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Quite simply, it's the bolder, the better when it comes to the Marlborough Combined Colleges' formal.
That might mean arriving in a boat, on a fire engine or wearing blue Converse shoes with matching blue hair.
Either way, students at Marlborough Boys' and Marlborough Girls' College were out to make a statement on Friday night as they pulled up outside the Marlborough Convention Centre in Blenheim in front of cheering crowds.
Joseph Weaver, 17, was among the 11 lads who hijacked a fire truck for the night.
"We just came up with the idea between us," he said. "We wanted something bold, something that would make a statement."
Triplets Bonnie, Monique and Grace Aitchison were among the first to arrive in an old-time classic car borrowed from a family friend.
They weren't sure of the model but that wasn't important.
"It just looks pretty cool," said Monique.
Arriving on the red carpet was their chance to play celebrity for a few hours, Bonnie said.
"It was cool to get a welcome [from the crowd] and a few cheers. That was a nice feeling."
Monique said she was full of nerves walking past the crowds.
Nicole Hyland said she had been looking forward to the bash for about a month.
Nicole and seven friends had breakfast together on Friday morning before going to have their hair and make-up done, she said.
They met again at Chateau Marlborough for pre-formal drinks.
"It's been a long day," she said.
It's also a day that some of the younger girls in the crowd are looking forward to.
Eleven-year-olds Baileah Newport and Stephanie Mattison braved the cold to cheer on family members as they arrived.
"I can't wait to do this in five years' time," said Baileah.
"We should start planning it now."
Stephanie said she couldn't wait to see all the dresses and modes of transportation.
As a dapper young man arrived at the party on foot, the girls muttered to themselves: "Boring."
- The Marlborough Express
