“The ongoing adventure of a lone cybernetic wizard versus the Mount
Cook Group, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, in this narrative, an
evil multinational corporation. The Wizard of New Zealand tells
the story himself. If you have not already—first read
Part The First”
The Storm Breaks
On my way to Tamworth I called in to the
Mt. Cook Group offices in
Sydney and met their local manager Jim Crosbie. I explained the situation and
he listened patiently but explained I would have to sort it all out at head office
in Christchurch. I met the office staff, posed for their cameras and was introduced to
the
Sydney manager of Air New Zealand. We got on famously and I was taken
out to a delicious dinner by the Mt Cook "suits".
Another disturbing co-incidence; on the day that I arrived in Sydney a long
article appeared in "The Australian", the national daily, covering the story of
the opposition in Auckland to my rain dance there, the timely intervention of
the Yankee wizard, Ron, and our final victory over the fundamentalists.
The next day, after an interview with Ita Buttrose on 2GB, and a speech at
"The Rocks" to a bemused crowd and a mass of journalists, I took off for
Tamworth. With me were a cameraman and a reporter from TV3, the rival
network to TVNZ, who had come with me across the Tasman. They were
sure that whatever happened it was going to be a damned good news story.
At sunbaked Tamworth airport someone thrust a card into my hand in the
crush that greeted me. Yet another bloody co-incidence. It was a greeting
from "The Black Spider", my legendary enemy when I was the elected
Dictator of the Students' Union at NSW University 25 years earlier. See The
Four Humours and The Fun Revolution elsewhere on this site. I had heard
nothing from him since and I have still never met him.
After lunch with the Mayor and Shire President, I duly performed my rain
dance in a parched field before some sceptical farmers, interested but
cautious Aboriginal Elders, and the TV3 camera crew.
The day after my return to Sydney the Mt. Cook staff member responsible
took me round some of the travel agents involved in the promotion. I
observed large posters in the windows of travel shops and T-shirts all bearing
my image under the unintentionally postmodern phrase, "New Zealand: so
Real it's Unreal".
I also found out there had been large ads in the daily Sydney Morning Herald
with the same copy. This was a really big promotion and I estimated it must
have cost between somewhere near half a million dollars on advertising.
During these visits excited travel shop staff communicated to me that huge
black storm clouds had appeared over Tamworth and lightning was scaring
the locals. As it happened my arrival in Sydney had been heralded by an
usually dramatic storm in Sydney the day before.
I had to leave for New Zealand next morning so it was not until I got back
home to Christchurch that I got the news from the TV3 newsroom. It was
"pissing down" in Tamworth. Film was shown of the downpour on TV that
night to awestruck New Zealanders who had been desperately trying to kid
themselves that my previous three consecutive rain dance successes had just
been "happy accidents".
What more could the Mt Cook Group management want for their campaign.
It was a dream come true. They had hung the whole thing on magic and
mystery and a real wizard and lo and behold he had just appeared in Sydney
and performed a miraculous drought breaking rain dance in outback New
South Wales!
Continue on to
Part The
Third...
Other examples of post-modern wizardry can be found on the
Wizard's Home Page.
