What’s on in Taupō and Tū rangi
Anzac Day services, all Thursday, April 25
■ Taupō
Dawn Service, 6am, Taupō Cenotaph, Great Lake Centre
All veterans, past and present service personnel, local youth groups and other community members who wish to take part in the parade, report to the parade marshal — Warrant Officer Class Two [WO2] Lawrence Colvin Army Command School at 5.40am, at the rear carpark of the Great Lake Centre. The parade steps off at 5.50am. Full-service dress equivalent (including medals) to be worn.
Taupō Cemetery Service, 9am, Taupō Services Cemetery, Rickit St Taupō Civic Service, 10.30am, Taupō Cenotaph, Great Lake Centre
All veterans, past and present service personnel, local youth groups and other community members who wish to take part in the parade, report to the parade marshal — Master Air Loadmaster [M/ALM] (Rtd) Donald Kerr, RNZAF — at 10.15am, at the rear carpark of the Great Lake Centre. The parade steps off at 10.25am. Full-service dress equivalent (including medals) to be worn.
■ Southern Lake Taupō
Waihi Civic Service, 6am, Waihi Marae, Waihi Village
Tū rangi Cemetery Service, 10.30am, Tū rangi Services Cemetery, Aonini Rd
Tū rangi Civic Service, 11am TokaanuTū rangi and Districts RSA
All veterans, past and present service personnel, local youth groups and other community members who wish to take part in the parade, report to the parade marshal in Tū rangi town centre to march to the Tokaanu-Tū rangi and Districts RSA for an 11am service. ■ Mangakino
Mangakino Cemetery Service, 10am, Mangakino Services Cemetery, Lake Rd
Mangakino Civic Service, 11am, Mangakino District Services and Citizens Club, Wairenga Rd
Taupō Trail Festival, April 26-28, various venues
Taupō ’s first-ever Trail Festival arrives this weekend, with events for every outdoor sports lover. From a kids’ Craters mountain bike loop, an orienteering Rogaine and a night run/walk with a laser show, there’s something for all ages and levels. Food trucks, a kids’ activity zone and a wellness tent give opportunities for a break, and the event closes with a tree planting with Greening Taupō . For more information, go to taupotrailfestival.co.nz.
Tū rangi Safety Day, April 27 11am-2pm, Bayleys carpark
Join Tū rangi’s emergency services and other organisations for a family fun day. St John, Police and
Coastguard will bring vehicles for photos and Tū rangi Fire will demonstrate how they extinguish fires. LandSAR, Civil Defence, ACC, Community Patrols New Zealand and more will be available to chat about what they do and how they can help locals, and there will be giveaways and a sausage sizzle.
Earth Day 2024 Litter Pick Up, April 27 10am12pm, Floatplane carpark on Redoubt St
Join Taupō District Council for a lakefront clean-up to celebrate Earth Day. Earth Day is a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, encouraging us to come together and take action to protect the place we love. We will be celebrating Papatū ā nuku and our beautiful district with a litter pickup. All supplies will be provided — just bring along your water bottle and wear closed-toe shoes. We’ll focus on collecting all the little bits of rubbish that can be so damaging to our lake’s ecosystem — things like cigarette butts, small plastic wrappers, and other microplastics. To say thank you for your efforts we’ll be whipping up fresh Earth Daythemed pancakes.