of waste ground as well as budget off licences close by, just bring a plastic shopping bag, cadge money from passers by and you’re well away, let’s face it you’ve been picking up your salary without actually working for it, we start off at St Pancras, then onto King’s Cross and if it’s giro day we even venture as far as Euston, I mean anyone who goes to Latvia, ogles unfortunate, poverty stricken women and even posts photos of himself in drag (nice wig, shame about the double glazed glasses) would fit right in.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:58 AM
Shows how little you know about Latvia, but then again it seems the people (or person – as I suspect you’re the same person hiding behind a different name) who want to get personal – don’t seem to really know *anything*.
July 20th, 2010 at 1:06 PM
Actually, I take that back. Your comments sound like somebody who does know their shit, in fact I had to chuckle at your witty Kings Cross pub crawl comment. However, hat just means you’re trolling and attacking me for sport.
The main premise of this post was the Waitangi Day Pub Crawl, with some good pics of what went down at the 2009 event. I am more than happy to discuss that. Cheers.
July 20th, 2010 at 2:59 PM
Alrighty,
The personal attacks are not contributing anything to the discussion and views of how Waitangi Day is celebrated here. Any more will be deleted.
July 20th, 2010 at 4:05 PM
Thank you James, I take responsibility for biting back when I needn’t have.
By the way, I have checked out your other pics and they are very good. Cheers.
July 20th, 2010 at 4:11 PM
Fair enough but Mr Heine attacks anyone and everyone, if he can’t stand the heat: he does tend to sound off, his blog is like a Kiwi version of ‘The Sun’, point is James: He dishes it out but he’s not too good at taking it, he boasts about his work ethic, spends all day posting random right wing ramblings and goes on and on and on about how everyone else is a lazy welfare srounger while he is the new Richard Branson, if you’re going to sound off on a public forum, express provocative and controversial views, you have to take the flak, deleting comments is only supressing freedom of speech, he has made his bed, now he can ‘lie’ in it. If you’re going to be provocative, be prepared for whatever comes your way.
July 20th, 2010 at 4:36 PM
“Sorry”. Come on mate, I never boasted on this page or on my blog about anything. I have not attacked anybody either, I was defending myself from what were some pretty meanspirited and irrelevant insults just because I asked the first gentleman above to not call Kiwis losers.
If you want to “make me lie in my bed” for my own personal opinions on my personal blog – do it there. That’s a rather simple solution for me and for James. If you want to be my “critic” then I wholeheartedly invite you to say whatever you like on my blog – that’s what it’s there for.
July 20th, 2010 at 5:12 PM
I’ve read your blog, you post about people not having a work ethic and clog up numerous websites when you are meant to be working. Writing about alcohol in work time and how great it is to get pissed isn’t really the best NZ can offer is it?
July 20th, 2010 at 5:42 PM
So getting drunk in London is the best way to express pride in being a Kiwi?
July 20th, 2010 at 5:48 PM
Hi, my job is to research, debate and comment on the worklessness in society – and formulate policy and discussion on how to get people into work. You don’t know my working hours, as a consultant I don’t do your ordinary 9-5pm hours, so am free to discuss on my blog my ideas at any time I choose. I don’t clog up “numerous” websites, unless you include this one, in which I originally commented in February 2009 on this being an excellent event (in which it was).
When did I write it is great to be pissed? If you read my previous comments, I said I helped organise this event with the Met police and TFL, amongst others. We preach to pub crawlers the importance of not getting wasted and being hooligans, and as the blog owner himself noted when taking photos of this event – no aggro and a “happy vibe”, which sums up the day nicely. Sure it isn’t everybodys cup of tea, but we are well within the law to organise and attend these events – and if you have not had a chance to check it out, I do invite you to see for yourself.
If I have offended you in any way at all, which is why you called me names etc, then I apologise.
July 20th, 2010 at 5:54 PM
Oh, didn’t see your 2nd message… er, no of course not. It’s our national day and we choose to celebrate it on a pub crawl that has been going for many many years. Some people don’t drink on it, many people spend their time meeting others and some are in very elaborate costumes! It’s a fun day out.
July 30th, 2010 at 5:55 PM
Seeing as though I’m a kiwi, I think I am pretty clued up to when Feb 6th is, when challenged, you go into a bit of a lash out then retreat into becoming the victim mode, must be most confusing for you. What’s with the ‘er’ stuff?
August 8th, 2010 at 11:57 PM
No need for me to lash out mate, no idea where you got that from. But if you’re the same fulla who got all angsty in the first few posts and calling fellow Kiwis names then I would hate to say to you – pot, kettle, black :)
August 9th, 2010 at 7:29 PM
Well, it just seems a bit embarrassing that in one of the most cutured, tolerant and historical cities in the World, getting drunk and making us look like a bunch of scruffy deadbeats is something to be proud of.
It must be the only day when Les Patterson seems like an Oxbridge academic and you feel like saying to people ‘Nothing to do with me, mate’ and actually don’t mind people thinking you’re an Aussie. I try to convince people we have more to offer than crap salaries, a tendency to complain, the odd leg of lamb and Kiri Te Kanawa who most people think is some kind of alcopop, never mind, I’ll just stay indoors on Feb 6th rather than watch this sorry spectacle.
August 10th, 2010 at 1:13 PM
Now if you had said that from the beginning then I’d almost agree with you :) Anyway, I thought it was rather British to complain and I’d almost argue that London isn’t as cultured as other cities but as we seem to be ending this I’ll let it go.
But as I said, I have been working on making this better behaved and getting rid of the “embarrassingly drunk” side of it for years. It has improved and the cops tend to agree.
August 11th, 2010 at 2:01 PM
I think it’s time to bring this discussion to a close.