Karl and Mandela - World Famous in New Zealand!

For those of you who didn't get the see Karl and Mandela featured in the newspaper, here is the photo and article.  Way to go Karl and Mandela!

A giant figure performing a thigh-slapping haka will greet visitors flying into Wellington thanks to a family of Lyall Bay rugby fanatics.

Father and son team Karl and Mandela Partsch spent the best part of five hours lashing the three-metre-high sign to the fence of their Hornsey Rd home, with four rigged-up spotlights ensuring it can be seen from as far afield as Wellington Airport. 

"If the All Blacks win, it will be staying up for a while," Mr Partsch said yesterday.

The rugby-mad Mr Partsch picked up the sign a few years ago from his job as a caretaker at Massey University, where it had been used in a display. 

He had been saving it to use for a special occasion, and the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand seemed the perfect opportunity, he said. 

"We have to lock it down for the wind, because up here there's a lot of wind  but it's survived. We went for a drive to the airport to check and the visitors can see it, no problem." 

While dad is a staunch All Blacks supporter, Rongotai College student Mandela, 14, would be backing Samoa in the tournament because of the team's predilection for "big hits".  

A flanker for his school's under-15 team, he is trialling for the Wellington representative team today. 

And he has already been involved in the tournament, as part of the waka crew that welcomed the Springboks to Wellington on Monday  which he described as a "mean" experience. 

Wellington City Council has yet to receive many entries in its Dress Up Wellington competition, and is hoping for more enthusiasm when the tournament begins.

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Here is the link if you want to see the actual article -

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/off-the-field/5579525/Haka-bigger-than-ever-in-Lyall-Bay