And this is the big bonspiel...

I swear this is one of my last curling posts...promise.  Below is a picture from the front page of Thursday's paper.

The Idaburn Bonspiel is the most famous bonspiel in New Zealand.  It happens on the Idaburn Dam, and as with other outdoor bonspiels, only happens when the ice is thick enough. They called the bonspiel on Monday, and it happened on Wednesday and Thursday.  Teams drop everything to join, and there were 264 curlers including teams from the North Island which means they had to fly!  It generates A TON of press coverage.  Click here to read about the bonspiel and see videos.  While neither Todd and I participated, it was super cool to have it happen while we were here.  Click here to see just that picture and the accompanying article about feeding all the curlers with only 48 hours notice!