Upcoming Festivals and Events all around New Zealand
Burton New Zealand Open
Are you the type that loves sports? Ice? And action?
Witness the world’s top snowboarders compete on giant super pipes and slope style courses in five days. Five days of world class snowboarding action in the Burton NZ Open.
If you’ve heard of the X Games championships, then you should know that the Burton NZ Open is the Southern Hemisphere’s pinnacle for snowboarding competition. Watch as Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan and USA compete in the international circuit. This year’s events will comprise the Half Pipe, Quarter Pipe and Slopestyle disciplines.
Go under the floodlights with live music and action packed circuits. Gear up on Tuesday, July 29 2008 until Saturday, August 2 at the Wanaka Snow Park.
Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival
Indulge on Dunedin’s delicious event this July 12 to 18, the Cadbury Chocolate Carnival!
A carnival choc-full of Cadbury chocolate delights to suit a range of tastes! Everything for everyone from chocolate butterflies, chocolate sculpting and costume, chocolate here and there, everywhere! Carnival goers will have the opportunity to participate in a broad range of chocolate activities to beat the cold winter!
The Cadbury Jaffa Race will be at the world’s steepest street, Baldwin Street, Dunedin. The kids will enjoy “Glenfalloch’s Gnaughty Gnomes and Fabulous Fairies Party” where they can join fairies, pixies, elves in costume and dresses!
Everyone gets a chance to chip off a block of chocolate and dip their fingers too! Chocolate art classes, chocolate golf tournaments and chocolate painting, decorating and moulding are in store for visitors as well.
Have we mentioned the chocolate? Look forward to the delectable cuisine!
And culminating the week of Carnival events will be Larnach Castle’s Annual Winter Ball. Dress up in your Victorian costume or just soak your pleasures in entertainment.
New Zealand Mud Festival
Traveling to New Zealand this July? The 10-day Mud Festival is to be held in Rotorua New Zealand, from the 4th to 13th of July 2008. The Festival has two themes. One is the Matariki MUD Mayhem, which is Rotorua celebrating Rotorua with the focus on the Local Community and the other is the MAD MUD (Mud Action Days), when the MUD Madness begins!
Events on both themes ranges from mud rugby, mud pools, mud programs, mud rat race and other muddy-mud-mud events! The Festival will be launched on Friday the 4th of July and finish on Sunday the 13th of July 2008. The geothermal mud of Rotorua are renowned for their curative and invigorating properties and this is particularly so at ‘Hell’s Gate’ - Rotorua’s active geothermal reserve. The mineral enriched mud provides an excellent source of minerals including silica, alumina, magnesium, calcium, iron, titanium, sulphur, phosphorous, sodium and potassium as well as trace elements such as copper, zinc, selenium, cobalt, manganese and molybdenum.
Rejuvenate and have loads of muddy fun when you come in you campervan hire!
Queenstown Winter Festival
Winter is here! And there is something you should know when you are in Queenstown… This is where winter starts! The American Express Queenstown Festival attracts tens of thousands of people every year. This isn’t like any other winter festival, you can’t compare it to the buzz of Queenstown when it comes to the Winter Festival.
Join the many, couples, friends, families, locals and visitors alike as they enjoy mulled wine and international food where little woks burst into flames and the barbecues sizzle. Don’t miss a hot winter in Queenstown as exciting performances with drum kits, amps, stand, stages and lights give life to the best entertainment in the Southern Hemisphere!
You’ll see a whole lot of celebrities race jet boats, New Zealand mayors racing snow in suitcases, dog-barking and jazz parties. There’s a whole lot more in store, the festival has been running for 34 years and it still tops everything! So whatever you got planned between June 27 until July 6, be sure to drive to Queenstown.
International Rally of Whangarei
So you’re going to be in Northland on the 6th of June? Perfect timing! The International Rally of Whangarei will be held right then and there.
The Rally is round three of the FIA Pacific Rally Championship. The event will be hosted in Northland from June 6 until June 8. Top international drivers and local competitors are encouraged to participate. Spectators will get the chance to view the circuit first hand.
Enjoy top class motorsport while in Whangarei. The city is located 2 hours north of Auckland, NZ’s warmest city with sub-tropical climate. While you’re there, enjoy the coastline and its beaches too. The people look forward to extending their warm welcome to all spectators and competitors for the event this 2008.
Matariki Maori New Year Festival
Matariki is the celebration of Maori New Year. This 2008 in Auckland, it is celebrated with the month long Matariki Festival, which will be from 5 June to 5 July. This festival showcases the way the Maori commemorate and celebrate this ancient tradition within the context of contemporary city life in Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland.
