New Zealand - Autumn 2012 events highlights
With the arrival of autumn in New Zealand, the temperature has settled and the landscape is a perfect picture of startling golds and warm reds, making it the ideal time for international tourists.
From March to May visitors have free reign to explore at leisure, as Kiwis have gone back to work and school, leaving New Zealand an international visitors’ playground.
Relax in one of the many picturesque wineries, feast on local delicacies, get actively involved in sporting events, or enjoy an art or music festival - all while taking in the diverse and beautiful New Zealand landscape and sharing the experience with friendly locals.
Food and wine
Autumn is the time when grapes are plump, seafood is bountiful, fruit trees are luscious, and gardens abundant with home-grown vegetables.
Food and wine events are often coupled with outdoor concerts and jazz festivals and provide visitors with many opportunities to experience New Zealand’s award-winning produce in natural surroundings with million dollar views.
Pask Winery Great Long Lunch - Napier
4 March, 2012
It’s a catering headache but has become an iconic event and this year 800 guests will sit down to New Zealand's longest lunch in a picturesque seaside setting at a table that stretches for almost 250m along Marine Parade in Napier. Guests enjoy a sumptuous three-course meal while a five-piece band provides the entertainment. The event is now in its 12th year.
CJ Pask Winery Great Long Lunch
Hokitika Wildfoods Festival - West Coast
9 - 11 March, 2012
The world-famous Hokitika Wildfoods festival in the South Island's West Coast region brings a unique approach to mixing local and wild delicacies particular to this part of the world. Visitors can sample all sorts of weird and wonderful foodstuffs, including garlic ice cream, huhu grubs, "mountain oysters", and garden snails and enjoy the friendly festival atmosphere for which this event has become famous.
Wildfoods Festival
Havelock Mussel Festival - Marlborough
17 March, 2012
Visitors can join this annual celebration of the greenshell mussel harvest, and experience the freshest tastes, sights, and sounds available in Havelock - greenshell mussel capital of the world. Activities include family entertainment, great food, wine and beer, competitions, market stalls, cooking demonstrations, and a whole lot of mussels.
Mussel Festival
Bluff Oyster & Food Festival
26 May, 2012
A much-anticipated event for seafood lovers, the Bluff Oyster Festival marks the start of the oyster season and showcases other local delicacies and wines. The programme also includes special dinner functions, wearable art competitions, and oyster shucking and eating competitions.
Oyster Food Festival
Art, culture and more
Music, fashion, arts and culture are all represented in an action-packed range of events held in New Zealand throughout autumn.
The festivals are mainly set in the outdoors under clear blue autumn skies, so visitors can enjoy both the natural and man-made beauty New Zealand has to offer.
International Arts Festival - Wellington
24 February - 18 March, 2012
The International Arts Festival is New Zealand's premier cultural event - a spectacular biennial programme of 300 theatre, dance, music, and visual arts events from some of the world's most exciting arts and entertainment companies - many of which have never before performed in Australasia.
International Arts Festival
Ellerslie International Flower Show - Christchurch
7 - 11 March, 2012
Christchurch - the Garden City hosts the annual Ellerslie International Flower Show which is New Zealand’s biggest flower and garden festival. Previously held in Auckland, this iconic event showcases modern New Zealand landscape design and horticulture on a grand scale.
Ellerslie International Flower Show
Dunedin Fringe Festival
15 - 25 March, 2012
The Dunedin Fringe Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the South Island and celebrates innovative and experimental art. This year 50 events will feature 370 artists from throughout New Zealand and overseas. Events include the Comedy Club, a rare shipment of digital art, film and animation, artist workshops, and a busking festival.
Dunedin Fringe Festival
Womad - New Plymouth
16 - 18 March, 2012
Over three-days, more than 200 artists from 20 different countries perform on six stages at the TSB Bowl and Brooklands Park in New Plymouth - one of the most beautiful outdoor venues in the world. The festival focuses on the discovery and enjoyment of music from around the globe.
Womad
Balloons over Waikato
28 March - 1 April, 2012
Balloons over Waikato is a visual spectacle featuring 29 magnificent hot air balloons from New Zealand and overseas, and five days of fun and competition, culminating in the Hamilton Night Glow - an orchestrated show with live music and fireworks.
Balloons over Waikato
Warbirds over Wanaka International Air Show
6 - 8 April, 2012
This three-day event is one of the world’s premier warbird air shows. Set in the spectacular Lake Wanaka region, more than 80,000 visitors flock to see famous war planes join forces with classic aircraft and modern jets. On the ground, a variety of military vehicles, vintage machinery and vehicles, and an aviation trade expo complete the show programme. This year’s highlights include a century of Ford vehicles from the Model T through to modern times, and aerobatic stunts by celebrity chef Simon Gault.
