2010 Steinlager New Zealand Pub Quiz Championship

The 2010 Steinlager New Zealand Pub Quiz Championship was staged on Sunday October 17, at our new home, Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, Mt Wellington, Auckland. The 11th annual staging of the event was also our largest to date, bringing together 54 pub quiz teams from throughout New Zealand, including teams from Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and the Bay Of Plenty.

In what was a keenly fought contest, you could have thrown a blanket over the top 15 teams, with just eight points separating them. Coming out on top, in just their first year in the competition, were 'Steve MacDonald's Bagpipes', from De Post in Mt Eden, Auckland, with a score of 75 out of 100. In second place, just a point back, and rueing their 3 out of 10 in the Art and Literature round, were 'Saved By The Bell' from the Kings Arms in Newton, Auckland. In what was an Auckland trifecta, the bronze medal was taken out by our champions from 2008, 'The Ultimate Deathray' from The Drake in Freeman's Bay, another two back on 73.

The success of the day is reliant on our sponsors, and we thank Brendan from Lion and Cliff from The Waipuna for going the extra mile to ensure the success of this event. The $5,000 Steinlager prize table was superb, with prizes for first-tenth, plus several other prizes, including 'Best Dressed' won comfortably by Dick Mammoth. The List consisted of a 'Masterchef' like tasting event, where teams were asked to identify 10 of the 13 ingredients in Waipuna's Executive Chef Daniel Schai's gazpacho. Whilst some teams managed 9, there were also plenty of 4s and 5s, but the excitement at which it was received told a story in itself. It really was interesting watching teams tasting, sniffing and dissecting a bowl of soup. The post-match complimentary ham carvery was also well-received, and feedback amongst the teams fantastic - we look forward to doing it all again next year.

Naming ten items of Waipuna's executive chef Daniel Schai's gazpacho proved testing!