Vegetarians cruise through crisis

Lack of a venue means there will not be a vegetarian festival in Auckland this year but organisers are floating an alternative.

For the past three years the NZ Vegetarian Society has run a popular food and lifestyle festival to celebrate World Vegetarian Day on October 1. This year their usual venue, the Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, was already booked.

The society's national office manager, Fiona Brodie, said they looked "far and wide" but were unable to come up with anything in time. "We needed a kitchen for cooking demonstrations but we also needed a decent-sized hall."

The volunteer-run society decided to pick the festival up again next year and organise a vegetarian banquet cruise instead. "We wanted to do something that was different and a celebration because that's what World Vegetarian Day is all about," she said.

The evening cruise and three-course dinner on a 32m launch will take place on October 10. Tickets cost $70 and there are still a few places left.