Good weather ahead for busy Hawke’s Bay weekend

Sailing the inner harbour on a fine day. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hawke’s Bay can expect two warm days for a range of outdoor events taking place throughout the region this weekend.

While the region, and much of the rest of the North Island, was late on Wednesday under a MetService warning of possible severe thunderstorms and localised downpours of up to 40mm, with a peak temperature in Napier and Hastings about 23C, temperatures were forecast to increase to 26-27C over the weekend, with cloudy northerlies on Saturday and possibly some showers later on Sunday.

Events on Saturday include the first Hawke’s Bay Fijian Sports Club Duavata Sevens, at Whitmore Park, Napier; the Mitre 10 Sports Park’s revived Top Team Challenge; the Urban BBQ Festival at Tomoana Showgrounds; the first round of the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship, beside the Ngaruroro River near Crownthorpe; and the Hawke’s Bay Saloon Championships at Meeanee Speedway.

The ISA Mens Softball Classic is on for both Saturday and Sunday at Akina Park, Hastings, and the Flemington Mud Run will be held in Central Hawke’s Bay on Sunday.

Among other events are the Lions Book Sale at Tomoana Showgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, and the Taikura Fête at Taikura Rudolf Steiner School, Hastings and the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market, at Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds on Sunday.

The Duavata Sevens, starting at 8.30am on Saturday, has attracted 12 teams, and a New Zealand Sevens assistant coach who played 61 international tournaments is expected to be present.

A welcome will be held at the Napier Tech clubrooms on Friday night.

There are also 12 10-player teams in the Mitre 10 Sports Park’s Top Team competition, which got off to a good start in 2020, only to come to a sudden stop because of the Covid crisis.

Initial winner Unison has not entered a team, but workplaces are well-represented in what is designed as a good team building exercise, with 16 bragging-rights challenges – generally kept secret until the day of the event.