Four big events make huge weekend

MADE FOR WALKING: Dressing up is encouraged for the annual Round the Vines fun run and walk in Martinborough.

Summer may be "officially" over but Wairarapa is making the most of the remaining good weather, with four major outdoor events taking place this weekend.

As well as the three-day Wairarapa Balloon Fiesta, which takes off today, the region is also hosting Saturday's Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival, Sunday's annual Martinborough Round the Vines fun run and walk, and the weekend-long Tora! Tora! Tora! Coastal Music Festival.

Destination Wairarapa general manager David Hancock said the events will bring in a massive influx of visitors, keen to sample the local food, wine and natural surroundings.

"Each event could bring in thousands on its own," said Mr Hancock. "I myself have three car loads of friends coming from Kapiti for the Harvest Festival. If even half the people in Wairarapa invite their friends and family, we'll be screaming along.

"And, of course, we've got the biggest air balloon in the world, which people will want to see. That's huge."

Mr Hancock said the four events will appeal to a wide range people - from music lovers, to wine connoisseurs, to fitness junkies - and each captures what is most appealing about Wairarapa.

"The events are all unique - they've got wine, delicious food, balloons and a run," he said.

"For me, they sum up Wairarapa. We're big into our coastline, we're big into our wine, and we're big into the outdoors.

"We're highlighting all of this, the best of the region, in one weekend."

The weekend kicks off with the Wairarapa Balloon Fiesta, beginning at dawn from today until Sunday, which will feature various competitions and choreographed displays, two special shaped balloons, a seven-storied high flying house and a 54-metre tall Space Shuttle replica - the largest of its kind in the world.

The Wines Harvest Festival, held at Gladstone, celebrates the beginning of the grape harvesting season and showcasing produce from 16 local wineries, including several small boutique wineries, and 10 high-profile restaurants.

The Round the Vines fun run consists of 10km and 21km courses, starting in the Martinborough Village Square and crossing into usually inaccessible vineyards.

Finally, the Tora! Tora! Tora! music festival will take care of the music fans, with performances from Warren Maxwell, Eb and Sparrow and Amiria Grenell, to name but a few.

This weekend's events come on the back of a successful summer for Wairarapa tourism with visitor credit card transactions for accommodation, eateries and retail outlets at an all-time high for January 2014.

When it came to visitor spending, Mr Hancock said the region compared favourably with other tourist hubs, such as Taupo, Hawke's Bay and Wellington.

For more information:

Wairarapa Balloon Fiesta, March 13 to 16 - www.nzballoons.co.nz

Tora Tora Tora! Music Festival, March 14 to 16 - www.toramusicfestival.co.nz

Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival, 15 March - www.wairarapawines.co.nz

Round the Vines run and walk, March 16 - www.roundthevines.org.nz