Touring About With Me

The Mission Concert is another of our great yearly events. It has slowly grown over the years. I can remember sitting on top of Campbell Drive watching the first one we had here. Which was if I remember rightly Ray Charles. And no you weren’t allowed to be up there, being a non paying listener, but did anyway. They have stopped all that now by having security all around the Mission Estate. This one would have been our 17th concert, so can forgive me for not rememering that far back.

The concert is held each year in February at the Mission Estate Winery Church Road Napier. It’s a beautiful setting.  Mission Estate has a big area next to it’s vine yards where the concert is held. It has slowly over the years become worldwide known. I know people that over the years have come from parts of Australia, just because of the amazing atmosphere that has been spoken about so much. It’s not just a concert to see someone like Loinel Richie or The Beach Boys (one I really enjoyed). It’s a day and night to remember.

Most people will spend days arranging things like. Who the big group is they’ll be going with. What food and Wine they want to take. Deciding who is going to be at the gates when they open to get in to get the best spot. How they will get there and home again. (No drink and driving here). And can’t forget what they want to be seen in. Some people it’s their one yearly event , so get dressed to the nines. Or it’s just jeans and a T Shirt. Some will do the theme thing, usually to do with who is playing at the time. It’s a long day as gates open at 2pm so the more organized you are the better. You can buy everything you’ll need for the day at the concert,Food wine and beer. But to me a lot of the fun is in arranging it all yourself.

It’s a real fun day for everyone. Different support acts from all over New Zealand to listen to before the main event, which usually by then everyone is well on their for a great night. (To much wine sometimes). The crowds are pretty well behaved, as age group is more the muture group. For some it’s a time to catch up with friends and family they don’t get a chance to see often. So as I said it’s more than just a concert.

Concert sadly for the first time was cancelled. I can’t remember the last time we had such heavy rain like yesterday. Didn’t think it was going to make for a great day for anyone, let alone going to a outdoor concert. I had friends down from Tauranga that got to the concert at 6pm to find they had decided in the public’s best interest and safety to cancell it. Good move I think. I know there would have been a lot of upset people, as they travel for miles and spend lots of money for that one event. But can’t change the weather.

We’ll all be looking forward to seeing who will be here next year. This one cancelled one won’t stop the next lot of around 20 to 25,000 people attending next year. There are always the die hard fans you can count on. So until then you can still enjoy smaller concerts coming to the Mission Estate and other vine yards around Hawke’s Bay.

This weekend would have to be one of the biggest on the Hawke’s Bay calendar each summer. So if you want to see what it was like back in the early 1900’s take a tour round town and there will be something on nearly every corner.

The line up of events are huge this year and already so many of them are sold out. Doesn’t seem like people are willing to give up having some fun. Things might be hard all over the world, but do need to still live on and enjoy some of the good things in life. So if you are heading here for the weekend here’s a list of a few things that are still not yet sold out. And of cause it’s free to just go touringabout and taking in all the sights.

Art Deco Magnum Walk.. Friday 20th, Tour the Art Deco Quarter.

Charlie’s Chow Down..     Friday 20th, A La Carte Luncheon.

Cocktail-Ender on Herschell..Sunday 22nd,Wind down Listen to Jazz,Cocktails and Nibbles.

Inner Harbour Tour.. Saturday 21st, Tour the Fringes of Ahuriri Lagoon by bus.

Oceans 9 to 11 Brunch.. Friday to Sunday, Videos of the great Proformers from the Deco Era.

Red Hot and Cole.. Friday & Saturday, Listen at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House.

Taste Hastings Tour.. Saturday, Visit Hastings, 30minute guided tour Spanish Mission Walk.

T-Party.. Henry Ford’s Model T Ford in the Street Parade Ts Leading the way.

I was in town this morning and saw we already have a ship in port and people from all over the world enjoying our fun town.

There is so so much more to enjoy. visit www.artdeconapier.com for more information.  Do enjoy your weekend.

Instead of putting up lots of photo’s on here, just click on the photo below and it’ll take you to some I have put up in my Flickr collection. Hope you enjoy them. Comments are welcome…

Well had a great time at bluesbrews&bbq’s. The day could not have been nicer. I think at one point we got up to 35d, very hot. So the plan of taking sun block, hat and dear I say it a umbrella (the sensible folk took one too ). It was good to see people not being dumb and sitting in the sun all day. They had put up a couple of big shade tents, which as my friend and I were lucky to be able to lay our trendy brown chequered blanket under, only because we were there nice and early. (Told you I’d be at the gates when they opened.) Good idea to get to these things early if you want a good spot. But really with an event like this all spots are great as you can walk around as much as you like. We were even brave and left our bags on our trendy blanket, thats how safe you felt.

It was great to see all the different age groups. From families with teeny tots to (sorry dad) the older generation. We watched this dear alder chap I’d say in his 70’s having a whale of a time. He had this amazing smile on his face all day and night. Really got into the groove of it all. There would have been a few love connections that day too. The oh I can drink now age groups and what that drink can do to ya. Yes lots of  sights to see. I’ll leave that to your own imagination.

