Big in New Zealand: Flash Haka

The flash mob fad has certainly been around for a while, but creative flash mob organizers seem to keep churning out enough variations on the form to keep things fresh and draw viewers -- see: the most popular trend of the 2010 holiday season. While the dancing variety has come to dominate the form, there's still enough creativity to surprise viewers now and again.

The most shared and viewed video in New Zealand this week is of yet another iteration of the "flash mob" form we haven't seen before. This time, a group of gentlemen perform a "flash haka," which replaces the usual cheesy dace choreography with the intimidating dance of the Maori, best known internationally as a part of the pre-game ritual for the nation's world-famous rugby team, the All-Blacks.

The video event reportedly took place at Auckland's Sylvia Park shopping center and included 50 young men.



There are also other good angles of the flash performance making the rounds. Here are the two most popular, which are shot from up-close and from overhead.




This could actually be the start to a new flash haka trend as the Rugby World Cup -- which is being hosted by New Zealand, incidentally -- kicks off this Friday and runs for seven weeks.

More: Another popular video this weekend in New Zealand is this Go Pro camera footage from the streets of Christchurch, specifically the city center's "red zone" which remains cordoned off following the earthquake from earlier this year.