Hamptons Classic, Royal New Zealand Show Day,Princess Anne-

I am  in New Zealand briefly. It too, like America,has a new Prime Minister. In New Zealand he goes by by the name John Key..and he won by a landslide victory.

I arrived during Show Week.Show Week is an iconic New Zealand week long festival in the gorgeous South Island
where  the country comes to town for the Royal New Zealand Show.Princess Anne attends the Show today as below. Show Week also encompasses Race Day at Riccarton and Addington Race Tracks (think The Melbourne Cup or a local peroquial Ascot) and  the new International Rodeo Competition.Yes sirree....I am off to lasso a cowboy.Oddly there are only two New Zealander's competing and the rest are American and Australian cowboys.The lasso is  a new thing for kiwis I guess.

I have never been to a cowboy event in the USA, in spite of living there and calling it home for so long.It's a good thing to come all this way,to a remote part of the world, to see something distinctly Amercan,that I would not in the normal course of life, see there.

I went to the Royal New Zealand Show yesterday.It's good to smell the earth and nature.The photographs appearing in the main papers have been funny to say the least. Well, they do call it "iconic" New Zealand.

Yesterday the front page picture was a large colurful close up of a cows udder, being cooled by hand with a bottle of ice water.Apparently the cool water highlights the seams in the udder.This is apparently important to showcase a full and plump milk bladder in the cow competition. The things you learn. But all being said..it is fun to view and a respite ftom city life.

The main event is of course the Show Jumping Competition in the main arena -Princess Anne is over from London to present the Cup  to the winner today.So move over Hamptons Classic in New York- Princess Anne is here!  (pic of Princess Anna and Zara Phillips)

In my wander through the three acres set up for the show I ate too much candy floss, stared at many Llamas- the animal kind not monks,watched some show jumping, took in the cattle and all the other livestock, saw some girls doing the Irish jig with their bloomers and skirts flying high in the air, window shopped (open air shopped?)at all the open air stores selling excellent lavender oil and many other goods, and saw huge machinery- the kind that is so large and modern I don't even think it has been utilised  in a movie before. I missed all the show fair fun rides including the real Helicopter rides...but the sun was hot, the wind warm, and all in all a pleasant and different way to spend a morning.From New York concrete to this-  the complete opposite!

Over 150 000 will visit the Royal Show in three days combined with Race Day, over 350 000 - 500 000.