You are my Sunshine

Mayfiesta's blue water swim starts from Tea Tree Bay.

Terry Sampson has noticed Australia's Sunshine Coast is chocka with Kiwis. Many live there and a heck of a lot more visit for holidays.

Sampson should know. He grew up in New Plymouth but now lives in the Sunshine Coast where he runs Noosa Hinterland Tours and makes a living showing New Zealanders - among others - the attractions of his new home.

So why does the area have a particular attraction for Kiwis? "The climate, mate - that's number one - combined with the fact that there's still room to breathe here compared with the cities.

"Kiwis also love the coast, and the beaches here are pretty phenomenal, plus, of course, it's warmer. Even in the middle of winter people still swim.

"And the food is terrific. Noosa, in particular, has world-class restaurants. They have developed a unique Sunshine Coast cuisine which is designed for the climate. There's really great seafood and they use a lot of interesting combinations of tastes using local ingredients."

Sampson, who worked on television programmes such as Burke's Backyard, New Zealand's Maggie's Garden Show and Getaway, has developed a tour visiting the places such as a freshwater crayfish farm, gourmet salad garden, spice farm and a local winery.

"I've noticed it seems to be specially popular with Kiwis."

Many of the aspects of the Sunshine Coast he enjoys, especially the area's food and its relationship with the sea, will be celebrated in the Noosa Mayfiesta, a month-long programme with 31 activities, ranging from rock music and glass-sculpting demonstrations to golf tournaments and comedy theatre.

The main events are:

* A celebration of Australian food and wine Noosa-style, May 12-14, which includes cooking demonstrations, food markets, a food and wine symposium and special meals from local restaurants.

* Riverfest, May 20-21, which includes fishing competitions, boat shows, music and a ferry race on the Noosa Rover.

* Noosa Blue Water Swim, May 21, with a 500m beach swim, a 1km ocean swim and the big event, a 2km blue-water swim back to town from Tea Tree Bay in Noosa National Park.

* Noosa Harbour Fiesta, May 27, a Latin American-style fiesta with jazz and a grape-stomping championship.

Tourism Noosa chair Steve Molnar says the aim of the Mayfiesta is to demonstrate that May, with its continued warm weather, is a good time to visit the Sunshine Coast.

"And just to make it a bit cheaper for more Kiwis to come here, we've organised a lot of special offers on accommodation," he says.

"During May, most of our accommodation houses are offering deals based on pay for three nights and stay for four, or pay for five nights and stay for seven."

It seems the only risk is that you may not want to come home.

Sampson's partner, Noeline Croft, who was born in Taihape and grew up near Palmerston North, says she was on her way home from Britain when she stopped off on the Sunshine Coast "and decided it was just a pretty good place to be so I've stayed here and I love it".

Since then, she says, the Sunshine Coast has seen a lot of exciting changes.

"We don't want it to get too crazy. We don't want the Sunshine Coast to get like the Gold Coast. But at the moment it's not. It's just a very nice place to be."

* More information on the Noosa Mayfiesta: Contact Tourism Noosa on 0061 7 5430 5000, or visit the website www.tourismnoosa.com.au (see link below)

Luxury break

Fancy the chance to spend five days in Noosa chilling out during the Mayfiesta?

Herald Travel and Tourism Noosa are offering the chance to win a holiday package for two including:

Two return airfares to Brisbane flying Pacific Blue (www.flypacificblue.com or 0800 670 000); four nights' accommodation for two at Netanya Beachfront Resort, which has absolute beach frontage resort grounds, breathtaking views over Laguna Bay and easy access to the famous Noosa beach break (www.netanyanoosa.com.au or 00 61 7 5447 4722); two pamper treatments at Noosa's newest five-star beauty house, the Groom Room, where men and women can experience a "glorious state of nothingness induced by beauty and massage therapies" (0061 7 5455 6777 or www.groomroom.com.au); as well as dinner for two at Gustos, at 257 Gympie Tce, which offers fine views over the river and modern Noosa style cuisine (0061 7 5449 7144).
Also in the prize are tickets to attend one of the following Mayfiesta events:

* RocknTewantin concerts featuring Ross Wilson and the Deltones on April 30 and May 1.

* A celebration of Australian food and wine Noosa style, May 12-14

* Noosa Springs gala golf day, May 19.

* Noosa Riverfest regatta and May global food festival, May 20-21

* Noosa blue water swim, May 21.

* Noosa harbour fiesta, May 27.

To enter, write your name, address and a daytime phone number on the back of an envelope, and name which Australian state Noosa is in.

Post it to: Noosa Mayfiesta, Herald Travel, Box 3290, Auckland, no later than noon on April 4. The winner will be named in Travel on April 11.