Happy Valley Kiwi Hosts 21st Annual Hangi
Nearly 500 hungry people of all ages arrived at Dave Creswell’s 21st annual hangi on the last Saturday in July this year. All were ready to celebrate summer with great food, music, dance and good company.
A transplanted Kiwi, Dave is a veteran of the Maori methods of underground cooking and feasting. “My brick-lined pit is five feet deep,” explains Dave. “My friends and I fire it with green alder until it’s hot enough. This year, we wrapped about 500 pounds of beef, pork, chicken and lamb in one of the baskets, and filled the other with potatoes, carrots, garlic, sweet potatoes and onions. And we smoked some coho salmon, so there was food for everyone’s taste”
Dave’s longtime friend and Allied Glass colleague Brian King has been overseeing the hangi pit for the last 18 years. This year young Mark Cresswell was Brian’s right-hand man. Dave says it’s not every Canadian that can tell the kiwis how to run the feast!
While the food was cooking, so was the entertainment. Australian-born artist Chris Dobell had painted a whimsical backdrop to the bandstand. Members of the Blue Scarab belly-dancing troupe were the envy of most of the women in the crowd! Local bands that made the day special included Search Warrant, Fine Spirits and Solo Bud with singer and recording artist Katrina Kadroski.
A hangi highlight is the performance of the traditional haka led by Ryan Hogg – a real New Zealand-born Maori. If you’ve seen the All Blacks play rugby or watched the recent film Invictus, you’ll recognize this intimidating piece of Maori dance tradition. And one of Ryan’s more promising apprentices is Dave’s eldest son Allan.
“We count on the haka to distract the folks while we lift the food out of the pit,” commented Dave. “In other years people would crowd around the edges and it could get dicey.”
Guests also brought a broad, colourful array of cool, delicious salads and desserts to enhance the meal. Of course, there was the annual competition for the best pavlova, a meringue-based, exotic dessert popular ‘down under’.
Two ‘beer refrigerators’ were decorated by artist Chris Dobell, filled with Kiwi wines, beer and foods, and raffled off. Proceeds of $300 were donated to the BC Cancer Foundation.
Dave actively discourages drinking and driving, so about 60 guests stayed overnight in tents and campers and were treated to a great breakfast Sunday morning made up of leftovers fried up with dozens of eggs.
The annual hangi really is a family and community affair. Dave offers his special thanks to neighbours Laurie Spears, Bernie Nikkels and Tom Fisher. Pacific Western Breweries, Glenwood Meats and Ronald Orr & Sons Scottish Butchers and sign writer Chris Dobell all deserve special mention. To the many volunteers who worked so hard get the grounds ready, manage the gates and serve the food, Dave says thanks. He hopes to celebrate with you all again next year!
