Teachers in tutus make a splash

Teachers in tutus made a visual splash at Lake Taupo on the weekend, as Wairarapa College staff members lived it up at the Round the Lake challenge, and came home with a trophy.
Tutu Hot was a group of 10 staff members at Wairarapa College who took on the challenge of cycling around the lake and impressed judges enough to take the "Most Visible Team" award.
The group of women, co-ordinated by school nurse Julie Booth, wore costumes of pink and lime green for the full 160km ride.
Kathryn Houliston and Michelle Senior cycled around the entire lake, and the others competed relay-style over distances of 40km each.
"We had two teams, tutu one and tutu two," Mrs Booth said.
Another teacher noted that "we always had two people riding at the same time, so we were very visible."
Resplendent in hot pink and lime green, with printed spotted bikini tops on the T-Shirts, it was easy to see how the team would have made an impression among the 11,000 riders. The team were favourites with the commentary team as well.
Team supporter Di Banks said the team "had our photos taken by strangers more times than ever before in my life".
"I was told I was gorgeous more often than ever in my life."
Mrs Booth said together the team had clocked up 640km.
So, as school and team nurse, were there any medical issues to deal with?
"No. All aches and pains were sorted out in the hot tub after the race."
Training had begun some weeks earlier, although Mrs Booth said it would be fair to say "some of us trained harder than others; some of us go on sheer adrenaline."
The team has been competing in the event for the past six years, and last year made runner-up in the Most Visible Team award.
Mrs Booth said the weekend had been a rousing success, "the most fun I've had in a long time & the most laughing I've done in a long time", and the team enjoyed showing off their award, and their costumes, in the staff room yesterday.