Spookers Rotorua Zombie Walk 2012 – Press Release October 8th, 2012
The third annual Rotorua Zombie Walk, this year sponsored in part by Auckland Horror Theme Park Spookers, takes to the
streets this Labour Weekend Saturday October 20th 2012 despite calls to cancel the event.
Following from the success of the previous events, this year’s gathering of costume clad ‘zombies’ promises to be larger
than ever before. With registration headquarters being situated in the centre of the Lakefront Craft Market,
participants are in a prime location to wow the crowds with their unique stylings and zombie-like behaviour.
However, with the recipient of funds for the event being Rotorua’s local Brain Injury organisation, event organiser
Layla Robinson reports that she has once again received complaints from anonymous members of the public asking to cancel
the walk.
“In our first year we suffered a lot of opposition to the association between the event, and the organisation I’d
decided to donate the proceeds to. However, we went ahead and held a successful, family friendly event that raised
thousands of dollars for people in need and we will do so again in 2012.”
Ms Robinson claims that any ‘self-respecting zombie fan’ knows that ‘zombies eat brains’ and the tagline for this event
is “giving back to brains”.
“How people can compare those with brain injury to imaginary reanimated corpses who eat human flesh is beyond me,” Ms
Robinson said. “Luckily most of the people I’ve spoken to support this event, including my old school buddy Janine
Bolton whose daughter Daryl-Ann sustained a brain injury at birth. Our supporters can rest assured, the show will go
on.”
Craft Market organiser Liz Davies is excited to host the zombie walk amongst her regular stall holders this year, as
well as local business owners Colin and Norma Craig from the Lakeside Cafe who look forward to seeing the Thriller dance
performed by zombies on the day.
Registration for the Zombie Walk is open from 10am to 12noon on October 20th outside the Soundshell stage. The walk will
depart at 12:30pm and will return by 2pm where participants will perform the Michael Jackson Thriller dance for
onlookers in front of the Lakeside Cafe with Mokoia Island and Lake Rotorua as a backdrop.
Registration is $5 per person and proceeds from the event will be donated to Brain Injury Rotorua as has been the case
since 2010. The organisation uses the funds toward ongoing costs of education and support for survivors of brain injury
and their families.
Event organiser Layla Robinson hopes to double the amount she has raised in previous years. “I’ve set a goal of $4,000
to be raised not only from the walk, but also from a Halloween Party I’m organising featuring New Zealand rock band
Devilskin which will be held at The Shed on October 27th.”
If you are interested in ‘giving back to brains’ this year, find out more about the Zombie Walk, by visiting the
official website: www.zombiewalk.co.nz or becoming a fan on Facebook: facebook.com/RotoruaZombieWalk.
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Please support the
Spookers Zombie Walk
on October 20th!
Daryl-Ann supports this great
fundraising event!
All funds raised are donated to
Brain Injury Rotorua
Daryl-Ann’s disability was caused by a Brain Injury suffered at birth, so our whole family supports the Spookers Zombie
Walk wholeheartedly! The event is the ‘brain-child’ of Daryl- Ann’s mother’s school-friend, Layla Robinson. Layla loves
movies, especially zombie movies. While Layla owned the Movietime store in Ngongotaha, not only did she sell
‘Daryl-Ann’s Recipe Book’, she also dreamed up the Zombie Walk as a bit of fun. She quickly saw the fundraising
potential, and a partnership was born between the Rotorua Zombie Walk and Brain Injury Rotorua – to whom all the funds
from the walk are donated.
Layla sources sponsors and provides all of the project management for free (because it is just so much fun!). Every walk
is marked by a rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Dance – probably one of the most well-known Zombie tributes.
This year’s walk is sponsored by Spookers Horror Attraction Theme Park. You can register ON THE DAY right here in front
of the Soundshell between 10am and 12noon on October 20th. It is only $5 per person for a whole lot of fun! You get to
dress up in whatever costume you like – zombie-ism spares no-one – add a pale complexion, a bite mark or two, perhaps
some blood and you’re away! Visit www.zombiewalk.co.nz for full info, or search ‘Spookers Zombie Walk’ on Facebook. If
you can’t make it – please support it! The zombies promise not to bite you if you pop some spare change in their
collection tins!
Why zombies? That sounds horrendous? Please see over… Despite what you may think, Zombie Walks are quite a common
fundraising tool, used around the world.
"A zombie walk is an organised public gathering of people who dress up in zombie costumes. Usually taking place in an
urban center, the participants make their way around the city streets and through shopping malls to a public space in a
somewhat orderly fashion." – Wikipedia
But what IS a Zombie?
There are two types of ‘zombie’. The first is that created through voodoo or Haitian witchcraft, where a corpse is
brought back to life, usually to do evil bidding for the witch.
The more commonly thought of type of zombie these days is that made popular by Hollywood, through movies such as Night
of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. One of the first fictional zombies commonly known to most people was
‘Frankenstein’.
A zombie could be defined here as a body which was dead, and now is not. Usually in movies a zombie is created when a
human becomes infected with some (usually top secret and military) virus which has accidentally been let out of a lab.
The infection slowly kills the victim, and then, within minutes, hours or days, the corpse ‘comes back to life’ – and
begins seeking one thing: BRAINS. This is what zombies like to eat (though they will happily devour the rest of the
flesh as well!).
Because zombies are ‘the undead’ they move slowly, confused and moaning, until they sense that a living human is amongst
them – then they attack!
Those who suffer a zombie bite will soon die (if not devoured), and turn into zombies themselves.
Zombies come in and out of ‘fashion’ in horror movies, as do vampires and torture themes. The latest round of Zombie
movies has been bolstered by an interest in the Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’, and mixes well with the current popular
culture of Roller Derby, tattoos and modern Rock n Roll fashion trends. Mix this with social networking and you have a
world-wide craze!
However, Rotorua can be assured that the zombies roaming the streets on October 20th are in search of just a good time
and your spare change for a good cause….well, OUR zombies will be, and it will be hard to tell our ones from any real ones…
ENDS