The Taupō Easter Bunny Egg Hunt has started. Towncentre Taupō's Dervla Murtagh finds a bunny in the window of Little and Mighty on Te Heuheu St. Photo / Rachel Canning
The Easter Bunny is never going to get Covid-19.
Because he is a magical creature and this year Taupō is putting on a magical Easter.
Towncentre Taupō and Easterfest have a range of outdoor events planned over the holiday period.
This week, the Easter Bunny has been busy putting up pictures of himself in 12 shops around the Taupō CBD. Find 10 shops with his picture, write down your answers and enter the draw to win an iPad.
The Taupō Easter Bunny Hunt is sponsored by Towncentre Taupō with project coordinator Dervla Murtagh hoping the event will bring people back to the town centre after a relative period of quiet during the Omicron peak.
"The Taupō Easter Bunny Hunt is an outdoor activity and you can safely take part without having to mix with others."
Dervla says while the kids are looking for the Easter Bunny posters, perhaps the parents will enjoy shopping for autumn fashion "or maybe linger over a coffee in a cafe".
"An Easter Bunny hunt is an old school activity, all the family can join in, and it gets the kids off their devices.
"Many people have been at home isolating, and this is a good chance to feel like being part of the community, while staying safe and socially distanced."
Meanwhile, the Red Bike Treasure Trail is an easy ride along the Great Lake Walkway. Starting and ending at the Taupō information centre, children will enjoy the challenge of finding red bikes placed in interesting locations around the picturesque ride.
Find the red bikes, crack the code, enter and win. There are also treasure trails in Tūrangi and Mangakino, all rides have stunning views and are on easy contours for families.
There are stunning views over the Waikato River, Taupō Boat Harbour and Lake Taupō, and plenty of places to stop and enjoy the activity on the waterways. Riverside Park is also the perfect place for a picnic lunch along the way.
The Easter Bunny is going to be in the Taupō central business district several times during Easter. If you are lucky enough to see him, he will have some free chocolate treats to give you, Elim Church pastor and Easterfest organiser Locky McNeill says.
Easterfest events are set to run from April 14 to 18. Locky says the festival is a celebration of the Easter story and the tradition of coming together as a family.
"And of course, Easter is about the Easter Bunny."
Hosted by the combined local churches, Locky says each church used to do its own thing at Easter.
"But we recognised that together we could do something huge."
Pop-up street artists from Creative NZ are returning. Last year, the interactive stilts, juggling performances, and bubble blowing from Heidi and Sean delighted children and parents.
Various online events are planned. In the lead-up to Easter, Church @109 YouTube channel will share the first stories of Easter, the meaning of Good Friday will be live-streamed event on Good Friday, and kids of all ages will enjoy being part of a half-hour television show on Easterfest TV.
A "Cross Walk" around key religious locations in central Taupō is yet to be confirmed, and Locky says church services in the participating churches are planned over the four days of Easter.
"A lot of Taupō churches have capacity of less than 200 and so can comply with the new Covid-19 rules. We all want to go back to having church at church, but realise that after two years of being told 'don't go to venues' people will take a while to adjust to going back into buildings."
At present, he is signing up cafes to take part in the Tall Poppy Great Lake Hot Chocolate Competition. The idea is that people visit participating cafes and then go online to vote for the best hot chocolate. Locky says this is a great opportunity for people celebrating Easter to support local businesses and the event was hugely popular last year.
Easterfest
Info at: www.easterfest.nz/programme/
Treasure Trails of Taupō, Tūrangi, and Mangakino
Info at: www.lovetaupo.com/en/see-do/family-friendly/taupo-treasure-trails/
Taupō Easter Bunny Hunt
When: Until Monday, April 18.
How: There are 12 cheeky Easter bunnies hiding in shop windows in the Taupō town centre. Find 10 and go in the draw to win some egg-citing prizes including an iPad.
Entry: Collect forms from Taupō Library, Replete Cafe or www.towncentretaupo.co.nz. Fill in the form and drop off at the collection box by Replete Café or take a photo and email info@towncentretaupo.co.nz
More Info: Bunny finding clues will be posted on Facebook @TowncentreTaupo Facebook
Local Democracy Reporting obtained the decision through the court.