There will be social gatherings called the Whakangahau. The event also educates the people and visitors of what Matariki is. The festival celebrates the natural world and heritage or the Taiao, plus visual and performing arts - Nga Toi. Although the New Year will be celebrated nationwide, Auckland will celebrate the month long festival with indigenous music, fashion, food, exhibits and also a host of musicians and entertainment.
But don’t limit yourself to just one place. In Northland, special celebrations will focus on the Hokianga Harbour. There will be outdoor concerts with kapa haka dances in Tauranga. In Rotorua, a HOT Winter Mud Festival will take place. Festival events with fireworks displays are set in Hawkes Bay as well.
Bluff Oyster and Southland Seafood Festival
Love seafood? When in New Zealand on the 24th of May, the Bluff Oyster & Southland Seafood Festival will be a treat for you! This festival is an annual celebration of the succulent seafood unique to Southland. The festival features non-stop entertainment.
The festival is also a chance for you and your family to indulge in the famous, fresh Bluff Oysters, taste its famous seafood and cuisine, then finally and wash it down with ultimate local beverages. Come and be entertained all day long with oyster opening and eating competitions, the oyster fashion parade and cook-off.
New Zealand in its own self is rich in experience and colorful culture. Its amazing scenery and perfect driving conditions make it a perfect choice for a drive.
Come on over, plan that weekend and spend it in seafood galore and natural experiences!
AppleFest
This Saturday, be sure to set your eyes on Hawke’s Bay. For the first time on May 10, 2008, the AppleFest will fill you with fruity goodness! The AppleFest is a harvest festival that encourages the local and even visitors to join in and be fruity.
The beautiful colors of autumn in New Zealand at this time of year is perfect for the family as they enjoy the festival. This year also marks the search for New Zealand’s Granny with the surname of “Smith” to compete in the Great Granny Smith Apple Pie Bake competition (if you got the same name and a great apple pie to go with it, why not enter?). And who would ever forget about apple strudels? This year they are going for the world record of the longest apple strudel in the world - so get your forks
ready!
Enjoy fruity treats, prizes and entertainment with the best of Jazz and musical performances by various artists. Plus, dance performances as well.
Never miss a Haka when in NZ.
All things apple and more when you come in your campervan hire New Zealand when in North Island.
Erupt: Lake Taupo Festival
Aching for an explosive event this May?Erupt: Lake Taupo Festival can give you just that! Drop by Taupo this May 8 until May 18 2008.
Feel the earth shake at Erupt Lake Taupo Festival. With action packed activities inspired by the elements of the central North Island volcanic plateau. ERUPT is the reincarnation of the biennial Lake Taupo Arts Festival, switching this year from the usual February to the autumn hue of May. The event happens for eleven days of world class comedy, theater, music, cabaret, film, gourmet food and school and community events.
On opening weekend, ERUPT begins with THE BIG BANG. A free outdoor extravaganza on the shores of Lake Taupo. Plus, tons of dance and music offerings.
Like hot lava flowing through the Festival’s veins, the fiery dance and music offerings .
Spend a fun-filled and exciting weekend in New Zealand’s Lake Taupo!
New Zealand Singlespeed Mountain Bike
Are you a mountain bike fan? Well then, join in on the fun on April 25 until 27, 2008 for the Rotorua Anzac weekend. Why is this an exciting sports event in New Zealand? Simply because the first man and woman to cross the line obtains the right to be tattooed and officially be crowned the first New Zealand Singlespeed Champion. If they do not want the tattoo, the tattoo and title will go to the second runner up and so on.
Take part in this sporty event at the Whakarewarewa Forest, NZ. The Whakarewarewa Forest, located on the southern outskirts of Rotorua,contains one of the oldest trail systems in the country. The riding surfaces, topography and terrain are surrounded by trees that have size & variety. Remember, riding on the trails is free to all.
Whether you are heading to the North Island or going down to the South Island from Auckland, don’t forget to pass by Whakarewarewa when you are planning to travel on April 25-27,2008.
The Balloons over Waikato Festival
Everybody loves balloons, and in Hamilton’s central city lake, it’s a yearly celebration. The Waikato Festival showcases balloons between 30 and 40 highly colorful hot air balloons from around the world. This is a five day event that happens on April 9 till 13. Spectators will not be disappointed witnessing the event because of the amazing, new and unique special shaped balloons in the line-up.
