KEY POINTS:
Discover your creative side with art and writing workshops at the Marlborough Sounds Water & Wilderness Festival. It is at the Portage Resort and runs October 17-19.
On the web: www.marlboroughsoundsfestival.co.nz
Fabulous food
Local food producers and restaurateurs will show their skills at the Taste Bay of Islands Festival at the Copthorne Hotel & Resort in Paihia, 11am-4pm, September 27. Entry is $5. The festival ends with a Kauri Tucker Dinner where five top Northland chefs serve up a mouth-watering menu in a rustic working woolshed. Tickets cost $79.
Contact: (09) 402 7411, (09) 402 6275
Email: waikokopucafe@xtra.co.nz
On the web: www.northlandnz.com
Night of nights
Te Po is new at Te Puia, Rotorua. After being welcomed on to the marae, visitors are treated to storytelling, entertainment, food and a visit to Pohutu Geyser. It's available nightly from September 18 and can be combined with a visit to Te Puia's interpretive galleries and carving and weaving schools.
Contact: (07) 348 9047
On the web: www.tepuia.com
Go for gold
Explore gold mining history at the Waihi Gold Fest. It runs September 29 to October 4 and includes gold panning, goldmine tours, walks, a beach dig and a trolley derby.
Contact: (07) 863 3030
On the web: www.waihi.org.nz
Alpine aquatics
Queenstown's Alpine Aqualand is a new indoor aquatic centre that boasts lap and leisure pools, a lazy river, exciting hydroslides, a spa pool for adults, a toddlers' area and various water features. Open daily.
Contact: (03) 450 9005
Email: info@lakesleisure.co.nz
Web: www.qldc.govt.nz
Market forces
On September 22 Ashburton buzzes with over 100 market stalls. The theme for the annual Boulevard Day is Masquerade Magic and there'll be prizes for the best masks. It runs 9am-4pm.
Contact: (03) 303 6025, (03) 308 1815
On the web: www.ashbiz.co.nz