Warbirds over Wanaka
New Zealand Music Month - national
1 - 31 May, 2012
NZ Music Month is a 31-day celebration of homegrown Kiwi music talent. Concerts will be held across the length and breadth of the country, celebrating the unique talent of New Zealand musicians and raising awareness of emerging local artists. Music month began in 2001 with the objective of increasing the proportion of NZ songs on commercial radio.
NZ Music Month
Recreation and sport
For the more energetic, numerous sports events offer visitors the chance to walk, cycle, run and explore New Zealand’s legendary great outdoors - and at a time when cooler, clearer days make the going more comfortable.
Kiwis are enthusiastic hosts and international events this autumn include everything from sailing to multi-sport and cycling.
Taupo Ironman
2 March, 2012
Ironman New Zealand is held in Taupo - a popular lake resort in the middle of the North Island - and is the biggest annual one-day international sporting event in the country. Athletes from 36 countries take part in the race that combines a 3.8km lake swim and a 179.2km cycle with a full 42.2km marathon.
Ironman
Auckland Cup Week
3 - 10 March, 2012
Auckland Cup Week is New Zealand's glamour racing event showcasing the best thoroughbred racing with the country's finest horses, jockeys and trainers. The three-day carnival involves more than 350 horses competing in 30 top-class races with more than NZ$4 million in stakes, prizes and trophies - combined with entertainment, fashion and hospitality.
Auckland Cup Week
Volvo Ocean Race, Auckland Stopover
8 - 18 March, 2012
The Volvo is the toughest and longest ocean race on earth, and Auckland will host the competing teams for the finish of Leg 4 (Sanya - Auckland) and the start of Leg 5 (Auckland - Itajai). On-water action during the 10-day sailing festival will include the Pro-Am Race (17 March) and In-Port Race (18 March) - before the yachts head into the southern ocean and to South America - and, portside, a 'global' party every day at the Race Village in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour.
Volvo Ocean Race - Auckland Stopover
Te Houtaewa 90 Mile Beach Marathon - Northland
17 March, 2012
The annual beach run honours the Maori legend of the great athlete Te Houtaewa - the fastest runner of his day who was known to play many pranks on his people’s enemies. Now in its 21st year, the event attracts competitors from around the world.
90 Mile Beach Marathon
Goldrush Multisport Event - Central Otago
24 - 26 March, 2012
Goldrush is a 375km multi-sport event set in the dramatic back country of Central Otago covering old trails opened up by the pioneers in their search for gold. Disciplines of the three-day event include kayaking, road biking, mountain biking and running.
Goldrush Multisport Event
NZPGA Pro Am Championship, Queentown
29 March - 1 April, 2012
The inaugural New Zealand PGA Pro-Am Championship at The Hills - Sir Michael Hill’s private course near Arrowtown - will provide unique challenges, stunning scenery, and high calibre players. The tournament incorporates two separate competitions - an individual professional tournament and a team competition which features 64 invited amateur golfers playing alongside 64 professionals.
NZPGA Pro Am Championship
Queenstown Bike Festival
30 March - 9 April, 2012
Cyclists of all ages, styles and abilities are invited to grab their bikes and helmets, and head down to the Queenstown Bike Festival - a 10-day cycling bonanza celebrating sport and landscape that runs across two weekends. The programme includes at least four serious cycling events, along with a series of more social events.
Queenstown Bike Festival
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival - Taranaki
6 - 15 April, 2012
The women’s surf festival - on the rugged Taranaki west coast - brings together the world's top female surfers on the ASP Women’s Dream Tour. It also features New Zealand’s best female surfers who will be competing in the New Zealand Women’s Open age group divisions and main event.
TSB Women's Surf Festival
Tour of New Zealand - national
14 April - 21 April, 2012
The inaugural Tour of New Zealand - an individual or team event open to international riders - offers cyclists the opportunity to ride the length of either the North or South Island (around 700km) or as a relay team member taking on individual sections.
Tour of New Zealand
Routeburn Classic - Fiordland
28 April, 2012
The Routeburn Classic is a 32.6km adventure race for 350 runners on New Zealand's famed Routeburn Track. The race climbs to 1127m above sea level as it crosses the high alpine Mount Aspiring and Fiordland national parks - a World Heritage conservation area.
Routeburn Classic
Cateye Moonride
11 - 12 May, 2012
The Cateye Moonride is a mountain bike event set in picturesque New Zealand forest just outside Rotorua. For the past six years the event has attracted more than 2000 riders of all abilities representing 375 teams.
Cateye Moonride
Drivesouth Rally of Otago
25 - 27 May, 2012
Former British Rally Champion, Gwyndaf Evans will be the star attraction at the 2012 International Classic Rally of Otago held near Dunedin. There are three night-time stages on Friday, eight daylight stages on Saturday including a tarmac special around the city streets, finishing with a further six stages on Sunday.
Rally of Otago
More information
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