Crowds roll into New Zealand's giant rugby ball
Saturday 22 October 2011, 2:28AM
By 100% Pure New Zealand
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Kicked into touch on home ground for the first time - in Auckland’s Queen’s Wharf Rugby World Cup fan zone - Tourism New Zealand’s giant rugby ball has broken all previous visitor records.
It is six weeks since the impressive oval ball opened its revolving door to home crowds and by closing time last night (20.10.2011) 86,353 visitors had witnessed the innovative audio-visual production showing on the inside. The previous record was 26,670 people in Sydney last year.
Sited beside the fan zone entrance and opposite the city’s main commuter hub, with the city skyline behind and the Waitemata Harbour to the side, the ball has become a magnet for visitors and locals - joining the queue for the next show or taking the obligatory tourist snap in front of the iconic structure.
While it has been seen around the world, it is the first time that the eye-catching inflatable structure, designed and built in New Zealand, has been on show here. And, with only two days of Rugby World Cup left to play out, this is also the final appearance.
High profile outings
What started out as a Tourism New Zealand marketing exercise to convert rugby tourists has been attracting accolades since it was first unveiled in 2007.
During the past four years the giant ball has visited Paris, London, Tokyo and Sydney - lining up alongside prominent landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Harbour Bridge - where it has been used to promote New Zealand as the host of Rugby World Cup 2011 and encourage tourists to come for the tournament.
An estimated 75,000 people, including royalty, dignitaries, sports stars and celebrities, visited the ball while it was overseas, gaining huge international media exposure for New Zealand.
Branded 100% Pure New Zealand, the ball provided a high profile temporary venue for functions and receptions showcasing the best of New Zealand tourism activities, food and wine.
In its previous outings, it has also hosted New Zealand entertainers and cultural performances bringing Māori culture to life. At night, high-impact images of New Zealand are projected onto the ball’s exterior.
Audio-visual journey
However, the highlight experience is a 10-minute audio-visual journey projected on the inside walls that takes viewers through New Zealand mythology, culture, heritage and landscapes.
The show, which includes a live actor, transforms the ball’s interior into a variety of New Zealand environments from the depths of the ocean, beaches, volcanoes and bush walks, to the sidelines of rugby games.
It was created by New Zealand’s Inside Out Productions - specialists in visual and high impact events - and uses projection technology by SpyGlass.
Kiwi innovation
But it’s much more than a show because the structure itself is another stand out example of Kiwi innovation, for which it won a Gold Award in the 2008 Design Institute of New Zealand's BeST Design Awards.
The temporary inflatable venue held up by air pressure takes five days to construct. It measures 25 metres long by 17 metres wide at its widest point, and 13 metres high.
The ball has the capacity to hold up to 220 people or the equivalent of about 600,000 conventional rugby balls. Inside there is seating around the edges, a mezzanine viewing area, serving areas and a small storage area.
With the help of a mobile kitchen for catering purposes, the ball has hosted some high profile guests and events, including the live telecast of the Rugby World Cup Pool Draw from London.
The ball was built by Fabric Structure Systems in Whangarei.
Welcome home
After four years on the road promoting New Zealand as host of the Rugby World Cup, the much-travelled ball was welcomed home to New Zealand with a blessing by local Māori tribe Ngati Whatua.
During the tournament, it has been open seven days a week, manned by volunteers and offering free entry to the thousands of rugby fans flocking into the Queens Wharf fan zone - an entertainment hub for the REAL New Zealand Festival running alongside the tournament and showcase for Kiwi culture and enterprise.
The farewell outing was managed by ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development) for the enjoyment of tournament visitors.
Background: Giant Rugby Ball Facts
- a temporary inflatable venue
- measures 25m long by 17m wide (at its widest point) and 13m high
- accommodates 220 people / about 600,000 conventional rugby balls
- takes five days to construct
- covered with 1500 sq metres of PVC blockout fabric
- air system works by two air pumps expelling 8,000 litres per second
- revolving door allows in / out people movement to maintain interior air pressure
- designed and built by Fabric Structure Systems (NZ) - global specialists in inflatable and temporary structures
- a 10-minute audio-visual show transforms the interior into a variety of New Zealand environments
- audio-visual show created by Inside Out Productions (NZ)
- projection technology by SpyGlass Ltd (NZ)
- appearances in Paris (2007); London (2008); Tokyo (2009); Sydney (2010); Auckland (2011)
- venue for the live telecast of the Rugby World Cup Pool Draw from London
- 2008 gold award-winner in Design Institute of New Zealand's BeST Design Awards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy93Z6uJodY
More information
Backgrounder: New Zealand's giant rugby ball
Giant rugby ball scores points in London