Fire to light farewell of Games torch

By JOSIE CLARKE

The arrival of the Olympic torch is a week away but preparations are well advanced to give it a scorching sendoff to Australia.

Flame throwers had a final rehearsal last night for the Auckland show on the night of June 7 that will follow the torch's 50km relay route through Manukau, the North Shore and Auckland.

Olympic gold medalist John Walker is scheduled to run into the Auckland Domain just before 6.45 pm, carrying the torch through a corridor of light.

Former javelin champion Stan Lay, the keeper of the flame and, at 94, New Zealand's oldest living Olympian, will then use it to light a community cauldron.

The event's finale will be a choreographed performance by 100 schoolchildren and a theatrical fire spectacular to an original piece of music by local musician Christian Hellgun. Representatives of Ngati Whatua will farewell the flame with a waiata (song) as it leaves by helicopter with an Australian Olympic delegate.

The torch will be in New Zealand for three days, its last stop before Australia.