The holiday break is the first of four consecutive weekends of the 2022 FAWC Winter food and wine festival. Photo NZME
Hawke's Bay can expect a mixed-weather start but a mainly fine change for a busy weekend of events during Queen's Birthday weekend.
The general forecast for the region has high cloud at times with some showers tomorrow , with northwesterlies changing to southerly. Tthe showers clear on Saturday morning with fine breaks and the southerlies "dying out", according to forecasts from national weather agency MetService.
The forecast for Sunday is fine, with increasing high cloud and light winds, followed by cloud and northeasterlies on Monday.
With temperatures yesterday among the highest in New Zealand (Hastings at 21.1C was the highest about midday), they were expected to ease going into the weekend, to highs on Saturday of around 14C and lows around 1C.
Temperatures for the rest of the weekend were expected to peak at around 17C.
A wide range of events are scheduled for the weekend, headed by the 150th year celebrations at Napier Boys' High School, starting tomorrow evening and finishing on Sunday.
Following more than a year of intense planning, the biggest event will be the 118th Polson Banner first Xvs rugby match between Napier BHS and Palmerston North BHS early on Saturday afternoon. There will be commemorative playing jerseys including the monograms of both schools, extra seating installed, over 2000 people expected on the sidelines, and the match televised live.
The booked-out jubilee dinner a few hours later will seat over 400 people at the Rodney Green Centennial Events Centre (formerly Centennial Hall) at McLean Park.
On Monday, Queen's Birthday racing will be held in Hastings, with a date inherited for this year from the Auckland Racing Club, with its track at Ellerslie out of action for renovations. It includes four jumps races, including a $70,000 steeplechase, a prelude to the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase being staged on July 2.
The holiday break is also the first of four consecutive weekends of the FAWC Winter food and wine festival, including the new Matariki holiday weekend of June 24-26.
Police are expecting significant increases in highway traffic over the weekend, and are calling for extreme care to avoid a repeat of the nationwide Easter tragedy in which 12 people died on New Zealand roads in four-and-a-half days. There were three fatalities over Queen's Birthday weekend last year.
The road toll for this year was 159 for the five months up to midnight Tuesday, including four fatalities in Hawke's Bay in May.
Police say motorists should allow plenty of time, drive to the conditions and speed limits and take regular breaks for their travels. The journey time for the 142.4km stretch from Napier to Taupo since the installation of an 80km/h speed limit for just over half the distance is now calculated at 1hr 59min.
Queen's Birthday Weekend Events:
Sports and Recreation
Saturday, June 4
7.50am, Flaxmere Park Run.
Chatham Cup, Napier City Rovers v Petone, at Petone.
3pm, Nash Cup Premier Club rugby - Aotea v Clive, Rugby Park, Dannevirke; Taradale v Napier Pirate, Tareha Reserve, Taradale; Napier Tech OB v Havelock North, Whitmore Park, Napier; Tamatea v Napier Old Boys Marist, Bill Mathewson Park, Hastings; Central v Hastings Rugby and Sports, Central Park, Waipukurau.
5.30pm, Sal's NRL Basketball, Taylor Hawks v Auckland Tuatara, Pettigrew.Green Arena, Taradale.
Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5
Porsche Car Club event, with 70-80 classic cars, Soundshell display on Saturday.
North Island Weightlifting Championships, EIT Institute of Sport and Health at Mitre10 Park, Hastings.
Queen's Birthday, June 6
10.30am-4pm, Hawke's Bay Races, Ferguson Gold Cup Raceday, Nine races including two steeplechases and two hurdles, first race 11.32am, last race 4.09pm, Hastings Racecourse.
Rugby: Hawke's Bay Magpies v Manawatu Turbos pre-NPC hit-out, at Pahiatua.
Markets/Expo
Saturday, June 4
8.30am, Napier Urban Farmers Market, Clive Square.
10am, Sustainable Fashion Market, Showgrounds Hawke's Bay Tomoana, Hastings.
Sunday, June 5
Hawke's Bay Farmers Market, Showgrounds Hawke's Bay Tomoana, Hastings.
10am, The Wedding and Event Expo, War Memorial Centre, Napier.
