Hairy Maclary author, Dame Lynley Dodd, and sculptor Brigitte Wuest.
It's all go in Tauranga at the moment.
It feels like the city is growing up rapidly.
Saturday's events served as proof of that with crowds turning out to two events despite it being the middle of winter.
The family fun day to celebrate the opening of the new Hairy Maclary sculptures drew hundreds of people wanting to get a glimpse and enjoy the festivities.
The community open day for the newly completed Tauranga Eastern Link managed to draw about 10,000 during the course of the day on Saturday.
My husband and I went down to check it out and organisers really had pulled out all the stops. Buses shuttled people back and forth from Baypark, down the new road and even to Kiwi360 in Te Puke.
Vintage cars were lined up along the road for people to admire, bands entertained the crowds, an information tent allowed you to learn all you wanted to know about the construction of the new road and food trucks allowed the masses to grab a bite to eat.
It was a great opportunity for people to explore the area before it becomes a busy highway dominated by cars. It was something different to do on a Saturday.
Both events, despite being on the same day, were a success and managed to draw a crowd.
It's great to see locals getting out and enjoying and supporting the events our city has to offer.
I know we can't open a road or erect sculptures every weekend, but it just shows what the city is capable of.
Tauranga in winter has a bit of a sleepy reputation and some events have struggled in the past.
I'm optimistic that is changing.
As reported on Saturday the new-look pedestrian-friendly Wharf St dining precinct is also set to open next weekend with a Winter Festival planned to draw people to the area.
It's another great idea that will add vibrancy to the city during both the summer and winter months.
Hopefully it will also be as successful as last weekend's events.
I'm looking forward to the day when crowds of people milling around the waterfront is a regular weekend occurrence.
This summer will be critical to discover if the sharks have started returning.