Sign In / Register
After months of organisation, the Kowhai Festival Committee was celebrating another fantastic event. The town centre and riverfront were chock-a-block with thousands of local residents and visitors on Saturday. For our coverage in photos in the slideshow below.
Thousands of people turned out for the 48th annual Kowhai Festival Huge Day Out held in Warkworth on Saturday October 28.
Organisers were relieved the weather stayed fine bar the odd shower, which they think probably contributed to the huge crowds.
Kowhai Festival chairman Murray Chapman says stallholders started setting up in Queen Street around 5am.
“We had just on 200 stalls this year, which is a festival record,” he said. “As well as retailers, there were a lot of community and service groups.
“I also think a lot more of the shops were engaging with the festival this year, which was really great to see because that’s what it’s all about.”
One disappointment was the fact that the scow Jane Gifford could not conduct the usual river cruises.
Spokesperson Dave Parker says the vessel is still awaiting its Certificate of Compliance four months after being surveyed.
“We’ve missed both Labour Weekend and now the Kowhai Festival,” he says. “The impact on our fundraising is devastating.”
Dave says he is confident the certificate will be issued and he felt the delay was unnecessary.
“As far as we’re concerned, it is fully compliant – we keep her in very good condition, but the Healthy & Safety is a bit over the top.”
