What’s On in Taupō
■ Taupō Home and Garden Show, April 12-14, Great Lake Centre
The annual show for all things home and garden returns for 2024. Promising fresh ideas and inspiration, the three-day event brings together hundreds of vendors across building, furniture, gardens, homewares, water treatment, green energy and more. An al fresco food court means you can while away a few hours and think about what could be next for your home. Ask-the-expert sessions give an opportunity to learn more, and there will be plenty of activities to keep the kids occupied. Adult tickets are $6, under-16s free and seniors are $3 on Friday only. More information and tickets via homeandgardenshow.co.nz.
■ Taupō Treasure Trails, April 13-28, Mangakino, Taupō and Tūrangi
Get active and be in to win with the whanau this autumn school holiday. Love Taupō has created three biking treasure hunt trails across the district for families to complete. Find the 10 red bikes along Taupō‘s Lion’s Walk, 11 green geckos in the Maraetai section of the Waikato River Trails at Mangakino, or the 12 blue ducks on the Tongariro River Trail in Tūrangi to be in to win. Each sign contains a letter to write on a passport, which together unscramble to make a magic word. Download a passport online or collect one from Taupō or Tūrangi’s’ visitor information centres, or at Mangakino Library. Have a go at one trail or complete all three, then drop in a filled-in passport to a customer information centre in the district to be in to win. There is even a mystery grand prize for one lucky family who submit their form by April 28. For more information and to download a passport, search “Taupō treasure trails” at lovetaupo. com.
■ Second-hand bike sale at Market Central, April 14, Northcroft Reserve
Bike Taupō is holding a second-hand bike sale at Sunday’s market. Buyers and sellers of bikes and cycling gear are invited to check out what’s on offer and register their own items for $10 with sale price attached. Mechanics and advice will be available on site, and Eftpos is available. All proceeds go to Bike Taupō. For more information, contact Bike Taupō via Facebook or biketaupo.org.nz.
■ Artist talk — Micheal Angelo, April 13, 11am-noon, Taupō Museum
Popular Manawatū artist Micheal Angelo brings his work back to Taupō with his latest exhibition, Heart in Nature. Angelo is known for his three-dimensional carved paintings of the natural world, especially native trees and birds. After earning his Diploma in Art and Creativity with Honours at The Learning Connexion in Wellington and Lower Hutt, he went on to work under carvers Tony Kāpua at Te Papaiouru Marae in Rotorua, Tūhoe Huata at Mihiroa Marae in Pakipaki, and Te Maru Marsh at Te-Pohoo-Taniianui Marae in Napier. His Taupō exhibition runs until June 3 and kicks off on April 13 with an artist talk where he will share insights into his inspiration and process.
■ Wineclub Taupō‘s Introduction to Wine, beginning April 17 at 6pm, Rotary House
Wineclub Taupō presents a six-session course demystifying the world of wine. Each session includes a 30-minute learning presentation about grape varieties, production and styles, followed by a 30-minute guided tasting of two or three wines. The first session covers pinot gris and rose´, as well as information on decoding wine labels and how to get the most out of a tasting. Further sessions take place on May 22, June 26, August 21, October 2 and October 30. A $60 fee covers the full course cost, which includes club membership for the rest of the membership year. To register or for more information email wineclubtaupo@gmail.com or call James on 021 352797.