The Waitangi Day Pub Crawl

Note, this is now updated as I have had more information come in from the police.
A Waitangi tradition is having a bit of a laugh with the police during the route of the pub crawl. After meeting with Westminster police yesterday, this year will be no exception!

It was quite a surreal experience. Many believe the police are quite a stern bunch but my visit yesterday was completely the opposite as we shared Waitangi memories and jokes.
They have let me know that our presence is an event the police look forward to, not just observing, but also participating in. Many police are also trying to learn the haka in time for the event!

I spoke to Donna and Bruce, who were 100% supportive of the day and just want us to be reminded about what will make the day easier for us and them. They have already done all the planning regarding blocking off the area for the haka and have police allocated (many who jumped at being involved) for the day.

As many of you know, Parliament square (thanks to the Occupy squatters) have made it impossible for us to have the haka in the traditional spot on Parliament Square. However, as like last year, we have been moved ever so slightly across to Old Palace Yard, and police will point us in that direction on Saturday, so that’s no problem. We’ll still have Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as our backdrop!

Just a few things to keep in mind:

Look after yourselves and your mates.

Try and have a decent breakfast and eat along the way.

Running in front of traffic or straying too far off crossings isn’t such a great idea.

Look out for your belongings and throw your trash out in bins. (Police will ask Westminster to provide more bins for the event) Please don't chuck litter/cans on the ground, be a Tidy Kiwi and hold on until you see a bin.

There is STILL a drinking ban around Westminster, so Police will probably ask for you to empty your vessel! (compulsory consume!!!)

Drinking on the street and underground will be challenged by police, please try and keep it to the pubs.

There is also a tube drinking ban, as this is the first year we’ve been allowed on the Circle Line since the liquor ban on the tube started, it will be interesting how they’ll enforce it. However if you do bend the laws, don’t be dicks.

Glasses/glass bottles or any other unsuitable drink container will be seized by police (don’t want anyone to get hurt or any punctures from broken glass etc)


If the police direct you, please try and follow their directions.

The Police have suggested that due to overcrowding in the Westminster area especially during when the haka is about to kick off (4pm) that we can all use different tube stations to get to the meeting point.., they suggest Victoria, Westminster, Embankment and Temple.

That’s pretty much it. I have to admit the police were extremely enthusiastic about the event and want it to run for many many more years without any problems for us or them. It’s a sign that we have been bloody brilliant in previous years for them to still be this good natured about it considering all the trouble that the police have had in London over the last 12 months.

Don’t forget while we’re out there enjoying the crawl that the police have been working extremely hard recently and we should take a moment to thank them for being legends during the riots and being hugely supportive of our annual event. We couldn’t have honestly have asked for a better bunch of officers working with us on the day, so we know it will be a wicked day out!

Labels: 2012