Six60’s Puketapu concert is near sellout, with just 20 tickets remaining. The band members are Ji Fraser, left, Matiu Walters, former Napier Boys' High School pupil Marlon Gerbes, and Chris Mac.
Hawke’s Bay is getting ready for one of its biggest and busiest events weekends of the year as Anniversary Day this Friday rolls straight into the Labour Day long weekend.
With Six60 returning home to play at Puketapu’s Shed 530 and the A&P Show bringing rural life back to the Tomoana Showgrounds, accommodation providers are bracing for a full house, while locals are gearing up to make the most of it.
After a tough winter for the Bay’s economy, Aaron Mills, of Havelock North Motor Lodge and Hospitality NZ Hawke’s Bay branch president, says the long weekend looks set to bring a welcome boost for tourism and hospitality across the region.
“These kinds of weekends attract domestic travellers, which has been a challenge in recent years,” Mills said.
“Accommodation providers, particularly in the boutique and higher-end market segments, are reporting strong bookings ... As well as those staying in accommodation, cafes, restaurants, and bars across the region are set for a great weekend.”
Saturday night’s Six60 concert is expected to draw up to 5000 people, and is almost sold out; about 20 tickets are available.
The band, which includes former Napier Boys’ High School student Marlon Gerbes, postponed its Hawke’s Bay show earlier this year while the venue recovered from cyclone damage, but this time, the vineyard is ready.
“The venue, like most locations in the Hawke’s Bay, really battled with the aftermath of the cyclone, so parking locations and some of the dirt removal probably took longer than expected on the first go around,” a band spokeswoman said.
“We really respect the fact that they pulled it all together and shows the resilience that we know the Hawke’s Bay for.”
She says fans can expect the band to “kick off summer in true Six60 style” with fan favourites, brand-new tunes fresh from the studio, and “some extra special surprises” as they launch their new album campaign.
Vocalist Matiu Walters said the group has been counting down to this weekend.
“Winter has felt too long, and it has felt too long since we had new music to play for our fans,” Walters said.
“We have had this date circled on the calendar for a long time with the hope that we could give the people of Hawke’s Bay a much-needed night to remember and kick off the next chapter in the story of the mighty Six60.”
A Hastings District Council spokeswoman told Hawke’s Bay Today there would be stop/go controls on Puketapu Rd to allow pedestrians to safely cross the road from a car parking area to the venue, but no road closures.
On Friday, Elwood Rd will be closed from 7am to 6pm for the A&P Show, a staple of the region’s calendar, bringing horse and livestock competitions, carnival rides, wood-chopping, shearing displays, and family entertainment to the Tomoana Showgrounds.
Running on Thursday and Friday from 7.30am, the event is expected to attract more than 15,000 visitors.
General manager Hannah Morrah said the strike day, the long weekend, and the reduced ticket prices will likely draw bigger crowds this year. Last year’s tickets were double the price.
“We’ve got a few new activations,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“A portable six-stand shearing pod for the world-class shearing competitions, a ‘Salute the Ute’ show-and-shine with categories like Tradie, Overland and Legend, and the inaugural sausage-dog race on Friday.”
Morrah says the crowd-favourite Clydesdales are back, along with new live art features, including chainsaw carving and a design make and model school art competition that has already drawn strong entries.
“It’s all about showcasing our own Hawke’s Bay talent, whether that’s in a rural sense or an artistic sense,” Morrah says.
She described the event as “tourism at the heart of our homes”.
“Families have relatives coming in for the long weekend, and part of how they spend time with their family is coming to the show together. So, we do it as a family and that’s the core instance of it.”
Morrah, who stepped into the general manager role in July, s is “excited” about the show.
“It’s just like Christmas.
“We’ve got such a great show team, we’re having a lot of fun doing it, and there’s such an immense privilege to be part of it.”
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