Kiwi adventure for Winnie the Pooh

By REBECCA BARRY

Winnie the Pooh couldn't wait for his birthday. He'd been counting the days all year, ever since his last one when he and Piglet and Tigger and Eeyore and Rabbit had a picnic in the 100-acre wood with a huge honey birthday cake and he'd blown out all the candles in one breath.

This year his big day would be even more special. Not only was he secretly hoping for a bigger cake, he was off to New Zealand to star in his own show, Winnie the Pooh and the Perfect Day.

It was not such a perfect day when Pooh and his friends arrived at their Auckland hotel. From their room on the eighth floor they couldn't see much through the fog and it was cold enough for Pooh's fur to stand on end. But they were all so excited they ran around in circles until they had worked up quite a sweat.

Pooh, in particular, couldn't wait to go sightseeing. He'd heard all about the Sky Tower and the museum and a place called Kelly Tarlton's where you could see fish underwater without getting wet.

Of course, what he was really interested in was where the best honey could be found, but being a bear of very little brain he couldn't remember any of the place names, especially the Maori ones.

Not only that, but by the time he was ready to step out the door, he was so dizzy from all the running in circles he misread the map and went off in the wrong direction, just like his wayward coat.

Thankfully, the locals were very friendly, and a nice man named John Banks, who seemed to care an awful lot about public transport, pointed him in the direction of the bus stop.

First, Pooh went to Parnell, but there seemed to be more coffee than honey in those parts.

Then he went to Piha, but found more herbs than honey.

Pooh was just about ready to give up when he looked on the map under 'P' again and made the long trip to Pokeno. But, alas, it had more pork than honey.

As darkness fell, his friends began to worry, including Tigger, who was not easily concerned. At first he was sure Pooh had become lost somewhere in the hotel room so he searched everywhere: behind the curtains, under the bed, in the fridge.

When he couldn't find him his mind raced - perhaps he was lost in the building. After all, the doors in the hotel looked exactly the same, other than the few bees that were buzzing around one in the corridor, just next to theirs.

Worse still, he pondered, what if Pooh had run away? Just a few days earlier he had seemed rather sad as they had strolled through the 100-acre wood because Christopher Robin was too busy to make it to his show.

"Don't worry," Tigger had said to Pooh. "You'll make new friends in the audience who will go on an adventure with you instead."

Meanwhile, without realising how much time had passed, Pooh was having the time of his life at a honey tasting in Waimauku. He had even befriended the bee-keeper and invited her to the show.

In return, she had offered him a ride back to the city and as they drove she told him that in New Zealand people say "forest" rather than "wood", and "autumn" instead of "fall".

Being a bear of very little brain, Pooh couldn't quite remember where his hotel room was, and it didn't help that all the doors looked exactly the same.

If it weren't for the bees buzzing around in the corridor, he probably wouldn't even have made it to the eighth floor.

But when he finally burst in, his paws still dripping with honey, his friends danced around him and cheered. Tigger and Piglet and Eeyore and Rabbit ran around in circles they were so excited, and worked up quite a sweat.

In fact, they were all so relieved to see him they set to work organising the perfect birthday treat - the biggest, most delicious honey cake anyone had ever seen.

Performance

* What: World premiere of Winnie the Pooh and the Perfect Day

* Where and when: North Shore Events Centre, Auckland, July 3-11; Mystery Creek, Hamilton, July 14-18.

See Ticketek for times