Models at Monterey

Buildings, trains, ships and smaller boats, all in model size, and a museum of vintage and classic cars are on display at Monterey Park.

The park includes a lake with a fleet of radio-controlled model launches for visitors to play with, viewing bridges over a railway and a model village within the gardens. A 12-inch-gauge train circles the complex, and there's Merv's World of Trains.

Just off Upper Harbour Dr northwest of Auckland, Monterey Park is on SH18, on the south side of the Greenhithe Bridge. It has a restaurant and a cafe. Open 10.30am to 4.30pm Wednesday to Sunday (daily in school holidays).

Contact: Monterey Park, ph (09) 416 9282 for entry details.

On the web: www.montereypark.co.nz

Free live music

"Nine bands for No Bucks" is the catch-cry for this Saturday's (Nov 23) free live-music event at Hamilton's Innes Common, alongside the city's lake.

Take a picnic and a rug and listen to the bands (or buy refreshments on site).

The day begins at 11am and the bands will be rocking until 8.30pm.

A gypsy fair will also be on the common over the weekend - a gathering of 45 house trucks and buses touring with the original Gypsy Fair. See the quaint, quirky and clever mobile homes from 9am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Contact: for the live music, Corinna or Carl, (07) 856 2797, email daisychainhalo@hotmail.com

Gypsy fair: Jim Banks, ph 025 245 2948

Taste Tauranga

Spend a day with Tauranga Tasting Tours and you will undoubtedly give dinner a miss. Paul Marston's tours set out at around 10.30am and no one stops sampling delectable foods and sipping fine beverages until the return to base around 5pm.

Up to eight people can join each tour, which heads around the Bay of Plenty by minivan to visit a boutique brewery, two medal-winning wineries, a distillery and a marina-side restaurant.

The food on the tour ranges from hors d'oeuvres and a food platter to desserts and coffee. There is also a restaurant lunch available at a separate cost.

The tour price is $130, and one group booking all eight seats gets a 12.5 per cent concession.

Contact: Tauranga Tasting Tours ph/fax (07) 544 1383 or 021 122 4607, email tgatastingtours@xtra.co.nz

On the web: www.tastingtours.co.nz

Kauaeranga kauri

Explore the old kauri trails of yesteryear in the Kauaeranga Valley, near Thames. Days can be spent discovering huge kauri trees or just enjoying the sound and sight of rivers flowing through the forest park. Camp at one of DoC's grounds or enjoy home comforts at one of the many B&Bs in the area.

Contact: Kauaeranga Valley DoC

ph (07) 8679 9080


Kauaeranga Valley B&Bs

ph (07) 868 7213

The Peninsula