Taihape: Gumboot Capital of the World (and Proud of It)
I wrote this in 2016 or 2017 during the two years I lived in New Zealand. Some details — prices, hours, what’s open — may have changed, but the experience and my love for this place haven’t.
Driving through Taihape (pronounced like tie-happy) for the first time is an odd and surreal experience if you’re new to New Zealand. Heading south, you’ll pass a city sign in front of a huge sculpture of a gumboot. Heading north, there’s a “Taihape Welcomes You” sign with a grey gumboot in the background. You start to get the sense that this town has committed to a theme.
Gumboots are what I would call rubber boots, rain boots, or galoshes. In New Zealand they’re called gumboots — or sometimes just rubbers. In England they’re Wellingtons. I’d argue they’re the second most common footwear in New Zealand, right behind jandals (I wrote about jandals in a separate post here).
The little town of Taihape has about 1,600 people and sits in a sheltered valley in the central North Island. And it has made a very deliberate name for itself as the Gumboot Capital of the World. The origin story is great — comedian John Clarke created a fictional character called Fred Dagg, a stereotypical Kiwi farmer who wore gumboots everywhere, and chose Taihape as his hometown. The town took that association and ran with it.
The giant gumboot sculpture in the centre of town was made by New Zealand sculptor Jeff Thomson using his signature material — corrugated iron. It’s climbable, photogenic, and completely surreal against the backdrop of a quiet country town.
The annual Gumboot Day started in 1985 when local business people decided to capitalize on the town’s rural image after an economic downturn. They picked a date in late January because it’s a busy time for traffic through the region. The main attraction is the gumboot throwing competition — you use an unaltered size 8 men’s boot and chuck it as far as you can. There are categories for children, youth, open, and masters, plus a North Island championship. But if throwing rubber boots isn’t your thing, Gumboot Day also features best-dressed gumboot competitions, dog barking, straw-bale stacking, sack racing, egg throwing, gymnastics displays, and a homebrew competition. Something for everyone.
The history of gumboot throwing itself goes back further than you might expect — there’s a long tradition of “Wellie Wangling” in Britain dating back centuries. Taihape didn’t invent the concept, they just turned it into a civic identity.
And if you can’t make it for Gumboot Day, there’s a permanent gumboot throwing lane called “The Outback” right behind the main shopping centre — open year round. No excuses.
