Cross Creek Blues Club

By now you will probably know that last orders have been served at one of Wairarapa’s oldest pubs, The Tin Hut.

At almost 160 years old, and having provided a livelihood for over 50 publicans, its closure a few days before Christmas has also brought the curtain down on ten wonderful years there for the Cross Creek Blues Club.

The club has been sponsored and supported by the Tin Hut; the first seven years by Marcus Darley and the final three years by Lisa Ewart and Matt Pearce. Their generosity and the beautiful Tin Hut venue has enabled us to present national and international Blues artists in a range of highly regarded and memorable concerts. These concerts have also been supported by the generous contributions of many of our very talented local musicians who have all played for free. Our thanks to everyone who played a part in making it all possible. It’s going to be a hard act to follow. … Continue Reading

A great Christmas Parade

The Christmas Parade and Carols in the square were another great success, with perfect weather and a great turn out we couldn’t have asked for a better night. This year the Business House Carols competition was again taken out by Martinborough Hotel performing “Snoppy’s Christmas”, also a big thank you to the other businesses that entered the competition.

This event wouldn’t be possible without the help of our generous community, a very big thank you to Kay Mill’s for once again organising the parade as it wouldn’t be possible without you. Steve Lewis for putting together the Carols in the Square, our fantastic local band Short Circuit for providing us with the music alongside our MADCAPS singers. Malcolm from The Old Manse and Serena Daysh from Enchanted Entertainment (serena@enchantedentertainment.co.nz) performing as Elsa.

Plus a huge thank you to our sponsors Mitre 10, Fiona and Peter Couchman, Cotter & Stephens, Martinborough Lions Club, Property Brokers, Media Works Wairarapa, Martinborough Hotels and Dylan Taylor. We are also pleased to announce that MADCAPS will be performing another 4 night show this year, more details will follow in the coming months. You can also stay posted on our MADCAPS Facebook page for all the details about the show’s.

Wharekaka News

Happy New Year to all! What a wonderful festive season we have had at Wharekaka. As always we had a variety of community groups come in to the facility to share their christmas spirit with us. A thank you goes out to all in particulary the Rotary who came and performed carols for us in December. Also to the Martinborough School children and the children from D.O.T Kids Daycare centre for visiting with us. It was much appreciated.

The main event on our December calendar is our annual Residents Christmas Party. This year was a little different as we were lucky enough to receive a special visitor and it wasn’t Santa Claus! Local man and kiwi icon Mark Hadlow came and performed for us after our Christmas feast. We thank him and Martin Lawrence who accompanied him on the piano for the wonderful music. The residents really enjoyed themselves, what a performance! … Continue Reading

Tora Challenge Returns 1 May 2016

Following the success of the inaugural event in 2014, The Tora Challenge will be returning this autumn. The adventure race is set in the heart of one of New Zealand’s best loved private multi-day walks, the Tora Coastal Walk.

The 2016 Tora Challenge will be held on Sunday 1st May, and will again feature a 6km or 18km run/walk or a 32km run. The Challenge will see participants cover the scenic route walked by hundreds of visitors every year. … Continue Reading