Trolley Derby

Today, Collingwood Street was closed down for the annual Trolley Derby.  Trolleys are the Kiwi equivalent of a Soapbox car, which played a large part in my childhood in the form of the classic film "Little Rascals".  It was fun to spend the afternoon watching kids of all ages race down the hill in their homemade box on wheels, and reminisce back on "I've got two pickles, I've got two pickles! I've got two pickles, hey hey hey hey!"  There was hay lining the sides of the road for the inevitable crashes, but my favourite part was a trolley lost momentum 10 metres from the finish line and the kid just sat there holding the wheel until an organizer came and pushed him to the end.  The cheering for him was the loudest. It may not have been the most exciting afternoon I've ever had in New Zealand, but it was nice to feel like a local.