This year’s graduation ceremony could not follow the traditional, glamorous path down George Street. Instead, the procession started at First Church and walked around to the Moray Place entrance of the Town Hall. According to a Uni spokesperson, this was due to the George Street revamp. You can read about it and the associated cone-nudrum in Issue 9.
It was a big change up for the annual procession. Using high-end navigation software (Google Maps), Critic Te Ārohi was able to accurately measure the difference in routes (because we apparently have nothing better to do). The classic well-trodden path along George Street, starting at the Uni and ending at the Town Hall, is a 1.3km hike that takes a whopping 17 minutes. Maybe longer if you’ve taken your grandma. In comparison, the new route is just over half as long, coming in at 450 meters and only taking a measly 6 minutes. So, for students wanting to get their steps, this new route wasn’t cutting it.
Students had mixed feelings about the new route. It was “great but seriously short” in the opinion of psychology graduate Amelia. While Amelia was up front, she felt sorry for those at the back: “It would have been even shorter because of the pile up.” Meanwhile, law and science graduate Sean said he “liked the new route” as it was in a “nice part of town… It also meant that my family could watch the whole procession and not have to worry about rushing to the Town Hall and trying to find a park,” said Sean.
It was clear that, while the route change wasn’t a deal breaker, students prefer the classic hike along George Street. Amelia described it as “a bit of a shame.” Although Sean said, “I don't feel like its absence distracted from my experience or anything.” Meanwhile, ecology graduate Finnbarr “just sat at home” as it “seemed like a hassle.” Students will be relieved to know that the Uni plans to return to the original route in 2024 through the (hopefully) new-and-improved George St.