This is so funny: Kiwis flock to 'woolly Pamplona'

Kiwis flock to 'woolly Pamplona'

A small New Zealand town has reached for some of the glamour and danger of Pamplona - by running 2,000 sheep through the middle of town.

No one was chased, trampled or gored by the animals in the inaugural 'Running of the Sheep.'

And instead of seeking cover, most spectators helped stop the shaggy mob from scurrying everywhere but the right direction.

As organiser John Grainger predicted, the result was pure chaos as sheep, people and dogs struggled along the planned route through North Island's Te Kuiti, a rural farming town 355 miles north of the capital, Wellington.

Headed initially by All Black rugby player greats Colin Meads and Sir Brian Lochore, the sheep were supposed to do a quick circuit through downtown.

But the 2,000 ewes lacked the instinct of Spanish bulls, as they split into puzzled groups and set off in all directions.

Spectators whistled, shouted and waved their arms to direct the flock.

The crowd, most of the town's 4,374 population, was delighted.

"But we all live off the sheep's back here," said Grainger. "We want to emphasise that sheep are the backbone of the economy."

It might just develop a cult following - like Pamplona, he said.