Republic Day 2005

So who put the 'pub' in Republic Day? Whangamomona did!
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On yer bike..or is that on yer bed?  A nice little welcome an a two-wheeled contraption with a bedhead instead of a frame.
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All dressed up with somewhere to go: Linda Matthews waits for the train to pull in on Republic Day
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Hell for leather:  Too hot for comfort, really,  but old habits die hard.
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What a dag: Wild and wooly sheep drags down the main street.  Place your bets here!
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Betting on the baas. You gotta be in to win and the prizes come thick and fast!
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Calamity Jane meets the Flapper era in a little street theatre on four legs.
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Hanging out at the pub or no room at the inn?
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Up on the hill - safe from the hordes but not the heat.
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Cool, calm and collected? The eel bath had some people squirming while others were rather relaxed.
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Arise Sir Murt - or should that be arise

President Kennard?
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Make way for the Presidential limousine.  Murt practices the royal wave as he does his first victory lap.
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Whangamonona: The People and the Place

A good attitude - that's what it took the settlers to get here more than a century ago and today that same attitude is alive and, er, a little more laid back in the town.
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Heard of before and after shots?  This is Whanga main street before AND after Republic Day.

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Ghost town? the remnants of Whangamomona village: the butcher and the general store.

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Meat market: the fading Butcher's sign has seen better days.
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Hymmm: it's been a few years since the old church saw a congregation.
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Ireland? Greece?: no - Whangamomona! 

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The view from the front door of B&B. Not far to go for a pint and cancel the taxi home.
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Whanga Border Patrol.  Get your passports here!

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Extreme Makeover - a quiet afternoon at the newly refurbished bar
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No mistake: Johnny Poutu claims his barstool and his beer mug with dogtag No.004 around the handle
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First Lady Marg Kennard takes a break from throwing chips on plates at the M&M Cafe

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Tania Bedwell, Republic Day committee secretary, takes a break from organising the completely disorganised!
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On the front porch with Miriam, aka Bruce, an unexpected 2005 Presidential candidate who brought some welcome publicity in.

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Bridge to broken dreams: a derelict swingbridge leads to an abandoned farm on the Whangamomona Road.
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Mud monster: after a trip down the Whangamomona Road.
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Bridging the gap: once an access bridge for farmers over the gorge, this swing bridge is now for stock only.
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