2014 was greeted by a rollicking crowd of 20,000 at the
Napier Soundshell. Just minutes earlier
Mayor Bill Dalton had rung the Veronica Bell to herald the start of the New
Year. The bell was donated by the crew
of the HMS Veronica, the Naval ship that was in harbour at the time of the
Napier earthquake of 1931.
Minutes earlier we had spoken to Bill who had greeted Gill
with a kiss and who was understandably apprehensive as to whether the fireworks
would ignite on his signal. The ringing didn’t quite go to plan as the bell’s
clapper came off in his hand and was then turned to use as a hammer. The five minute fireworks show went off
without a hitch and this was a spectacular success.
Thankfully, the 2nd is a public holiday in NZ so
this “tweede nuwe jaar” gives some of the party animals a chance to recover.
