Wairoa has bounced back from the loss of its two biggest annual events over the last two years with one of the biggest crowds for the A&P show which was held over the weekend.
Parking space rarely if ever used for parking was needed to accommodate numbers on Saturday, despite the heavy, grey skies and threat of rain that prevailed for most of the day, and the soft underfoot conditions after one of the wettest years on record throughout Hawke’s Bay.
It went to the “fifth level”, said first-time event manager Alice Wilson, and mum and former event manager Sue Wilson said she couldn’t recall such a turnout in her 30 years’ association with the show.
The show was cancelled last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the historic Wairoa races, haven’t been held since 2020, locked out of the industry by a nationwide rationalisation of racing venue use throughout New Zealand.
The two-day show was held on Friday and Saturday, with horse riders remaining in town for the Wairoa horse jumping show on Sunday. Wilson said the show was marked by the “record” entries in its rodeo and good quality shearing fields for events held on both Friday night and during the next day.