The exciting line-up of events includes the mass ascension of balloons just after sunrise and again in the late afternoon. Plus competitive flying, fun activities that involve the spectators and the extremely popular Night Glow with music, sideshows, fireworks and orchestrated “glowing” of balloons and over the lake. This is New Zealand’s premier hot air ballooning event and one of the biggest and best in the Pacific.
The scenery in and around the area is spectacular and easy driving conditions make it a perfect holiday for your campervan hire. If you are driving in the North Island of New Zealand, why not come over to Hamilton? The Balloons over Waikato Festival is a beautiful sight.
April 25 is ANZAC Day
Don’t be surprised to see poppies flowering in the stores, or even decorated along the streets.On the month of April, the people of New Zealand (and even Australia) will remember ANZAC day.
This is an occasion that people, every year, pay tribute and remember. ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, these members landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War. It is a public holiday in some parts of the world like the Cook Islands, Samoa and many more.
The Dawn Parades and other commemoration or memorials nationwide are attended by the local community, as well as the uniformed community service groups.
ANZAC Day promotes a sense of unity for everyone. Paper poppies are given away and worn as symbols of remembrance. The day is a half-day holiday in New Zealand, as per the Anzac Day Act 1966. But this is not only a remembrance of war, it is also a celebration of life for many!
Waka Fest 2008
This first week of April, the Tauranga Harbour Challenge, or what is now known as the Waka Fest 2008 will take place.
The 11th Annual Outrigger Canoe event will be held on Tauranga Harbour. The even is the largest of its kind in the country with over 500 competitors involved. The event will take place from April 4 to April 6 and the activities include the W1 and Surfski Ocean Race on the first day, the Harbour Challenge Race (Waka Ama and Surf Ski) and the Waka Sevens Team Relay on the second and third day respectively.
The Waka Fest 2008 draws spectators from around the country as well as visitors from all over. The three day event also includes key speakers as well as cash prizes, spot prizes and entertainment as well. Be sure not to miss this event when in the Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New
Zealand.
Go Waka when in NZ!
New Zealand Super Trucks Racing
Super Trucks Racing has now become a popular motorsport in New Zealand. The event attracts motorsports crowds along with media coverage and motor fanatics!
Round two of the N.Z. Super Trucks will be on 05 Apr 2008 - 06 Apr 2008 at the Timaru International Raceway. The only New Zealand venue for racing. Other motor classes include NZ V8 Utes (first time in Timaru), TraNZam, NZ mini 7 Champs, Sports saloons & pre 65.
The motor racing circuit is located just 10 minutes outside of Timaru, New Zealand. The track holds some of the major sporting events on NZ motorsport calendar. Be sure to check out this even when in the South Island.
Here’s a quick trivia, the Lap Record holder was Greg Murphy of Formula Holden in 1995 with seven turns in a 2.4 km circuit.
Now who’s gonna beat that?
The Golden Shears 2008
You can’t talk about New Zealand without mentioning sheep, and this event is where every single sheep and anything related to it get together for a competition where speed and efficiency are of importance.Bring your shears and a warm woolly jumper. The Golden Shears 2008 Premier Sheering and Wool handling Championship will hit New Zealand during the 28th, 29th and 1st of March.
The whole world seems to flock to Masterton in March every year for this event, being the pinnacle of great achievement for the world’s top shearers.The event will take place in the Wairarapa district, located in the south east corner of the North Island of New Zealand. Since 1961, the Golden Shears has become the icon of the shearing and wool industry.Internationally recognized for the skillful art enthusiastic young farmersstarted many years ago.
The three day event will include novice, junior, senior and open competitions. All sorts of activities and fun are also open to the whole family. Just the place to be in, packed with culture and a whole lot of wool.
Ever seen a bald sheep from head to toe within a blink of an eye? Well,New Zealand’s finest can show you!
The World Triathlon Festival
The World Triathlon festival in New Zealand kicks off on April 4, 2008 until April 6, 2008.
The 3 day weekend festivities includes the Weetbix kids race, the popular beginners triathlon, specific age-group competitive triathlon, competitionbetween teams triathlon, the one mile feature run, the 1.5 km Ocean swim (where competitors from all over the world gather to compete for the fastest swim time in rough waters), and the all famous BG Triathlon World Cup - New Zealand’s best athletes taking on the World.
The April 3rd to 6th event will showcase the New Plymouth region to the rest of New Zealand and the world. Triathlon New Zealand today launched anambitious and exciting four year project to focus the world of triathlon on New Plymouth each April with the announcement of the Port Taranaki World Triathlon Festival, incorporating a round of the ITU BG World Cup series.
The event will be a fun filled, family weekend for all with great spot prizes at all events!
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