Art treasure hunt to celebrate festival's 10th birthday

Tauranga Art Treasure Hunt team leader Wendy Pedersen gets lost among the mountain of art pieces which will be hidden around the city's CBD area for people to find on Saturday. Photo/John Borren

A birthday party giving away art through an adventurous treasure hunt is one of many events on offer in Tauranga this Labour Weekend.

The hunt will take place tomorrow as part of the festival's Community Day and is free to anyone of all ages wanting to take part. Meanwhile, hospitality insiders say there are gearing up to be busy.

Individual art pieces wrapped in birthday party paper will be tucked away in sneaky hiding spots throughout the central and waterfront area of the city. People will be able to find clues via a Facebook page, specifically set up for the event.

Organiser Simone Anderson said the idea was based on a children's birthday party "because it's the 10th birthday of the Tauranga Arts Festival and we thought 'how can we relate birthdays and art?'

"The treasure hunt is fun. The idea is that it's giving art away for the appreciation of art and it just demonstrates how many different art forms there are. From oil paintings, ceramics, textiles, art comes in many forms. It will be exciting for people."

Ms Anderson, who runs The Incubator at the Historic Village, said high-calibre artists had donated pieces for the hunt, including ceramic cherubs with 24-carat gold. In total, there would be about 150 pieces to find.

Ms Anderson said the idea was partially inspired by popular community group Tauranga Rocks. Like Tauranga Rocks, the treasure hunt asks people to post photos of themselves with their art once they find it.

Team leader Wendy Pedersen said the idea was also inspired by an internet project called Art Abandonment.

"It's a fun way of sharing art. It's a way of getting art out there and appreciated. Even if you think you are not an artist, this is real grassroots art and culture."

Festival director Jo Bond said ticket sales were going "really well", and That Bloody Woman and Big Daddy Wilson were already sold out.

Ms Bond said organisers were hoping for a large turn out to the community day, which would have live performances, markets and food, before people headed off to watch the Bay of Plenty Steamers rugby game.

Rising Tide general manager Lisa Rooney said Labour Weekend "kicked off the busy summer period."

The Rising Tide would open up its extended deck area and the outside garden bar to cater for more customers.

Ms Rooney said she had more staff rostered on for the weekend and the company was also running a pop-up bar on the Tauranga waterfront as part of the arts festival.

Hospitality New Zealand's Rachael Shadbolt said businesses were looking forward to the "first signs of summer" and accommodation was looking "steady and solid".

The New Zealand Transport Agency has identified State Highway 29 in the Kaimai Range and SH2 between Paeroa and Tauranga as key congestion clog spots to avoid this weekend.

Weather in Tauranga is expected to cloud over during the weekend with isolated showers expected in the afternoon and evening tomorrow and Sunday. The showers are expected to get worse on Monday.

Art Treasure Hunt
People can join the Art Treasure Hunt and take part via its Facebook page ART.TREASURE.HUNT.