Pipers at the 2024 Turakina Highland Games. Photo / Debbie Benton
Pipers at the 2024 Turakina Highland Games. Photo / Debbie Benton
The weather didn’t turn up for this year’s Turakina Highland Games but all its events went ahead - just.
Organiser Katarina Begg said the dancing competitions had to be relocated from the Turakina Domain to Marton School and Rangitīkei College on Saturday.
“That was a good 400 people moving over there,” she said.
“It was a bit of a shame but the piping, drumming, bands and field events still went ahead on the grass.
“The reason the dancing had to go was the wind. We needed to make sure everyone was safe.”
In the Piping & Dancing Association competition, Keighley Fielding-Woodmass from Levin won the North Island Championship (NIC) Seann Truibhas Open and Palmerston North’s Yianni Fovakis claimed the NIC Irish Jig Single Time.
Despite the weather, the games were well attended, Begg said.
“It did look a bit weird though, half the ground was pretty clear and the other half was just rammed with people.”
She said band titles were shared between several groups this year, which marked a change.
“Normally it’s the same band winning everything so it was quite nice to have a spread.
“There were eight grade 4 bands this year and that’s more than we’ve had previously.”
Dancers were forced indoors at this year's Turakina Highland Games. Photo / Rebekah Gribbon
The youth pipe band winner was Scots College and the overall champion was the Manawatū Scottish No.1 Pipe Band.
Winners in the field were Jessie Akerman (9 to 12-year-old boys), Petra Jarrett-Sherborne (9 to 12-year-old girls), Dylan Kawana-Waugh (open men) and Tara Samuel (open women).
Lisa Brown-Hatchard won the open drumming competition and Stuart Easton triumphed in A-grade solo piping.
There were around 600 spectators and 200 competitors at the domain this year.
Begg said it was the second year in a row the event had been impacted by weather.
Next year will mark the games’ 160th anniversary.
“We have already started planning for that and we now have contingencies we’ve thought of to stop splitting people up.
“We’re going to get extra marquees. The weather won’t get us again.”
People from as far away as Waipu in Northland made the trip to the games, she said.
“There were a lot of campers this year. We have two sites - a quiet one for families and the older generation, and a more lively area. That is where all the competitors tend to stay.
“It’s close to the marquee where we hold a ceilidh (social gathering) at night.
“I stopped over on the grounds and at 4am I could still hear people enjoying themselves. A good time was had by all.”
Field events went off without a hitch despite the weather. Photo / Neil Doherty
Note: Results from the Royal Scottish Official Board Highland Dancing competition weren’t available at the time this story was published.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
