New Zealand Spring Events for 2009

As New Zealand bursts into spring colour, an event-filled calendar and the forecast of a long hot summer promise to banish winter blues.


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In spring, New Zealand's landscape is at its most picturesque as trees break into blossom, gardens and country paddocks fill with spring flowers and lambs. For a selection of events that are happening in spring, see below.

Kakapo Encounter 2009 - Stewart Island

26 September - 26 October 2009

Guided tours to Ulva Island eco sanctuary give visitors a close-up view of Sirocco - the world famous kakapo who is one of an elite group of rare native parrots. The endangered kakapo made international headlines this year with a spectacular breeding season that boosted total species numbers to 125.

Kakapo Encounter

Taranaki Rhododendron & Garden Festival

30 October - 8 November 2009

Taranaki is famous for its rhododendron collections, and the Taranaki Rhododendron Festival is an international event. More than 50 private and public gardens, including nationally and internationally acclaimed ‘gardens of significance’ open their gates for a 10-day show of dramatic colour, landscape design and gardening excellence.

Taranaki Rhododendron & Garden Festival

Māori Art Market - Poirirua, Wellington

9 - 11 October 2009

A prestigious contemporary Māori art exhibition featuring artist debates, presentations and an opening gala evening. Indigenous fashion designer Dorothy Grant’s latest collection, hot off the New York fashion week runway, will be stepping out each day. Nine guest artists include leading Native American, First Nations Canada, Pacific Islands and New Zealand artists.

Māori Art Market

Adidas Auckland Marathon

1 November 2009

More than 12,000 people take to the streets to run or walk the full, half or quarter marathon in Auckland’s premier road race. A 5km walk and kids marathon have been added to this year’s schedule. The event is open to anyone from elite to recreational runners, who want to achieve a personal fitness goal or finish time.

Adidas Auckland Marathon

Hunter's Garden Marlborough

4 - 9 November 2009

Sponsored by Hunter’s Wines in Marlborough, this five-day festival showcases the region’s finest gardens, and offers guided tours through private properties along the waterways of the Marlborough Sounds, and through secluded town and country gardens. A garden fete and workshops with New Zealand personalities are included in this premier garden event.

Hunter's Garden Marlborough

New Zealand Kiteboarding Wave Bash - Taranaki

5 - 8 November 2009

New Zealand’s first ever nationwide wave-riding kiteboard competition was such a success, it has become an international event. Competitors will join New Zealand’s best kiteboarders, carving up the waves on Taranaki’s coastline for four days of action to determine the best national and international kiteboard wave riding champions.

NZ Kiteboarding Wave Bash

New Zealand Cup and Show Week - Christchurch

7 - 14 November 2009

Christchurch promises to turn on its spring colours as New Zealand’s largest festival of racing, fashion, agriculture and entertainment takes over the garden city. There will be six major race meetings including New Zealand Cup trophies for all racing codes. Fashion and entertainment includes designer collections, and ‘Fashion on the Field’ competitions at Addington and Riccarton racetracks.

Show week also incorporates the Royal New Zealand Show, and the 2009 International Rodeo where 32 of the world’s best ride-em cowboys and cowgirls take on the bulls, broncs, and barrels.

NZ Cup & Show Week

Pacific Rose Bowl Festival - Hamilton

11 - 15 November 2009

Internationally acclaimed Hamilton Gardens show off an extensive array of rose blooms, with a programme of family-friendly free entertainment.

Pacific Rose Bowl Festival

Toast Martinborough - Wairarapa

15 November 2009

Toast Martinborough is a one-day degustation celebration of fine foods and newly released wines with live music in an historic village setting. Participating vineyards match their new and limited release wines to culinary delights from top restaurants in the Wellington and Wairarapa regions.

Toast Martinborough

Pohutukawa Festival - Coromandel

20 November - 6 December 2009

Coromandel Peninsula has a list of events to coincide with the flowering of the region’s many native pohutukawa trees - also known as the New Zealand Christmas tree. Events include the Whangamata Jazz Festival, Coromandel food and wine festival, jazz boat tours, art and craft exhibitions, dive festivals, garden tours and concerts.

Coromandel Pohutukawa Festival

Moa Beer Moa Hunt - Kaikoura

28 November 2009

Set beside the Pacific Ocean - in the picturesque Kekerengu region on the Kaikoura coast - the 40km Moa Hunt mountain bike course is a challenge to match experts like Olympian Robin Reid, who completed it in 1hr 48 seconds last year. A shorter, less demanding 21km course doubles as a half marathon mountain run.

Moa Beer Moa Hunt

Timaru Festival of Roses

21 - 29 November 2009

‘Four corners of the earth’ is the theme for this year’s Timaru Festival which features a diverse programme of events including horticultural shows, street parade, garden tours, rose shows and race meetings.

Timaru Festival of Roses

Burt Munro Challenge - Invercargill

26 - 29 November 2009

Established as a tribute event to Burt Munro and the ongoing success of the feature film The World’s Fastest Indian, the Burt Munro Challenge is one of the major events on New Zealand’s motorcycling calendar and includes a rally, hill climb, beach racing, sprints races, street racing and a speedway spectacular.

Burt Munro Challenge

7 in 7 challenge - New Zealand-wide

29 November - 5 December 2009

The ‘7 in 7 challenge’ is a world-first attempt to run New Zealand’s seven mainland ‘Great Walks’ in seven consecutive days. The 360km challenge will be the equivalent of running nine off-road marathons, and climbing Mt Cook (New Zealand’s highest mountain) twice. The run will take competitors through iconic New Zealand landscape, traversing the seven Great Walks - Lake Waikaremoana, Tongariro Northern Circuit, Abel Tasman, Heaphy, Routeburn and Milford, and Kepler tracks. Organiser Mal Law hopes to raise $50,000 for the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation of NZ.

7 in 7 challenge

Calendar