Piping hot

DUNEDIN lived up to its name as the Edinburgh of the South at the weekend as the sound of massed pipes and drums echoed through the city streets.

About 400 people took part in the annual Octagonal Day street march, hosted by the Otago Centre of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band Association, which began at the Dunedin Town Hall at 11am on Saturday.

About 15 bands came from as far afield as Invercargill and Christchurch to compete.

For Ashburton Pipe Band tenor drum player Lauren Wright the Octagonal Day march was her first big competition.

She joined the pipe band in August after spending a lot of time on the sidelines watching her partner, Leighton Terry, play.

She wasn’t alone, as a few other partners of the band’s pipe players decided to do the same.

‘‘We just thought we would give it a go. . . It is quite satisfying,’’ she said.

They attended coaching twice a week to prepare for the contest.

While she had got the hang of the tenor drums, she still hadn’t mastered braiding her hair, Ms Wright said.

Among the crowd at the march were 15monthold twins Lucy and Olivia Bishop, who were sporting large pink earmuffs.

Their mother, Susanna Bishop, said they were there to support their father, who was marching for the ILT City of Invercargill Pipe Band.

As for the earmuffs — the girls had had enough of the sound of pipes at home, Ms Bishop joked.

A massed street march from Princes St towards the George St side of the Octagon finished off Saturday’s activities, and the Otago Southland provincial contest was held at the North Ground yesterday.

PHOTOS: LINDA ROBERTSON On the march . . . About 15 pipe bands march through Dunedin’s city centre during Octagonal Day at the weekend.

Spot on . . . Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band drum major Wendy Chisholm, of Christchurch, checks the band’s uniforms are perfect before the pipe band march begins in the Octagon.

The City of Dunedin Pipe Band on the march.

Ross Ferguson, one of the adjudicators at the Octagonal Day pipe band street march, scores the bands as they pass.

Enjoying the event on Saturday are (from left) Suzanne Bishop and her granddaughter Lucy Bishop (15 months), Warren Greaves and his granddaughter Olivia Bishop (15 months), and the twins’ mother, Susanna Bishop.

Ashburton Pipe Band Lauren Wright (26) has her hair braided by fellow band members Jennifer Martin (left) and Samantha Doak.

Georgia Dahlenburg (9), of Mosgiel, holds a sign for the Queenstown and Southern Lakes Pipe Band during the street march.

City of Dunedin Pipe Band piper Tony Carmichael practises before the street march.