‘We’re fairly different’: life in New Zealand’s remote self-declared ‘republic’
The tiny town of Whangamōmona on the North Island maintains some eccentric traditions – past ‘presidents’ have included a goat and a poodleOn a lonely stretch of highway that snakes through the North Island stands the town of Whangamōmona, New Zealand’s only self-declared “republic,” replete with its own borders and passport.Earlier this year, it held its biennial jubilee and presidential “elections” where locals participated in old-fashioned carnival amusements: racing sheep, cracking whips and swimming in tanks with eels. Continue reading...
The tiny town of Whangamōmona on the North Island maintains some eccentric traditions – past ‘presidents’ have included a goat and a poodle
On a lonely stretch of highway that snakes through the North Island stands the town of Whangamōmona, New Zealand’s only self-declared “republic,” replete with its own borders and passport.
Earlier this year, it held its biennial jubilee and presidential “elections” where locals participated in old-fashioned carnival amusements: racing sheep, cracking whips and swimming in tanks with eels. Continue reading...
