PRESS RELEASE

August 19 2009

Spring Into Wairarapa

Winter’s nearly over and to celebrate the arrival of spring Wairarapa is hosting a month of festive events and activities that will appeal to the whole family.

From September 12 until October 11, Wairarapa Spring Festival ‘09 is being coordinated by the regional tourism organisation, Destination Wairarapa, with support from Trust House Charitable Trust.

The month long festival begins with the Carterton Daffodil Festival on September 13 when people can pick the first flowers of the season and then explore the craft fair in the town centre.

“With the return of the good weather, spring is a fantastic season to visit and stay over in Wairarapa. The blossoms are out and new-born lambs and calves are everywhere. It’s a perfect time to enjoy a relaxing country break,” says Destination Wairarapa festival coordinator Gretchen Bunny.

Children will love dressing up for ‘Stonehenge Aotearoa’s Spring Equinox Fair’ on Sunday 27 September. This old fashioned country fair with musicians, stalls and classic family sports and games such as egg and spoon races and tug-of-war will be set in front of the breathtaking stone circle.

Art lovers will be delighted by the ‘Awesome Art in Martinborough’ exhibition with works from Aratoi Museum and the Ian and Elespie Prior and Rutherford Trust Collections at the local Town Hall on the weekend of 3 and 4 October.

On the same weekend visitors can savour ‘Palate to Palette’, an art and wine trail around the Martinborough cafes and vineyards incorporating delicious food, stunning wine and inspiring works of art.

The Festival runs through the school holidays with an entertaining holiday programme of both open-air and indoor activities. These range from ‘Park Ranger for a Day’ at Pukaha Mt Bruce Wildlife Centre, through to arts and crafts workshops and mountain biking with Wairarapa Outdoor Pursuits.

“There are lots of free and ‘nearly-free’ activities across the region too, such as forest walks, lakeside cycling and the traditional mini-golf and bumper boats.

“To help make our visitors feel even more welcome there are great accommodation offers and discount vouchers for activities, cafés and restaurants. To see the full festival details, visitors should go to www.wairarapanz.com, download those vouchers and book in early”.

ENDS

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