All Whites vs Mexico

FIFA Soccer World Cup Qualifier game, Wellington waterfront parade

The second leg of the All Whites’ World Cup qualifier games against Mexico, with Mexico up 5-1 after the first game.

A massive hill to climb for the All Whites, but a capacity crowd nonetheless, all hoping for a miracle and looking forward to an enjoyable match, whatever the outcome.

Wellington Batucada was invited to do one of our waterfront “Pied Piper” parades, leading the crowds along the waterfront from Queen’s Wharf to the Stadium, and then doing a bit of a show on the walkway once we got there. Carin and Tim G shared the directing, and a great time was had by all.

The crowd was huge (obviously!), mostly dressed in white (clearly!) and very good-humoured (fabulously so!). We marched along the waterfront leading them to the stadium, and once there, we linked up with a group of Latin dancers – many of whom we know either from years gone by at Batucada, or from their awesome dancing at our gigs.

Once we’d finished our performance, we headed back along the waterfront. We were still pretty amped from playing, and Tim G was pretty keen to keep on directing, so we drummed and marched as we made our way back to Queens Wharf, swimming against the endless tide of All-Whites-supporting humanity still making their way to the game.

We discovered that drumming on the way back is a Really Good Idea because a) it makes the walk seem much shorter, b) it’s fun and entertains the crowd and c) they can hear you coming and they all get out of your way, rather than crashing into you, which is what normally happens when we swim against the tide. We must do it again sometime!