Music and Marching Girls

There were plenty of admiring glances at the Governor General’s official car, parked at the rear of Government House.  Black and shiny in the sunshine, with the Coat of Arms flag fluttering in the breeze, and the Royal Crown fixed to the bumpers, there was no doubt that the Jaguar was used to carry very important people indeed.  By the end of the day it will need a good polish to remove all the  smeary fingerprints made as people peer through the windows for a view of the interior.

The Governor General’s car

The Wishbone food cart was discretely placed in the garden out of view of Government House, handy for those like us who rushed out the door in the morning and never took a packed lunch with us.  The smoked chicken and avocado sandwiches looked good to me, and Robin chose roast beef with horse radish sauce. With a cup of coffee to wash it down we were all ready to enjoy our al fresco lunch.   Luckily there was a spare bench overlooking the Reflecting Pool, and we sat in the sunshine and rested our weary legs to enjoy our lunch.  There were children everywhere and the pool was a magnet to them.  We watched as toddlers ran up to the water, to be pulled back just in time by vigilant mothers.

The Reflecting Pool

We followed the sound of music and made our way to the large front lawn.  People were relaxing in the sunshine as they listened to music, some were sitting on the steps, and others sprawled out on the lawn.  The Central Air Force Band looked very dashing as they went through their repertoire.

Air Force Band

Then it was the turn of the award winning Lochiel Marching Girls.  This sport seems to be confined to New Zealand and Australia, and started in the 1930s.  It became more organised in the 1940s and a system of scoring was developed to ensure teams could compete against each other.  Marching combines military precision with intricate formations.   Teams march not only in competitions but frequently appear in parades and social occasions.   There could hardly be a more Kiwi flavoured afternoon pastime than listening to a band playing and watching the Marching Girls go through their paces.

Lochiel Marching team

What’s happening now?  That looks like two rubbish bins being carried onto the lawn.  Indeed it was, and the bins were set upside down on top of bases.  The sound of drumming filled the air as the two bandsmen played those bins for all they were worth.  That’s certainly different!

Rubbish bin drums

After keeping our toes tapping for some time, the Air Force Band and the girls marched off the lawn.  But the musical afternoon wasn’t over yet.  The men in kilts from the Wellington City Pipe  Band set themselves up on the patio and started playing to the crowd.  The sound of bagpipes is very special to me, and for whatever reason, can make me feel very emotional.  It must be that Scots blood in my veins, I think.   There is nothing more moving than the sound of  bagpipes and drums.

Wellington City Pipe Band

It had been a wonderful day, looking through Government House, then watching the bands perform.   The weather was nice and warm, and the crowds of people very well behaved.   People were still arriving and joining the queue to look though the house as we were leaving, and we had heard there was a two hour wait to get in.  Thank goodness we had arrived bright and early, we commented, as we set off to catch a bus to take us to the station, for the long train journey home.