First Light Marathon is coming to Gisborne this Auckland Anniversary weekend.
On Monday, Tairāwhiti residents will enjoy a day off for Auckland Anniversary Day.
But why does a region hundreds of kilometres from the Queen City observe this holiday?
Many statutory holidays signify no particular meaning to Kiwis such as those indifferent to religion or royalty, but at least they know what the days are supposedly about.
Few New Zealanders seem to know what the anniversary holidays are about, and Gisborne Herald staff were no exception when asked.
The tradition of anniversary holidays dates back to New Zealand’s early provincial system (1853–1876) when poor communication and transport links made centralised government difficult over a large, but lowly populated land mass.
The 1851 census surveyed only settlers of European descent and recorded 26,707 in the colony while an estimated 62,000 Māori were there.
The original provinces were Auckland, New Plymouth (later Taranaki), Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago.
The vast Auckland province included Gisborne, Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
The provinces kept the revenue earned in their respective territories from the sale of Crown land.
Outlying districts like Hawke’s Bay wanted the same power and successfully sought their own provincial status.
Although there are no such political entities today, Anniversary Day holidays continue to exist with Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Canterbury, Otago, Southland and the Chatham Islands.
Auckland Anniversary Day is officially January 29, but, like many statutory holidays, including other anniversary days, it has been Monday-ised or, in some cases, Friday-ised.
Each region’s original Anniversary Day date relates to a unique event in that area but is not necessarily the official beginning of provincial status in 1853 or at a later date.
January 29 is not the day Auckland was founded.
In 1841, newly appointed Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson decreed that January 29 would become Auckland’s anniversary, marking the day in 1840 when he arrived in New Zealand, in the Bay of Islands.
In 1850, the status of January 29 as Auckland Anniversary Day became official.
The original Wellington Anniversary Day of January 22, since Monday-ised, relates to the day in 1840 when the first settler ship Aurora arrived at Petone.
Canterbury Anniversary Day is on the second Friday after the first Tuesday in November each year and is known as Canterbury Show Day.
That sounds complicated - but it is also the New Zealand (harness) Cup and Show Week, with the date allowing two days of racing, which avoids the Melbourne Cup.
The original anniversary day was December 16 marking the 1850 arrival of the first of Canterbury’s “four ships”, Charlotte Jane.
The four vessels brought the first organised group of English settlers to the Canterbury Association’s new settlement.
Hawke’s Bay was not an original 1853 province but broke away from Wellington on November 1, 1858.
The original Hawke’s Bay Anniversary Day date has since been moved from November 1 to the Friday before Labour Day to provide a four-day holiday.
Many events are held in Auckland to mark Anniversary Day, but the Auckland Anniversary Regatta, the largest single-day regatta in the world, has the highest profile.
The highest-profile, regular event in Gisborne over the Anniversary Day weekend is the Enterprise Motor Group -Autosure Insurance Bay Bonanza fishing contest.
This weekend will be the 41st consecutive year the event has been held over Anniversary Day weekend.
Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club president Roger Faber expects about 120 boats and 500 anglers, including some from outside the district, to participate in the three-day event, which will offer $80,000 worth of prizes.
Other anniversary weekend events include:
Friday: The Full Send Long Drive & Putting Competition. A family event with prizes, food, and a bar at Poverty Bay Golf Club.
Saturday: Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club Nippers sessions from 9.45am; Wa165 steam locomotive Muriwai Excursion, Departing from Gisborne Railway Station at 1pm. Tickets are available from Gisborne i-Site, Grey St, or phone 06 8686139. First Light Marathon features a marathon and a half-marathon along Gisborne’s beaches, with majestic coastal views and challenging grassy hills.
A range of music and dining events are also scheduled for the long weekend.