My perfect Whanganui weekend: Adventures from the mountains to the sea and the parties in between for Neil Buddle

Artists Open Studios Trust chair Neil Buddle said his perfect weekend would involve tramping, gardening, and the Whanganui nightlife. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Every week we catch up with someone from the Whanganui community to tell us what their perfect weekend in the region would be. This week we spoke to Neil Buddle, Whanganui artist and chair of the Artist Open Studios Trust.

I do a lot of tramping, so a perfect weekend for me would have to involve hitting the trails around the region.

The Whanganui region is actually spoilt, having some of the best tramping tracks in the world. Living next to the river, the ocean and four active volcanoes means there's a hugely diverse range of environments and landscapes to explore.

Depending on the weather, I'd either head out to the beach or up to the mountains of the Central Plateau.

When the night comes I'd either head out to a pop-up gig or a house party.

Whanganui has really good house parties, and more often than not there's a pop-up gig going on somewhere in the city with local performers and DJs, so there are always good times to be had.

There's also usually a local art exhibition going on, which is something I'm always interested in going to.

Particularly, this weekend there are two separate shows going on at the Whanganui Community Arts Centre showcasing the works of local Māori artists and graduate works never seen before, 'Reporting Back' and 'Huritau'.

Finally, I like to spend some time gardening at home, enjoying the river, and relaxing.