Can you imagine what it’s like being in a big field with around 4000 people with the sun beating down on you, oh the thirst that builds up. Yeah right just a good reason to do a little tasting of all the different beers, ciders,wines,food and coffee can’t forget that.

The day was filled with smells, music, dancing, voices of laughter and fun, and the odd scream. That coming from the few that do over indulge (not me true).

For the food I do have to say I did expect more. Well not so much more food as there was heaps of that. But it’s called blues brews and bbq’s. We walked around the whole area before we decided what to have first and you won’t believe this but all I had was some hot chips. OK thought good to line tummy before ale tastings. But really apart from having an ice cream or a big meal, there wasn’t much else. The meat and buns were really big and pies not.  There wasn’t really that many things actually cooking on a BBQ. I wanted to watch how they cooked fancy stuff on the barbie, but a lot of it was done behind the counters of the stalls, so couldn’t really see it. I suppose if I asked they would have let me round the back of the stall to watch,you think. They did have a great Texas bbq, which cooked pork and beef and the smell from that was mouth watering. Yes we got food from there for tea. Beef with pasta salad and bun. yummy very sweet tasting beef. There was oysters, paua, whitebait fritters other seafood stuff (not me sorry) which I’m sure lots enjoyed. Over all there would have been something to tempt everyone into eating heaps, which we did. The coffee did go down well to, it was a long day.

The Ales, well every colour of gold to dark brown and more you could think of. Yes I had blonde beer from Bop Brewery (OK I know the blonde jokes) but it was nice and lite, can I say that about beer. Also tasted cider which I didn’t think I would like, but there was one from Bulmer/Harvest Cider which I did enjoy too. You had so much choose from the good old tried and true Tui to yes Blonde beer. I didn’t taste the wine as don’t like to mix but there was a good selection of that too.

The music was fab all day and all night. Hamish Pinkham missed his flight from Auckland, but they just changed acts around until he arrived a bit later. He seems very popular here in the Bay. The line up was.. Hamish Pinkham, Devils Elbow, Pulse, Tropical Downbeat Orchestra, Ian Morris & The Undefeated, The Checks and lastly Naked Gun who really had the crowd going and wanting more. Think they ended up doing 3or more songs to please everyone. Not really a blues band but enjoyed all the same. A good mix of music, lots of people up dancing. I think we all had a great time just being there amongst a neat lot of folk. I nearly forgot they had a competition for fancy dress and boy there was some sights. Even a group dressed as a boat, yes a boat (do have some pic’s to put up yet). 2 amazing looking fire girls which court a lot of attention and why not. Lots of great hats,wigs, and a police women who actually won the first prize, not your normal looking police women though..  A really fabulous days outing, something any tourist to our hometown should have on their to do list while here enjoying the Bay.

So what did I think of the day.  Fabulous

Would I go again. For sure

If you went, let us know how you enjoyed the day too.

Dressups Anyone

Beginning of a great long hot day..Hastings

Hi everyone,

Well it’s now Saturday the 17th January and it’s the day of The Blues Brews and BBQs event. I’m really looking forward to it, as in all the years I have lived here in Hawke’s Bay I have never been.

“The festivals are a celebration of everything that is unique about the traditional kiwi summer lifestyle; our love of outdoor cooking, great music and enjoying an ale or two with good friends and family.” Quoted from the Blues Brews and BBQs site.

So it’s a day of to much good BBQ food and lots of local treats by some of the best chefs around. Lots of stalls with tempting delights I’m sure. I’m told the smells are divine. Just imagine the aroma of around 20 bbqs, all cooking at the same time. lamb, pork, veges, Indian, Middle Eastern, Ostrich, Westcoast Whitebait to sweets, any food you can think of that’s cooked on a bbq and more… It’s a shame computers don’t have a smell button lol. The mouth waters just thinking of it. Will put up some photo’s just to tempt you even more..

Now to the Ales..

Beer, Chider, schnapps and even some wines considering this is a Beer feast you can still enjoy a wine or 2.

Below is just some of the stalls where you can tempt your treat buds. Oh what a sad day it is when you can be in one place and have so much, sorry only joking, it’s far from a sad day when you have so much talent in one place. Not only  Food Cooked by the best, Ales from all over and Music by so many different amazing bands. Yes we get to listen to some of NZ’s top bands while filling ourselves silly. Bands like Devils Elbow, supported by Hamish Pinkham, Ian Morris and the Undefeated, Tropical Downbeat Orchestra, Pulse, Naked Gun and The Checks and lots lots more…

Well it’s time for me to go get ready. Have list of things to take and on the top today is Sun Block as the weather forecast has said it’ll get into the 30’s. Thats’ hot. It’s hot here already.

So Camera Sunblock, hat, book haha, money (wish I had some) bottles of cold water, something to sit on, (can’t take outdoor chairs to big) Jacket for cooling evening,(that’s if you’ll feel it by then) and don’t forget ya ticket. It’s $25 online but $35 at gate, a bit unfair really, not everyone has a computer. All set to go. So see you there, gates open at 2.30pm close 10pmish. Hawke’s Bay A&P  Showgrounds. A fun day to be had by all, oh and don’t forget to take your friends and family.