pipes and drums of christchurch city NZ, 2016 in WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Wellington, NZ 2016

The New Zealand Festival was formed in 1986 with the objective of bringing the world's best live arts entertainment to perform in New Zealand. Held biennially, it is a key event in the New Zealand cultural calendar.

In 2016, it co-produced The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Wellington's Westpac Stadium. The show ran for four nights from 18 to 21 February. This was the second time in the show's 65-year history that it had been held in New Zealand and the fifth time outside Scotland.

The 100-minute show was part of a series of commemorative events and activities held in the country from 2014 to 2018 to mark 100 years since the First World War. Based on military and social themes, it reflected New Zealand and Britain’s shared history, their common purpose and their evolving identities over the last century. Individual performances recalled the spirit of the ANZACs and honoured their service.

The show's theme, Fanfare for the Future, highlighted the significance of the Gallipoli Campaign within the overall context of the Great War. The storyline reflected on the withdrawal of the ANZACs from the Gallipoli Peninsular, focusing on the last rifle shot being fired during the evacuation.

The Maori people express and showcase their heritage and cultural Polynesian identity through Kapa Haka, the Maori performing arts. The audience was treated to an impressive presentation by award-winning Kapa Haka groups from the recent Te Matatini Festival. This was the second time Te Matatini affiliated performers had performed in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the first being in 2014 when 50 performers travelled to Scotland.

The producers created a rich mix of Maori and Scottish culture by combining different elements of each: the haka, Maori song and dance with guitars in accompaniment, together with highland dancing and the pipes and drums. The spectacle of 200 Kapa Haka performers alongside 300 pipers and drummers was as unique as it was unforgettable.

It could be argued ''with some justification'' that the best performance took place before the Tattoo began. During the rehearsal period, the Scots were formally welcomed to New Zealand in true antipodean style with a traditional Māori powhiri and haka. It was a moment of great dignity.

The logistics for bringing the show from the other side of the world to perform on a vast arena with 1,287 performers from seven countries were formidable. They included 30,000 kilos of luggage, 20,240 meals and 361 coach trips to transport the performers around Wellington. And then there were the technical issues, with the sound system perhaps the most problematic. The show had 960 microphone changes and the set-up had to account of the way sound bounced around the huge stadium.

A full-size replica facade of Edinburgh Castle was erected at one end of the arena to create a dramatic backdrop for the action on the field. Made of plywood, it took twelve carpenters and two painters five months to pre-build, and 60 crew seven days to assemble. Click on the photo below to see a time lapse of the castle construction.

Billed as the greatest show on Earth, the Tattoo captured the imagination of the New Zealand public. Every performance was sold out. With no overnight accommodation left in the city, some of the 82,000 spectators who watched the show each night had to travel as far away as Levin, 95km north of Wellington, for accomodation.

The Tattoo received significant critical and audience acclaim with an overwhelming 98-percent of attendees rating the event positively. At the New Zealand event awards in Auckland on 4th August 2016, the Tattoo beat off the ICC Cricket World Cup and other prestigious events to win an award for being the country's most popular event of the year. The award was decided by a nationwide public poll.

The key to the Show's success was its ability to evoke strong emotional responses from the audience. The introduction, the evening hymn, the bugle calls of Reveille and Last Post and the lone piper on the castle ramparts were poignant moments that caused one to reflect on the past; the fanfares and the military and cultural performances were joyful and inspired pride; while the coming together of the cast in the finale became a celebration of nationhood, creating a mood of nostalgia and arousing the patriotic fervour of the audience.

For the members of the Pipes and Drums of Christchurch City, the Tattoo had many highlights in addition to those already mentioned. One occurred halfway through the show when the pipers joined with a singer soloist, the small-pipes and the Ceilidh Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, to give a rendition of the haunting tune Hector the Hero, a lament for Sir Hector MacDonald (“Fighting Mac” as he was known).

And then there was the finale. The impressive sound of the pipes and drums joining with the military bands – over 700 musicians in all – to play some of the grand old regimental marches: The 74th Farewell to Gibraltar, Scotland the Brave and The Black Bear. There was the narrative, that most enchanting of songs, Isa Lei, and, at the very end, a grandiose fireworks display.

All this combined to form a magnificent closing to one of the biggest and certainly one of the most successful shows ever seen in New Zealand. Spectators and performers alike went home with memories to last a lifetime

Highlights of Edinburgh Military Tattoo