Sleepy town transforms into Wild West

A posse of bad guys (Davey Fife, left, Julian Gielen and Lance Gleeson) riding into town during last year's Wild West Fest. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Not many festivals include robberies and shoot-outs in their list of attractions, but then Waimamaku's Wild West Fest is no ordinary festival.

Once a year the normally sleepy South Hokianga town is transformed into an outpost of the Wild West, where cowboys and bad guys on horseback stage gun battles on the main street, bandits hold up passing motorists and locals compete to see who can throw a beer keg the greatest distance.

There are also cheese-rolling races (although with the cheese factory long closed yellow tyres are used instead of cheese wheels), market stalls, live music (country and western, obviously), competitions, a firefighters' challenge and lots of kai.

And it's all going to happen again on Saturday, this time with a renewed focus on the wearable arts contest and parade, which will be themed 'Fallen angels of the Wild West'.

One of the many quirks of the festival is that much of the action takes place on SH12, which means traffic is halted occasionally for cheese-rolling heats or shoot-outs.

It will be opened by Mayor John Carter at 10am, with the parade at 10.30 and shoot-out around 1pm. The festival tends to wind down after 2pm.

It began 15 years ago as a Far North version of Hokitika's Wild Food Festival, but somehow morphed into a cowboy-themed event, probably due to the involvement of the South Hokianga Riders.

It has become one of the most eccentric and enjoyable events in the Far North.

Proceeds will go towards maintenance of the town's two defibrillators, Hokianga Hospital, and possibly a water supply for fighting fires.