Rotorua's Tulip Fest a blooming success

SMELLING THE FLOWERS: Anja Kreber Smolic, 3, left, and Charlotte Woerd, 3, have fun at The Arts Village. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER 280914SP2

If you needed any excuse to wake up and smell the flowers the weekend's Tulip Fest gave you just that.

The inaugural event was held over three days and inspired gardeners to consider tulips in their gardens next spring and gave others a reason for wandering around the Government Gardens.

Organiser Sabine Willemsen said they had a blooming good time.

"We've had lots of positive feedback," Ms Willemsen said.

"It's a nice celebration because it's about flowers. People are looking happy and it's a very positive thing to celebrate. Our visitors have said how beautiful the Government Gardens are looking."

The Tulip Fest included tulip talks with Walter Miller, who was the Rotorua District Council parks operations manager for 40 years, as well as talks on kaka beaks, callas and gerberas. There was a self-drive tour, a yarn bomb workshop, floral quilt workshop and a combined Dutch and Turkish market, among the events.

"We had a lovely market with lots of Dutch food and lots of Dutch tourists, as well as locals, came down. We've taught people about the different types of tulips and how to grow them and we have lots of ideas for the next Tulip Fest."

The combination of Dutch and Turkish fayre was because while the Dutch are always associated with tulips, they are originally from Turkey.

Rotorua's tulips are mostly found in the city's premier floral display beds, mostly located within the inner city, Government Gardens and Kuirau Park. Planting is mainly mid-season tulip varieties that flower from the middle of September to mid-October and this year's main colours are red, white, mauve, yellow and pink.

The photographic competition runs for another couple of weeks and information can be found at the Rotorua District Library.