January 18th 2026 and Jimmy’s second night performing in Palmerston North. Just the one show tonight, taking the Laughs Funny NZ tour to 15 so far.
Some notes below about why the rubbish dump (that Woolly is posing on) was named after John Cleese.
New Plymouth is next, on the 20th.
In November 2005, John Cleese went on tour in New Zealand. His time in the country was mostly positive: He called Invercargill “delightful,” described Christchurch as “a very nice town,” and Wellington as “sophisticated, fun and lively.”
Palmerston North, however, did not impress. A few months after visiting this city in the North Island of New Zealand, Cleese, during a podcast, called it “the suicide capital of New Zealand.” He went on: “We stayed in a little motel. The weather was grotty, the theatre was a nasty shape and the audience was very strange to play to.” He concluded by saying that he had a “thoroughly bloody miserable time” in the city, and suggested that “if you wish to kill yourself but lack the courage to, I think a visit to Palmerston North will do the trick.”
New Zealand comedian John Clarke, who was born in Palmerston North, suggested renaming the local Awapuni Landfill as the John Cleese Memorial Tip, with the catchy tag-line “All manner of crap happily recycled.” And 18 months later, the rubbish dump was indeed named in honour of the British comedian, albeit with the shorter title of Mt. Cleese.
From ‘Atlas Obscura’
Leave a Reply