Rain, hail or shine - nothing will stop this year's Quarryfest from happening at Te Puna Quarry Park.
The annual event is the flagship fundraiser for Te Puna Quarry Park Society. The 32ha reserve is an oasis of lush gardens and one of the Western Bay of Plenty's most idyllic spots. But its sanctuary is only made possible through the efforts of volunteers who weekly weed, tend to plants and manicure the grass.
Sunday's Quarryfest fundraiser is the society's way of ensuring the park can keep going.
It will offer live music all day from three spots including the parks' natural amphitheatre, plus food trucks, crafts stalls and Devonshire tea.
Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club member Ian Calvert said the event was traditionally organised by the band of volunteers but after several years, the workload became too much and it was suggested the Quarryfests should stop.
But the Lions Club was not about to let that happen.
"So we picked it up," Calvert said.
"This is a big major fundraiser for the quarry and its volunteers. They spend a lot of time out there doing the gardening, planting the plants and the whole thing."
Calvert said the event was invaluable to the quarry and its devoted team of minders. It had also brought the community together and was a perfect day out for the family, he said.
"It's one of the best gardens in places for people to go to in Tauranga."
People are encouraged to bring along their families, including dogs, with a picnic to soak up the atmosphere on offer.
Entertainment will include the Tauranga Brass Band, kapa haka, Tauranga Acoustic Music Club, bluegrass bands and about 80 stalls.
"It's a real community thing, really, and it exposes the quarry park to a lot of people. It's a real family day," Calvert said.
So much so, the event will not be cancelled in the event of wet weather, he said.
Buses will be on offer to help transport people from the bottom of Te Puna Quarry Rd to the park, as housing has taken some of the traditional parking spaces.
Calvert said local farmers had offered their paddocks for parking on the day. Golf carts will also be on offer inside the quarry park for any people needing assistance around the site.
Quarry Park founder Shirley Sparks said the society relied entirely on donations and the Quarryfest.
Every year the event attracted plenty of people, and "people and the public, they love it. They come pouring in", she said.
"It's very rewarding. It's a fabulous day."
Quarryfest
Where: 108 Te Puna Quarry Rd
When: Sunday, November 12, from 10am to 4pm
Why: To raise money for the Te Puna Quarry Park Society
What to bring: Your picnic blanket, walking shoes and cash for food and craft stalls
Cost: $2 entry
What is Te Puna Quarry Park?
Te Puna Quarry Park is situated at Te Puna, 12km north of Tauranga, at the end of Quarry Rd.
Because of the confiscation of land from the Maori by the Government of the day in 1864, comparatively little history is remembered or recorded of the inland Te Puna area. However, after the Te Puna Quarry Park Society formed in 1993 development of the area began in 1996 and the park officially opened in 2000.
It has since gone on to win several community and environmental awards.