Event organiser Laura Trowbridge said it was a scorching day but people made the most of the sunblock stations around the show.
The showjumping, rodeo and shearing were popular as always and the atmosphere was fabulous, she said.
“There were a lot of people really enjoying themselves.”
The new layout was well received and so was Event Fun which replaced the sideshows with a vertical bungee, chair-o-plane and a mechanical bull, Ms Trowbridge said.
Gina Hajnal, of Raupunga, said her grandchildren had a lovely day and especially liked the food and rides.
“The shearing is really fun to watch.”
She had also enjoyed bumping into people she hadn’t seen in ages, Ms Hajnal said.
“It’s a great family day out.”
Events this year have included the equestrian dressage competition, dog-trials, a “Rural Ironman” competition, home industries, a scarecrow competition, a sheep section, rodeo, shearing and showjumping.
Reigning Golden Shears and New Zealand shearing champion Rowland Smith bounced back from a rare defeat to successfully defend both the Wairoa and Horowhenua shows open titles in emphatic fashion at the weekend.
With temperatures soaring well over 30 degrees in Wairoa on Saturday, Smith had a furious battle for time honours with Tauranga and January 2017 Rotorua winner and fellow former World champion Gavin Mutch.
Hawke’s Bay-based Smith moved away slightly in the final stages to win by almost nine seconds with a time of 16min 14.58sec for his 20-sheep pen.
With quality points added, Smith won by 6.48pts, a wide margin in top-class open competition.
