Rotorua Tulip Festival from 1-9 October. Photo/supplied
NEW ZEALAND'S largest tulip festival is being celebrated on the Western Bay of Plenty's doorstep.
More than 100,000 tulips are about to burst into bloom in Rotorua in time for the city's annual Tulip Festival. The festival will be staged from October 1-9 and Western Bay of Plenty residents are expected to be amongst the many who will flock to Rotorua. Tulip Festival organiser Brigitte Nelson says the greater Bay of Plenty is fast gaining a name for itself as a gardening destination, with the annual Tulip Festival and Tauranga's biennial BOP Garden and Art Festival.
In fact, BOP Garden and Art Festival director John Beech will be one of the speakers at the Tulip Festival. Those gathered will get to hear what's on offer at the Tauranga-based November 17-20 extravaganza.
Rotorua has held tulip festivals before, but this year's is set to truly wow, thanks largely to Rotorua Lakes Council's commitment to planting 100,000 tulip bulbs in the city's Government Gardens, on hospital hill, and other key inner-city localities.
In previous years 40,000 bulbs were planted. Residents have got behind the festival with great enthusiasm, adding to their council's bulb planting endeavours, Brigitte says.
The festival will incorporate an array of activities and has attracted a mix of celebrity speakers.
New Zealand chef and TV One Kiwi Living foodie sensation Michael Van de Elzen will host a cooking demonstration, judge a best Dutch apple cake competition and a children's cooking competition at the inaugural Rotorua Farmers' Market, while mixing and mingling with stall holders and the public. His cooking demonstration will be held on the festival's opening night, Saturday, October 1, from 5pm. The Farmers' Market will be launch on the Sunday.
Other celebrity speakers will include acclaimed NZ landscape designer Xanthe White; award-winning contemporary furniture designer and maker David Trubridge; and NZ Gardener editor Jo McCarroll (who will also be a key visitor at the BOP Garden and Art Festival).
David will be at the festival on Saturday, October 8 to talk about beauty in design, inspired by nature and wood and his new design piece for Rotorua. His work features prominently at Skyline Rotorua's iNZpired store, and he is in the design stages of tree lights for the Redwood Treewalk, as well as its grand staircase. His session will be held from 5pm.
Xanthe, a repeat exhibitor at London's Chelsea Flower Show, will speak on Wednesday, October 5 at 1pm. Xanthe will share gardening tips and tricks.
Meanwhile, Jo will speak on Saturday, October 8, at 11am, sharing stories about life behind the scenes at NZ Gardener.
As part of the festival, bus tours will travel to two destinations set to thrill. There will be two bus tours to Dalton's Plantation gardens, with a detour to Dalton's potting mix plant where robots will be seen in action. The other tour destination (also two trips) is to Plenty Flora and Sandara Gardens. There will also be the opportunity to self-drive to Plenty Flora Gerbera Greenhouse at Horohoro on a set day.
Various guided walking tours will be part of the festival fun. There will be the chance to take a wander and learn about Rotorua's public art, Maori cultural history, or the plants, trees and design of Government Gardens. Or ... how about a guided bike tour? Plus there's a Frocks on Bikes event.
The Tulip Festival falls in the school holidays, and children have not been forgotten. School holidays have never looked so good in Rotorua, Brigitte says, with the festival offering cake decorating, musical theatre, an activity trail, give-it-a-go croquet, a cake baking competition and various craft opportunities.
Adding to all the excitement is the fact two art exhibitions with a distinct Dutch flavour are being staged at Rotorua Museum during the festival. Fifty-seven digitally remastered Rembrandt works will be exhibited from September 3 to November 20.
Meanwhile, the work of Dutch-born Rotorua artist, the late Walter Bakkenes (1920-1986), will be exhibited from September 3 to November 27.
The festival will finish on Sunday, October 9, with a concert featuring Bay band The Fisher Kings. Tauranga beauty queen Larissa Allen, who finished third in the Miss Universe NZ competition this month, will officially close the festival. She will also be mixing and mingling at the festival during its final day.
For ticketing information, visit tulipfestrotorua.co.nz.