Huge Crowds Gather For Oyster & Food Festival

MEDIA RELEASE
23 MAY 2009
Huge Crowds Gather For Bluff Oyster & Food Festival

The popularity of the Bluff Oyster was again underlined when huge crowds turned out for the 2009 Bluff Oyster & Food Festival in Bluff today.

Crowds started arriving at the venue well before the Festival was due to open. Once inside they enjoyed plenty of superb food, a fantastic array of local entertainment plus the unique Festival events - the Oyster Opening and Eating Races and the Kayes Bakery Creativity Awards. Festival-goers clearly enjoyed their experience throughout the day.

Prime Minister John Key, a self confessed lover of Bluff Oysters, joined the capacity crowd at the venue and was a popular participant in one of the Oyster Eating Races, finishing third in his heat behind Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks and Bluff Community Board Chairperson, Jan Mitchell.

The event provided a wonderful atmosphere as the crowd enjoyed the various facets of the Festival. Chairman of the event, John Edminstin, labelled it "a marvellous day!"

Once again crowds came from all over New Zealand with several international visitors also on site. Festivities got underway with the traditional Piping In Of the Oyster. Local identity Spencer Morrison carried a platter of Bluff Oysters onto the site and recited the Ode To The Oyster before the 2009 Festival was declared open. Bluff Community School pupils then gave an inspirational Kapa Haka performance before the audience began to spread out around the site.

The food and beverage marquees did a roaring trade while sites selling the iconic Bluff Oyster were working non-stop to satisfy demand.

Several heats were held in the Oyster Eating Races with a range of celebrities, politicians and members of the public demonstrating their skill at devouring a plate of one dozen Bluff Oysters, armed only with a toothpick. One heat featured an international field with entrants from New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Israel, Germany and Switzerland in a race won by the Australian entry.

Warrick Hyland of Kerikeri took out the Men's Oyster Eating title while the Chairman of the Bluff Community Board, Jan Mitchell won the Women's title.

In the Men's Oyster Opening Races Keith Lovett won the Open, Veterans and Blindfold titles. His fastest time of the day came in the first heat of the open when he opened his 50 oysters in 2 minutes 26.39 seconds. His time in the final was 2.32.35. Lovett estimated that this was the sixth year in a row that he had won the Open title.

Meanwhile Jan Beaton won the Women's Open title with a time of 3 minutes 25.83 seconds and Keitha Wilson won the Mussel Flipping race in a time of 1 minute 29.03 seconds.

Former Bluff Community Board Chairman, Lex Perkins, won the Celebrity Oyster Opening Race from media personality Marcus Lush of Bluff in a repeat of last year's result. Local MP Eric Roy was third.

The Kayes Bakery Supreme Creativity Award, chosen from all the section winners in both the Oyster Sack Fashion Section and the Foveaux Fantasy Section was won by "Spanish Dancer". The garment was designed by Suzanne Gillies and won the Open Section of the Oyster Sack Fashion. "Bluff Oyster Ball", designed by Jane McKenzie, was the runner-up to Spanish Dancer in their section.

The Secondary Section of the Oyster Sack Fashion was taken out by "A Day At The Races", a creation by Hennessey Walker, while "Golden Chic" by Zoe Hurley was the winner in the Intermediate Oyster Sack Fashion.

The Open Section of the Foveaux Fantasy went to Jane McKenzie with "Enchanted Entanglement" with "Million Dollar Catch", a design by Lucey Noble and Jessica Brash the winner in the Secondary Section. "Fish In A Waterfall" by Phelyn Beams, Ebony Toft and Juliana Cuthers was the runner-up. An entry by Hannah Adamson - "Caught In The Net" was highly commended.

Bluff Oyster & Food Festival Committee Chairman, John Edminstin, also thanked the large team of volunteers who help put the Festival together as well as the major sponsors - the Bay View Hotel, Real Journeys, the New Zealand Community Trust, the ILT Foundation, Community Trust Of Southland, Bluff Oyster Management Company, Lion Nathan, Party Plus Invercargill, South Port NZ Ltd, Crombie Lockwood and the Southland Times.

RESULTS

OYSTER EATING COMPETITION

Men's Winner - Warrick Hyland (Kerikeri)

Women's Winner - Jan Mitchell (Bluff)

OYSTER OPENING COMPETITION
Men's Section

Heat 1 Winner - Keith Lovett - Direct Fish & Oysters - 2 minutes 26.39 seconds
Heat 2 Winner - Mark Fagasa - Barnes Oysters - 3.16.56
Heat 3 Winner- Tony Goodman - Direct Fish & Oysters - 3.02.70

FINAL
1st - Keith Lovett - 2.32.35
2nd - Tony Goodman - 2.42.08
3rd - Keith Dawson - Barnes Oysters - 3.11.05

Women's Section
1st - Jan Beaton - Direct Fish & Oysters - 3.25.83
2nd - Vic Pearsey - Barnes Oysters - 3.46.50

Veterans Section
1st - Keith Lovett - 2.28.09
2nd - Keith Dawson - 2.34.10
3rd - Mark Fagasa - 3.40.67

Blindfold Race (10 Oysters)
1st - Keith Lovett
2nd - Greg Claxton - Barnes Oysters

Celebrity Race (10 Oysters)
1st - Lex Perkins - 1.09.62
2nd - Marcus Lush - 1.22.09
3rd - Eric Roy - 1.35.28

Mussel Opening
1st - Keitha Wilson - 1.29.03
2nd - Carin Culling - 1.43.96
3rd - Tane Manahi - 1.50.89

KAYES BAKERY CREATIVITY AWARDS

Supreme Creativity Award
Spanish Dancer - Suzanne Gillies

FANTASY FASHION

OPEN
1st - Enchanted Entanglement - Jane McKenzie

SECONDARY
1st - Million Dollar Catch - Lucey Noble/Jessica Brash
2nd - Fish In A Waterfall - Phelyn Beams/Ebony Toft/Juliana Cuthers

Highly Commended - Caught In The Net - Hannah Adamson

OYSTER SACK FASHION

ends

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