Anniversaries
June 3-5 (Friday-Sunday): Napier Boys' High School 150-year celebrations (Friday - 5.30-7pm, Mix and Mingle (ticketed event); Saturday – 10.30am, rugby Napier BHS 2nd XV v Palmerston North BHS 2nd XV; 12.30pm, Polson Banner rugby, Napier BHS 1st XV v Palmerston North BHS 1st XV; 11am-12.30pm, Ladies High Tea; 6.30pm-11.30pm, Jubilee Dinner (ticketed event), Rodney Green Centennial Events Centre, McLean Park; Sunday – 9am-10.30am, Boarders Breakfast; 9.30am, Era photos; 10a, school tours, musical and cultural events.
June 3-5 (Fri-Sun): Kia Toa Bowling Club 100 years, Hastings: Friday, meet n' greet; Saturday, 1pm, centennial roll-up (players dressed for the ages); Sunday, centennial lunch.
June 4 (Saturday): Maraenui Rugby and Sports Association: 40th-anniversary dinner (postponed from 2021)
June 4-5 (Saturday-Sunday): Omni gym club, 40yrs, 2022 Omni Junior Ribbon Competition, Saturday 8am-5.30pm, Sunday 8.30am-2.30pm.
Gigs and Community Events
June 3 (Friday): 7.20pm, Divas and Piano 4, The Cabana, Napier.
June 3 (Friday): 8pm, Miles Calder, Paisley Stage, Napier.
June 3-4 (Friday- Saturday): 8.30pm, Karaoke, Bay City Club, Napier.
June 4 (Saturday): 8pm, Jess Atkin and The Urban Cats, The Urban Winery, Ahuriri.
June 4 (Saturday): 8pm, TinkerBalls - Queens Birthday Special, The Common Room, Hastings.
June 4-5 (Saturday-Sunday): 11am, Support for Ukraine film Screening 'Overcoming Fate', Regent Theatre, Pahiatua.
June 5 (Sunday): 9am, Te Mata Park Winter Planting, Havelock North.
June 5 (Sunday): 2pm, Wairoa WIFT Mana Wahine High Tea Celebration 2022, Kahungunu Marae, Nuhaka.
June 6 (Monday): 10.30am, Tea with Tales (monthly event), Hastings Public Library.
Exhibitions and Festivals
MTG, Napier - 9.30am, 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake, MTG, Napier; 9.30am, Nature Culture, HB artists and collection, 9.30am, Waka Korero, MTG, Napier;
Hastings City Art Gallery - 10am, Inga Fillary – What's the Matter; 10am, Terminus: Jess Johnson & Simon Ward; 10am, Cellular Memory: Elizabeth Thomson.
CHB Settlers Museum, Waipawa - 10am, Art from Paul Hunter Centre.
National Aquarium of New Zealand, Napier - 9am, The Unseen, art and science.
Boyd-Dunlop Gallery, Napier - 10am, Beneath The Sunshine, Isaac Peters.
Creative Arts Napier - 10am, Journey of Discovery, Colleen Schofield; 10am, 'A Round: POV' Work by Sacred Heart College.
Gaiety Theatre, Wairoa: Wairoa Maori Film Festival (Friday 6pm, Sat-Mon 10am).
Winter FAWC weekend 1 – Friday, 4pm, Taco Nouveau, Decibel Wines, Hastings; Friday 6pm, movie Sparkling - The Story of Champagne; MTG, Napier; Friday 6pm, Hygge Hoedown, Hygge at Clifton Bay (sold out); Friday, 6.30pm, Just Desserts eight-course (sold out), EIT; Saturday, 1pm, movie Ants on a Shrimp, MTG, Napier; Saturday, 3pm, movie A Trip to Spain, MTG, Napier; Saturday, 6pm, movie Pig, MTG, Napier; Sunday, 1pm, movie Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, MTG, Napier; Sunday, 2pm, Chick, Chick, Chicken !, Farmhouse Kitchen Cooking School, Havelock North; Sunday, 3pm, movie Love Sarah, MTG, Napier; Sunday, 4pm, Pitmaster v Pitmaster BBQ (sold out), Valley D'Vine, Napier; Sunday, 6pm, Fondue Lounge, The Urban Winery, Ahuriri; Sunday, 6pm, movie Boiling Point, MTG, Napier; Sunday, 6pm, Heretaunga Wine Studio Cinema Series (sold out); Friday, 5pm opening Tuākana Tēina, Toimairangi Artists Exhibition, 10am daily thereafter, Ahuriri Contemporary, Napier.