Fair provided room to defy Covid-19
Cross Hills Country fair attendees masked up and spread out in a rare example of a large gathering Covid-style on Saturday.
Owners of the sprawling gardens Angela and Scott Wilson overcame weeks of uncertainty and adapting to alert level 2 restrictions to ensure the slightlypared-down version of a popular spring fair could go ahead as safely as possible.
Admission was by pre-sold tickets only, limiting the numbers to 3800, down from between 6000 and 8000 in bumper years, with some 190 stalls.
Under alert level 2 restrictions, the main rule for an outdoor event was to ensure masked attendees had enough room to maintain physical distance from others.
‘‘It was actually really lovely,’’ Angela Wilson said.
‘‘People said it was a relaxed vibe. People did not have to queue.’’
Wilson said some years with no limits on numbers things, had felt a bit crowded and chaotic.
‘‘Everyone was very happy to have a day out, and the stallholders were just so grateful, especially those with perishable goods, with so many other things being cancelled.’’
She said public health officials had been a great help in advising how to manage the event safely, and police support continued during the day.
‘‘They were here all day making sure everyone was safe. There were only a couple of people not wanting to play by the rules, and people could see that if they saw any breaches, there was someone to go to.’’
Wilson said the food stalls all did good business, and there was a lot of Christmas shopping going on at the rest.
Cross Hills has a maze of specialist gardens, which came into their best blooming with the rhododendrons and azaleas in spring.
It was the largest grower of rhododendrons in New Zealand.
Wilson said with Covid-19 restrictions keeping more people at home, there had been a noticeable upturn in interest in home gardening, making for a bumper season for the business.