Opinion: A weekend to remember

Wow Rotorua, what a weekend!

I've never seen the city so alive with people. Every bar, pub and restaurant in Rotorua overflowed with revellers as the Maori All Blacks faced off with the British & Irish Lions.

The result didn't go New Zealand's way, but that didn't stop people carrying the party on long after the final whistle blew.

While I'm sure there are still some disappointed Maori All Blacks fans today, the weekend was about so much more than just the game.

It was a chance to showcase our world class hospitality - our manaakitanga - and really put our city on display.

The decorated shops, the locals who let Lions fans camp on their lawns, those who took carloads of people into town when the shuttle service was overloaded - this manaakitanga is what visitors will remember about their time in Rotorua.

The weekend's revelries also included the attempt to break the record for the largest haka.

Rotorua, we didn't just break the record, we absolutely annihilated it.

More than 7000 people - locals and visitors - came together to perform Ka Mate at the Village Green.

We not only broke the official record of 4028 held by a town in France, but also surpassed the unofficial tally of 6200 set in Masterton.

Rotorua - the home of the haka. It sounds right doesn't it?

By all accounts the weekend went off without a hitch.

Motorists were patient on the roads when there were traffic delays and local police have praised the good behaviour of the community.

It has been a weekend to remember. We've done our city proud and showed what it truly means to be from Rotorua.