Thousands of sheep on the run in Te Kuiti

Thousands of sheep will be on the run and creating mayhem down Te Kuiti’s main drag next year for the annual Running of the Sheep on April 4th, 2009.

As the largest urban Running of the Sheep in the world, six truckloads of sheep will be let loose for a one kilometre dash down Te Kuiti’s main street passed hundreds of visitors and locals attending the one-day Great New Zealand Muster event.

A Kiwi icon event to rival Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls, there could be as many as 2,000 sheep on the run – with the exact number a closely guarded secret says event organiser, Debie Glover.

“All our truck drivers and shepherds are sworn to secrecy over the correct number,” Debie reveals.

“Last year the correct number was 1988 with the winning person picking up a whole lot of prizes.”

Starting at 2pm and taking half-an-hour of wooly mayhem to complete, the sheep will have an added obstacle of a giant arched wooden bridge to run over half-way down Rora St.

“The bridge helps slow the sheep down so folk can count them – that’s if they can stay awake that long!”

As part of the three-day New Zealand Shearing Championships, the one-day event has all the trappings of a Kiwi country town fair. There’ll be live music and performances on a central stage, wood sculpting using huge chainsaws, and lots of stalls and amusement rides for children and adults.

“Te Kuiti is the sheep shearing capital of New Zealand with more sheep per capita that just about anywhere in the world,” reckons Debie.

“We raise them, we shear them – and once a year we like to run with them!”

Sponsored by United Water and Wintec, Radio Works DJ (Classic Hits) Ronnie Phillips and balloon man John Martin will be the MC’s for the day-long event.