No concerts but plenty of racing for the first Waterbourne Beach Festival

Olympic sailing medalist Jo Aleh was the women's champion at the stand-up paddleboard nationals last weekend. Photo / Supplied

The organisers behind last weekend's inaugural Mount Maunganui-based Waterbourne Beach Festival are already prepping for next year's event.

Event director Laurence Carey said the three-day multisport event went well.

"We got all the different sports done which was amazing."

He said there was a good mix of conditions across the weekend, with the swell building to two metres by Sunday's events.

The event included the stand-up paddleboard nationals, beach volleyball championships and wing-foil racing.

Carey said thousands of people came down to watch the events.

While initially there were to be community beach events and two concerts, working the event under a red traffic light setting meant most community events and the concerts were not possible.

However, about 30 people were able to participate in the Tip Top Paddle Ninja Games, a paddleboarding inflatable obstacle course.

"It was awesome, considering the circumstances and how Covid impacted the event."

He said he was already working to get next year's event organised, and was pleased the first event was a success.

After the national event on Sunday, women's paddleboarding national champion Jo Aleh said the day's race was pretty epic, with tough conditions.

"I had a good game plan and it worked. The game plan was to avoid the big waves, and that was a winner."

GJ Gardner Beach Volleyball National Championships operations manager Trent Weebly said the weekend was a huge success given the heightened restrictions from
Covid-19.

"Beach volleyball in New Zealand is a minority sport, so showcasing the National Championships in collaboration with Waterbourne Beach Festival is a match made in heaven."

Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said it was a cracker of a weekend in the Bay, with perfect weather for both the Waterbourne Beach Festival and the start of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 on Friday.

"It's the first time Tauranga has hosted these two events and it gave residents and visitors alike something a bit different to do on their weekend – a perfect distraction from all the other worries of the world that have been going on."

The postponement or cancellation of recent and upcoming events had been having a negative flow-on effect for accommodation providers, tourism activity operators and hospitality venues, he said.

However, he said the red-light setting did not mean stopping altogether.

"To that end, it's important to continue to provide entertainment and activity options so the people who want to keep enjoying the good things in life can do so."

Its own inaugural event, the Flavours of Plenty Festival, would be held in a month's time and involved local chefs, restaurants and food producers.