Rotorua's seafood festival a big hit with locals

The welcoming smell of fresh seafood and the sound of top quality entertainment were the order of the day at the second annual Rotorua Summer Seafood Festival.

Hundreds of people enjoyed the fresh air and summer vibe of the festival. The VIP area was sold out early while others took in the festival under the ample shade provided by organisers Te Arawa Fisheries.

There was paua, kina, mussels, oysters, fresh fish, Maori bread and great weather to keep the punters happy today .

Festival patron Sean Kelly said he and his friends had enjoyed their day and said the food was great and atmosphere nice and relaxed.

"We loved the fresh fish tacos and tequila prawns and the environment was nice.

"It's great to see so many locals out supporting the event.

Image 1 of 15: Dave Dobbyn performs at the Rotorua Summer Seafood Festival.

"There was a lot on this weekend, so to get a good crowd like this was good to see."

Mr Kelly said his early-bird ticket cost just $30 and was great value for money.

"Rotorua needs this sort of thing, the crowd was really well behaved and everyone was having a good time."

Rotorua singer Rob Howard opened the festival and Glo Spot finalist Bailea Twomey from Whakatane and X Factor 2015 trio Fare Thee Well also performed.

They were followed by top local musicians Krissie Knapp and Kelly Makiha who got the crowd into the mood for one of New Zealand's most recognised performers Dave Dobbyn, who had the place rocking with hits old and new such as Loyal, Whaling and Language.

MasterChef winners Kasey and Karena Bird hosted the event and were seen signing books and chatting about all things seafood with their fans.