Photos: Wild West comes to Waimamaku

Julian Gielen from Ōmanaia and other members of the South Hokianga Riders patrol the main street of Waimamaku. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Gun-toting horsemen, highway robbers, cheese-rolling races, a keg-throwing contest and even a lolly cannon — Saturday's Wild West Fest in Waimamaku had all that and much more.

Several hundred people turned out for a day of western-themed fun despite occasional rain and a postponement from the original date due to February's Covid level 2 alert.

The annual event is a fundraiser for various health causes in South Hokianga with much of the cash raised by shotgun-wielding bandits extracting tolls from passing motorists.

A bandit named Blue and Wild West Fest organising committee chairwoman Chrissy Turner guard Waimamaku's southern border. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Rider Donald "Fordy" Ford of Ōue and his horse Chees. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Molly Morunga belts out a song with the Hokianga Country Music Club. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Highway robbers Gaylene Bright of Waimamaku, front, and Korina Preston, Onerahi, hold up a row of cars. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Highway robber Gaylene Bright of Waimamaku extracts a toll from a passing motorist. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Highway robbers Gaylene Bright and Korina Preston with a memorial to Korina's late father Dene Preston, a Wild West Fest supporter and long-serving Sheriff of Waimamaku. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Julian Gielen from Ōmanaia and other members of the South Hokianga Riders patrol the main street of Waimamaku. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Rider Julian Gielen of Ōmanaia puts on a show of horsemanship. Photo / Peter de Graaf

They don't bother with ordinary lolly scrambles at the Wild West Fest. They get Sheriff Dan Druff to fire his ear-splitting lolly cannon. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Festival-goers compete in the cheese rolling final. Photo / Peter de Graaf

"Pipi" of Waiotemarama competes in the final of the cheese rolling race. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A beard convention, or just old mates Louis Toorenburg of Rawene and Graeme Butler of Waimamaku catching up? Photo / Peter de Graaf

Seabourne Rust of Waimamaku in his festival finery. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Koutu's Scarlett Naera, 8, competes in the kids' firefighter challenge with a little bit of help from Georgia Tilly of Ōue. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Josiah Nathan of Kaihu Valley competes in the keg-throwing contest. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Tamihana Hohaia, 15, of Waimamaku, competes in the keg-throwing contest. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Thirteen-year-old Jasmine Gamman, of Waimamaku, competes in the archery challenge. Photo / Peter de Graaf

"Father" Tom Drewet outside his home in the former Waimamaku Church. Photo / Peter de Graaf