Old favourites and new treats at Home and Leisure Show

FAMILY FUN: The Rotorua Daily Post Home and Leisure Show is back this year. PHOTO/FILE

Cooking demos, big prizes, fun for the kids and lots more - the Rotorua Daily Post Home and Leisure Show is back for 2016.

The show, which runs from July 15 to July 17 at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre, will feature show specials and prizes valued at more than $110,000.

The major prize this year is a trip for two to Fiji, flying with Fiji Airways, staying five nights at the Treasure Island Resort, including transfers. This trip is worth more than $6000 and supplied by Hello World Rotorua.

Rotorua Daily Post advertising manager Janine Davy said cooking demonstrations would be given by local chefs, which would include both "new and old favourites".

They would feature finalists from the Rotorua Hospitality Awards, with live demonstrations from finalists in the Emerging Chef, Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Barista and Outstanding Bartender categories, she said.

Mocktails and cocktails are new additions to the demonstrations.

Home seminars will be available where people can pick up tips and tricks from the experts on the likes of buying a first home, selling family homes and building.

Mrs Davy said, with probably a few hundred stands, a variety of businesses would be present. There will be the regular, old favourites along with new companies, she said.

Some of the services included are installation companies, DVS companies, furniture companies, internet services, interior designers, new building companies, spas, electric bikes, mobile phone companies, tourist operators, service clubs and charities.

Skyline Rotorua sales executive Rachel Leinhardt said Skyline Rotorua would be back with its popular Skyline Gondola Card Offer - buy one year and get the second year free - which was exclusive to the Rotorua Home and Leisure Show.

This year, some of the options in the Flavours Wine and Food Section would be chocolate, fruit, nuts, liquorice, international sweets, Indian food, limoncello and wines from local winery Volcanic Hills, Mrs Davy said.

Back by popular visitor demand was the children's area, with free activities to keep the children preoccupied.

Rainbow Springs online marketing manager Shelley Burnett said they would be there letting people know about the annual pass and providing free activities for children.

These activities included making a bird feeder to take home and experiencing what it was like to be a kiwi, she said. "We are trying to encourage kids to bring conservation into their own backyards."

Mrs Davy said the show had become a fixture within Rotorua for the July school holidays.

"There's fun activities and there's something for everybody with the food and cooking demonstrations."

It was a great family half-day out and surveys revealed that people were staying longer with all the extras, she said.

-The show will go from 10am to 5pm on the Friday and Saturday, and from 10am till 4pm on the Sunday. The cost is $5 per adult with under 12s free.