Let's go NZ

Weekend of walking and adventure


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New walks and adventures join old favourites in the sixth New Zealand Walking and Adventure Festival. Activities take place in Methven, April 24 and 25, and all fitness levels are catered for. This friendly, fun weekend begins with a get-together at the Chancellor Resort on Friday April 23, 5.30pm-7pm.

On the web: www.letsgomethven.co.nz

Down memory lane

Tap your toes to the pianola at Matthew's Vintage Collection in Doubtless Bay. There's also a comprehensive collection of vintage cars, tractors, stationary engines, and farm and domestic implements. The museum is on SH10, 5km north of Taipa.

Contact: (09) 406 0203

Email: winm-lynk@xtra.co.nz

Wine workshop

Be a winemaker for the morning at Clearview Estate at Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay. The winemaking workshops are at 10am on Easter Monday, April 12 (chardonnay) and Anzac Day, April 25 (merlot). Take warm clothes suitable for grape picking and processing. As some grape stomping might be required, you will also need a mucking-in attitude. In a year you will receive a bottle of the wine you helped to make. A $90 ticket includes lunch with the winemaker, or $60 for the workshop only.

On the web: www.clearviewestate.co.nz

Autumn attraction

Arrowtown's 20th Anniversary Autumn Festival caters for a wide range of ages and interests, with more events and variety than ever before. The festival will be held April 23 to May 2. The festival includes arts, authors, markets, parades, parties and the intriguingly named "Minor Mayhem 4 Kids".

Contact: (03) 442 0132, (03) 442 1244

On the web: www.arrowtown.com

Birds of a feather

Ohiwa Harbour near Whakatane is host to many migratory wading birds from the Northern Hemisphere, as well as the rare New Zealand dotterel. The birds feature in an informative two-hour cruise on board the Te Torea, which also traces Maori and European settlement. The tour departs from Fisherman's Wharf at Port Ohope. Bookings are essential as the trip is weather and tide-dependent.

Contact: (07) 308 7837, 025 206 6689

On the web: www.nzbirds.com

Heather Ramsay