Living Like a Small Green Hairy Fruit

Remember, Remember

5 November 2007

Bonfire night. Usually we'd have family round, cook up some chilli and jacket pots or bangers and mash and then set light to 1/2 ton of gunpowder in our back garden.  This being our first in NZ and there being no family here we decided to go to an organised do so headed off for Woodford Glen Raceway with Helen, Steve and kids.

Due to start at 7.30pm, it must have been a popular event as the carpark was already full and closed by this time! We headed back towards Kaiapoi and parked on a housing estate which had a walkway through to the raceway, not knowing whether we would get in or not due to the numbers already there.

We were expecting fireworks. What we weren't expecting was some fantastic racing, bashes and crashes.  I tried to get some photos but it was all a bit fast for my phone camera:

I did manage to get one clear picture as one car was being towed off the track:

After the racing we were treated to an amazing fireworks display that seem to last around 20-25 minutes.  There was one firework that misfired and went off sideways, but the show continued to much ooohing and aaahing.  At the end the commentator asked over the tannoy if the kids had enjoyed the show, to which the kids all cheered. He asked if the adults had enjoyed the show, to which the adults all cheered. Then said 'Greeeaaaat! Can we get an ambulance over here?'  We thought he was joking but no, apparently two men lighting the fireworks had been injured by the one that misfired.  We couldn't believe they'd waited so long before calling in assistance! Obviously pleasing the crowd came first. Bizzare!  As far as I know they weren't too badly hurt and one was discharged from hospital that night.

Some people headed off as soon the fireworks finished.  It wasn't a cold night and there was more racing to come so we sat down on the grass banks to watch a few more before heading back home ourselves.

A great night, well worth the $35 family entry fee, and we'd definitely like to go back there again just to watch the racing.