Sheep race through NZ town

Forget Spain's Pamplona bull run, New Zealand is where the action is. The small New Zealand town of Te Kuiti was overrun with thousands of sheep charging down the main street over the weekend.

The 'Running of the Sheep' is an annual event that marks the end of the New Zealand Shearing Championships held in the Waikato town.

A team of shepherds, working dogs and quad bikes guided the 1,899 sheep for the 1km dash through the town's Main Street on Saturday, watched by around 5,000 spectators.

For the first time this year there was specially built bridge for the sheep to run across and many of the 'participants' got stuck between cars. A couple even managed to escape across the town's railway track.

Te Kuiti is the self-proclaimed sheep capital of the world. The town's sheep run, started five years ago, is thought to be the largest of its kind in the world.

''It started off as wild an idea as the sheep on that first run, but now it's become a recognizable iconic part of the event,'' says Champion Sport Shearer David Fagan.