An emotional meeting between two ‘first nation’ peoples stole the show at the grand opening of New Zealand’s Giant Rugby Ball in Sydney this morning (2.09.2010) - the iconic white ball’s final international appearance.
The historic symbolic meeting, which took place between representatives of New Zealand’s Māori people and the Aboriginal people of Australia, sought to strengthen ties between the two indigenous cultures.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said the Giant Rugby Ball’s Sydney appearance marked the one-year countdown to New Zealand’s most-anticipated and biggest ever sporting event, the Rugby World Cup 2011. Around 21,000 Australian rugby fans are expected to visit New Zealand for the RWC.
"Having already appeared next to iconic international landmarks including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Tower Bridge in London and the Tokyo Tower in Japan, the Ball’s final global installation near the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge forms one of the most striking landscapes yet," he said.
Emotional welcome The dawn ceremony began with Aboriginal elders performing a ‘welcome to the country’, a traditional blessing to indicate consent to an event taking place on Australian soil.
Māori representatives from New Zealand then responded with a powhiri / welcome, inviting the ‘manuhiri’ or Aboriginal visitors onto their own ‘marae’ meeting place - in this case, the Giant Rugby Ball. Once the ceremony was over, the visitors were welcomed into the ball as part of the family.
Māori King Kiingi Tiheitia Paki, along with Australian and New Zealand dignitaries and elders from both sides, attended the dawn ceremony - said to be the largest formal meeting in the world between the two cultures.
The Giant Rugby Ball is stationed against a stunning backdrop of Australia’s most iconic landmark, the Sydney Opera House. The ball took five days to construct, and will be open to the public from 3 - 12 September.
Last international hurrah The Sydney showing will be the Giant Rugby Ball’s final international appearance before it comes home to New Zealand for the 2011 RWC.
Australians and visitors to Sydney are invited to check out the ball and enjoy the free entertainment taking place outside, which includes music and Māori cultural performances. About 18,000 visitors are expected to pass through the ball’s doors while in Sydney.
Inside the ball, visitors will be ‘transported’ to a virtual New Zealand, through a 10-minute 360-degree multimedia showcase of Kiwi heritage, culture and people which features visual arts, music and theatre.
The Giant Rugby Ball will be open daily from mid-morning and visitors can either turn up and get in line, or join a priority queue by pre-booking online:
The Giant Rugby Ball a capacity of 220 people - or the equivalent of about 600,000 conventional rugby balls.
The Giant Rugby Ball was built to showcase New Zealand’s heritage, landscapes and people to rugby fans all over the world.
The Giant Rugby Ball was designed and constructed by New Zealand’s Inside Out Productions (also responsible for the three-storey Louis Vuitton suitcase that celebrated Louis Vuitton’s 150th anniversary).
The Rugby World Cup is one of the world’s largest events after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup - and will attract an estimated international television audience of 4 billion people.
The air system works by two air pumps expelling 8,000 litres per second.
An emotional meeting between two ‘first nation’ peoples stole the show at the opening of New Zealand’s Giant Rugby Ball in Sydney – the iconic white ball’s final international appearance.
