Waipu rocks to Easter carnival

The roaring winds from Cyclone Ita just two days before gave way to a fine day and turned into a roaring success for the 5th anniversary of the Waipu Easter Carnival.

The carnival far exceeded expectations on all fronts raising around $50,000 for Waipu Primary School.

The event is drawing crowds from near and far and has now become a favourite for locals, holiday makers and anyone heading away on Easter weekend with many considering this year’s crowd the biggest yet.

The event certainly has a carnival feel from the time you arrive at the park with the carnival signage, the large satin flags greeting you as you enter and you never know what surprises might be in store.

This year saw clowns merrily making their way through the crowd to add a little something special with giveaways and good cheer.

The event retains its country feel and this year the petting zoo was a real hit along with the water walkers, merry-go-round and ferris wheel – and the noise along with the cut and thrust of the mower races always attracts a large and vocal crowd!

The Kids Zone was popular with kids, a place they were able to have a lot of fun for a few dollars.

The carnival has also become the one-stop-shop to pick up your preserves for the year and has many people coming from Whangarei to collect their favourites along with the famous Russian fudge.

Well done to the organisers. A lot of time and effort goes into the preparation and execution of such a wonderful day by parents, school staff and lots of volunteers but all agree the result is certainly worth the effort.