Dismayed Jafas opt to roll their own
DAMP visitors staged an impromptu Jaffa race yesterday on Baldwin St after the official race was postponed because of bad weather.
William Hanning (7) and his mother, Fritha Hanning, were visiting from Auckland.
Ms Hanning said she had asked William what he would do if he wanted some time ‘‘just with Mum’’ and he chose a trip to Dunedin for the Jaffa race and a visit to the Cadbury factory.
The postponement was not enough to put them off.
‘‘Mum and me decided to do our own Jaffa race,’’ William said.
‘‘We’re going to make it the best day of my life.’’
Maggie and Nathan Figueroa, of Ohio, had a similar attitude. They were in Dunedin with Annabelle Harray, who is from Dunedin but is working in the United States.
Mr Figueroa said the couple heard about the race while they were here and intended to have a look.
They decided to make the best of things by bringing their own Jaffas, each with an identifying mark so the couple could see who won after the sweets were rolled down Baldwin St.
Two Jaffas quickly skipped off the side of the road, and the third was lost, so the winner of the impromptu race was unclear.
Mondelez New Zealand head James Kane said that there was discussion on Thursday with the Dunedin City Council about whether to postpone.
‘‘But we decided to wait until Friday morning to make the final decision to try to minimise the risk of disappointment’’.
Yesterday morning at 7am, organisers assessed the risks to participants, the Cadbury team and volunteers and decided to postpone the race.
The aim is to run the race later in the year, so the designated charities do not miss out.
Events manager for the Cadbury Carnival, Kylie Ruwhi Karawana, said it could be four to six weeks before the date for the race could be finalised.
Baldwin St residents had to be consulted and the process of closing a road was complicated, she said.