Gumboot at Taihape. Rangitikei. New Zealand.
S 39° 40.448 E 175° 47.626
60H E 396547 N 5607714
This impressive work of art, could also be the worlds biggest gumboot. This monument personifies Taihape and its people and solidifies the claim that Taihape is the undisputed "Gumboot Capital of the World".
Waymark Code: WM3VW2
Location: New Zealand
Date Posted: 05/24/2008
Views: 81
The small market town of Taihape lies on the southern edge of the Central Volcanic Plateau and promotes itself as the "Gumboot Capital of New Zealand".
Back in the not-so-serious 70s, Fred Dagg (comedian John Clarke) was often heard to boast he'd been educated at the University of Taihape, the gumboot capital of New Zealand.
Clarke, who did indeed hail from Taihape, was even seen on television rounding up gumboot-clad turkeys on the farm.
Taihape picked up the gumboot theme and ran with it. The quirky Gumboot Festival, held each year on the Tuesday after Easter, has become a successful drawcard for the town.
The locals have no doubt about the vital importance of gumboots in the rain swept valleys of the Rangitikei. They compete aggressively in the celebrated annual ‘Gumboot Throwing Contest’ in which participants endeavour to toss a gumboot the greatest distance across a paddock.
This corrugated iron sculpture by Northland sculptor Jeff Thomson measures 3400 x 5500 x 1800 mm and was commissioned by Gumboot Country Promotions, Taihape. It is placed beside Gumboot Park at the northern entrance to the town of Taihape.
Further information about the sulptor Jeff Thomson is available on this website.