The book was about giant rabbits attacking humans at night in Maniototo. The launch was on the grass at Ranfurly Railway station.
The author, from Timaru if memory serves me correctly, was signing copies of his book, while also there for the launch was a crowd of two - a pensioner from Naseby and a dwarf from Clyde.
So here one is: someone peddling a book - it was self-published by the way, initial print run: 200 - about menacing giant rabbits, watched by a dwarf and an old lady from Naseby, on a Thursday afternoon, at a railway station where no trains arrive.
Yes, it was all a bit weird.
But perhaps this is the bizarre world we live in.
For looking across to Japan there are some strange things going on.
There are the usual reassuring incidents occurring at the World Cup: the All Blacks winning, the Irish boring everyone to death and winning, Scotland choking in a big game, Fijian discipline and structure going out the window.
But things over the past couple of days have gone haywire.
First, the governing body of the game, World Rugby, comes out and says the referees need to get better and pull up their socks.
Are we reading this correctly?
Isn't the first, second and third rule of the sport the one that says referees shall not be criticised?
Ask anyone who has played the game to any level or, even better, refereed the game at any level: it is a game which is very hard to officiate.
It is a contest for possession for every minute of the 80 minutes. Other collision sports, such as rugby league and American football, by and large, do not have a contest for possession. Sports such as basketball, netball and these days football are essentially non-contact sports.
Rugby is a ding-dong battle for the ball and that makes it very hard to officiate. Much of the game is subjective - what a referee interprets.
Mistakes are going to happen - in every game.
Then to continue along this mind-boggling path, the judiciary comes out and hauls in Australian winger Reece Hodge for a high and dangerous tackle.
It looked far from that. He just got in the way of a big Fijian and managed to stop him.
But apparently not. Hodge was found guilty of a dangerous tackle which met the red-card threshold and he was banned for three games.
The outrage from Australia could have probably been heard in the Octagon.
This was just way over the top.
It is an aggressive sport.
If a side is not aggressive then chances are the side will finish second - by a long
way. The by-product of aggression will be the odd misdemeanor.
Sure, foul play should be clamped down on. But the act from Hodge was not foul play.
Obviously some people - and punters - do not like foul play. These are the ones who want to be appeased. World Rugby wants to draw them into the game.
You can not have any of these nasty incidents which may upset some people.
Sorry, but if this is going to be the new standard then get ready for a rash of red cards and a massive viewer turn-off.
It is a game of collision. A game of toughness.
If you do not want that then go and read a book.
There is one about giant rabbits doing the rounds.