Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo cuts impressive figure at Okara ice skating rink

Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo turned heads as he glided his way around a pop-up ice rink while dressed in his royal red mayoral robes.

While the mayor conceded it had been a “long, long, long, long” time since he had last ice skated - and never in the district - he proved a natural on the Whangārei Ice Rink. A few early wobbles soon evaporated into steady skating.

His formal robe became a red beacon against the white ice, startling some skaters as it whipped past them. Their shock turned to smiles when they realised they were watching the mayor on ice.

One young skater had no idea who this man, oddly dressed for a lap around the rink, was. But when she learned it was the Whangārei mayor, it added extra delight to her first-time ice skating.

But why was the mayor brushing the dust off the skates?

“I got asked to, that’s all,” Cocurullo said with a smile.

The mastermind behind the special treat for skaters was Whangārei District Council spokeswoman Ann Midson. She thought it was a great way to put the spotlight on the rink visiting Whangārei from Auckland.

The mayor agreed the ice skating rink was a cool way for locals to experience winter.

“This is absolutely awesome, there’s no argument. You just love seeing it.”

Rink owner Zack Tapling said the feature - unusual for Whangārei - was popular with a variety of people. Although, he admitted, this was the first time he had seen a mayor ice skating.

“Most people like it, it’s a bit different. You don’t really get a frozen ice rink up here in Whangārei. It’s quite a good experience for the young ones, something new.”

The rink, equipped with an ice floor that took three days to install, opened on June 25 and will stay in town until July 16.