Nelson's edible treasures

Nelson celebrates its maritime bounty with the Hooked on Seafood Festival at Port Nelson next Saturday.

Seafood lovers will be salivating as leading chefs prepare succulent seafood dishes, including crayfish, oysters and scampi. The region's top wines will complement the dishes, and there'll be talks from representatives of the seafood, wine and olive industries. Entertainment includes opera, country, jazz, Kiwi classics, and the zany Netherlands band Haystax, who put a hillbilly twist to hit songs.

Tickets cost $35 (adult), $17 (8-18yrs), under-8s free. Entry includes a wine glass and holder, programme, entry to the New Zealand Seafood Chef Awards, and entertainment. Food and beverages are extra.

On the web: www.hookedonseafood.co.nz Africa via Browns Bay Browns Bay shopping centre moves to African beats during the Cairo to Capetown Street Festival on Saturday, March 13.

The festival showcases the culture, music, dance and food of the African continent. The Auckland City Dukes, Boereorkes and Bretts New International will entertain festival-goers, and there'll be crafts from Egypt, Ethiopia and Namibia, and workshops for both children and adults, including puppetry and fabric painting. 10am-5pm.

Contact: (09) 478 4201 Taranaki technology A variety of events will be held to mark Taranaki Anniversary Day next Monday. The Taranaki Aviation, Transport and Technology Museum will hold a fair on Sunday with displays, rides for the kids, a bouncy castle and a sausage sizzle. It's also the 75th anniversary of radio station 2YB, which will be broadcasting from the site. If wet the cancellation will be broadcast on local radio and the event will be held on Monday, March 8.

Adults $2, children 50c. Corner Kent Rd and SH3, New Plymouth, 10.30am-3.30pm.

Contact: (06) 759 6060

On the web: www.newplymouthnz.com A very long lunch A long lunch usually refers to the amount of time spent indulging in the midday meal, but Napier's Great Long Lunch adds another meaning to the phrase. On Sunday, March 14 a table long enough to seat 800 people will be laid in the Marine Parade Gardens.

A special menu has been prepared by chef Vicki Bruhns-Bolderson, and guests will dine on the region's finest cuisine while sipping Hawkes Bay wine. A string quartet will play while the lunch is in progress, then the pace picks up with a local band encouraging guests to dance off the excesses.

Tickets are $70 (plus booking fee), which includes a two-course lunch, wine and entertainment. The dress code is smart.

Gates open at 1pm, and guests should be seated by 1.30pm. If wet it will be held in a marquee.

Contact: (06) 834 3917

Email: cbdevents@inhb.co.nz.

On the web: www.greatlonglunch.co.nz Click go the shears The Golden Shears 2004 will be held in Masterton, March 4-6. This internationally acclaimed competition seeks out the best in shearing, wool handling and wool pressing, starting with novices through to senior and open events.

There are competitions for men and women, and individual, pair and team events, with the transtasman test giving us a chance to beat the Australians.

Events are held in the Golden Shears Stadium, which is equipped with a large screen so that you don't miss any action.

Other entertainment includes the Shearable Arts presentation. Competition starts at 7.45am, with most evening sessions starting around 7pm.

On the web: www.goldenshears.co.nz Explore Otago Peninsula If you've only got a short time in Dunedin but want a close encounter with wildlife amid some dramatic scenery, consider a half-day Peninsula Encounters trip with Elm Wildlife Tours.

Daily tours travel the length and breadth of the Otago Peninsula, starting with a lagoon visit and a visit to Taiaroa headland to view Royal Albatross. Then it's on to a private conservation area to see Hooker's sea lions, yellow-eyed penguins and fur seals. Elephant seals, leopard seals and dolphins can occasionally be seen. The tour allows close, secluded viewing but participants require average fitness as some walking is required.

Contact: 0800 356563, (03) 474 1872

On the web: www.elmwildlifetours.co.nz