Kiwi pastafarians the first to legally tie noodly knot

Karen Martyn from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster poses in the pirate outfit that she will wear at the church's first legally recognised wedding to be held on April 16 in Wellington. - AFP

Wellington (AFP) - The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster held the world's first legally recognised marriage in New Zealand on Saturday, with the offbeat movement hailing it as a milestone toward acceptance as a real religion.

Church adherents call themselves pastafarians, wear colanders on their heads, revere pirates and believe the world was created by a giant deity made of spaghetti.