An ice sculptor spent the morning carving St Basil’s Cathedral with a chainsaw and free coffee was given to commuters on their way to work.
The big hit however, was the Russian Shapka. On a chilly Auckland morning these fur hats provided welcome relief from the wintery conditions and the sea of black fur walking up Queen St meant that Russia Day did not go unnoticed.
Thanks to Eleven PR, TVNZ’s Breakfast covered the event, with weather presenter Tamati Coffey interviewing the ice sculptor and members of the local Russian community. Nearly 15 minutes of created content was broadcast to a potential audience of more than 100,000 Kiwis.
Russia Day marks the beginning of democratic reforms in Russia in the 1990′s and Russian Standard Vodka helped Aucklanders celebrate the 20th anniversary of this event in style.