Teddy Bear's Picnic sure of big surprise at Gatsby event

Tents filled with teddy bears, fairies and butterflies lined Emerson St and the lawn yesterday as the 2017 Gatsby Picnic lived up to expectations.

Despite rain affecting numbers, people from around the North Island still flocked to Napier to set up their picnic spots in hope of having the most elegant gazebo.

Napier pair Sarah de Vos and Cate Alizzi were one of those vying for the title and just hours later were crowned the winners for their Teddy Bear's Picnic themed tent.

Ms de Vos said they came up with the theme when they found out the lyrics for the Teddy Bear's Picnic were created in 1932.

"We already had lots of teddy bears scattered around our houses with eight children between us and I have been collecting vintage items for about 20 years so it seemed like it would work well."

Decked out with teddy bears of all sizes, rocking horses, cupcakes and children the tent stood out from the rest.

According to the judges from Dilmah Tea, the pair displayed authenticity and a depth of emotion.

Dilmah Tea marketing director Dilhan Fernando felt the Teddy Bear's Picnic was a sincere presentation.

"It was a traditional theme and displayed a living presentation of a family where the kids were all apart of it. It was very well done."

After only entering the competition for the second year, Ms de Vos and Ms Alizzi were shocked by the result and never expected to be chosen as the winning picnic.

"We are actually stunned, as it is something fun for our families and we never thought we would be walking away with the main prize. It is very special to us all."

Coming a close second was a group of girls from Wellington who travelled up for the weekend undeterred by the wet weather.

Ria Apostolidis, Ana Turwiel and Georgia Pope based their picnic on the Absinthe fairy, planning months in advance.

"We came last year but didn't enter the picnic and agreed that we would in 2017 so here we are."

The girls described themselves as hoarders so said they had a lot of material and different pieces to work with.

Ms Apostolidis enjoyed the experience, as she felt like a living piece of art.

"Everyone's been taking photos of us it has been a lot of fun. I guess we can pretend to be a spectacle for the fans."

Despite the number of entries being down this year, Dilmah Tea founder Merrill J Fernando was pleased with the calibre of picnics presented to him.

"This is my third year and each year there are strong themes and stories with a lot of activity behind it."

He said it was a great occasion for celebrating the community's heritage and enjoyed the effort put in by all those who attended.