April Fool's Day - various races

The first of April marks April Fool's Day. There is a long history of practical jokes being played on April 1 in New Zealand. George Reed reported in 1883 that Noah's Ark had been discovered and the story was reprinted in papers around the world, and in 1949 the radio host Phil Shone convinced the people of Auckland that a swarm of wasps were descending.

The BBC got into the fun in 1957 with a news item about spaghetti trees.

More recently NZ On Screen published a hoax biography of fictional film maker Colin McKenzie. A list of other New Zealand April Fool's hoaxes can be found here.

Whilst not a prank or practical joke I thought Aprils Fool's Day provided an appropriate opportunity to present some of the more humorous images in our photograph collections relating to various races staged in New Zealand through the years, plus a photo of a roller skater in a chicken suit.

Ref: Halftones Ltd. for the Auckland Weekly News, The chantecler craze, 14 April 1910, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19100414-14-4.

Ref: Advertising a monkey circus, 1938, poster copied courtesy of Allan Webb, South Auckland Research Centre, Auckland Libraries, Footprints 04421.

Ref: New Zealand Graphic, Horse swimming race, 29 March 1902, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19020329-607-1.

Ref: New Zealand Graphic, Bringing in a half drowned horse after horse swimming race, 19 January 1901, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19010119-121-1.

Ref: New Zealand Graphic, "Not too old at over forty" race, 10 February 1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19090210-18-5.

Ref: New Zealand Graphic, Married ladies' race, 10 February 1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19090210-18-8.

Ref: New Zealand Graphic, Cossar, 6 February 1904, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19040206-38-3.

Ref: New Zealand Graphic, An amusing event - start of the menagerie race, 30 December 1905, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19051230-27-1.

Ref: New Zealand Graphic, The wheelbarrow race, 2 April 1904, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19040402-36-4.

Author: Andrew Henry