Victoria, a teacher at Linwood Avenue School says: "Thank-you very much for coming today and sharing your message of peace with us, such an important thing that you do and it aligns with what we are trying to teach here at our school. So thank-you so much. We really enjoyed it."
Children at Linwood Avenue School listen to Tihomir Djordjic - he tests their general knowledge: "Guess which country I was born in? A famous tennis player called Novak Djokovic is from there as well!".
The torch is shared around - some famous sportsmen and women such as Richie Mccaw and Dame Lisa Carrington have held it as well.
Students are delighted by the colourful torch and the golden, burning flame.
Bromley School representatives pose before going for a run around the school fields with Peace Runners Granantan Boyle and Vajin Armstrong.
Bromley Students proudly carry their designed peace placards - it always gives us a thrill when students show their creativity.
Casebrook School learn the actions and words to the popular World Harmony Run song.
Deputy principal, Andrea Brunton, welcomes the torch to Elmwood School. She wrote to us:
The team brought something truly special to our school community. The students were captivated by the presentation and excited by the opportunity to hold the Peace Run torch. What impressed us most was how the team connected with every age group, from our youngest students to our Year 6 leaders. The interactive elements, including the Peace Run song and dance, made the message of peace tangible and personal for our children. The impact has been immediate and heartwarming. Our students are already talking about showing more kindness, including others, and taking personal responsibility for spreading peace in their daily lives. This is exactly the kind of positive, unifying message we want to nurture in our school. Thank you to the entire Peace Run team for this inspiring visit. You've planted seeds of peace that will continue to grow in our community.
Elmwood students take delight in singing and dancing with the World Harmony Run song.
Teachers from Elmwood School hold the peace torch.
Tihomir exchanges a friendly moment with students as he hands out Peace Run bookmarks.
A bookmark
This artwork by Bromley students caught the eye - a myriad of colourful pebbles in a form suggesting natural and cultural symbology. How do you see it? Perhaps a Kuru fern leaf unfurling?
Santioned by Christchurch City Council in 1991, a Golden Totara tree is re-dedicated as a Peace Tree with a plaque mounted on a plaque, close to Riccarton Road inside the park.
On a rainy afternoon, runners Branton Kenton-dau, Carolyn Morton, Martin Lukes and Raelene Rees greet the team at the Armagh entrance of Hagley Park. They run a symbolic, measured Peace Mile with the torch.
Vajin Armstrong and Granantan Boyle are race directors of a series of runs put on by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Hagley Park. Vajin is explaining how the Golden Totara has grown from a small sapling to a mature tree, symbolizing how peace can also grow. The plaque specifies a Peace Mile loop that is a feature of their race course.
Members of the Peace Run choir are un-deterred by the rain as they perform the Peace Run theme song for the gathered runners.
Branton is a local runner and motivational speaker in the field of individuals practising peaceful living with the aim of making the world a more peaceful place.
Runners head towards the Botanical Gardens, running through puddles, towards the World Peace Bell.
According to the Christchurch City Council website, The World Peace Bell was gifted to Christchurch by the World Peace Bell Association and unveiled in 2006. It is New Zealand's only peace bell.
Runners and friends offer a prayer for peace in the world and in their own lives, signifying the end of the first day of the 2026 NZ leg of the global Peace Run. Runners will carry a torch to schools along the way to Kaikoura and Blenheim on a 5 day tour.
The Christchurch Botanical Gardens are stunning, and are vibrant - much like our hopes and dreams for a better world, even when the bright sun is covered by clouds.
Many thanks to Linwood Warehouse Stationery Manager Chris Kay for a generous discount on laminations on gift artwork for schools. They have various titles such as "Compassion", "World Harmony" and "Peace". The generosity of the community keeps the flame glowing from town to town, and school to school.
