Last week I mentioned the upcoming Gartshores Tauranga Wine and Food Festival – three days ago it
was cancelled.
This must have been a huge disappointment for the trust that runs the festival and I reckon it's a real shame for Tauranga and frankly, I don't get it – of all the many events that take place here, why is it that the Wine and Food Festival never managed to quite crack it?

I say that because the Wine and Food Festival has, almost since its inception around a decade ago, been teetering on the brink of not drawing big enough numbers to be financially viable. Finally this year the advance ticket sales were just too low to risk going ahead and having to pay a whole bunch of people from money that might not be there.
And, as I said, I don't get it: the venue, Wharepai Domain, would seem the ideal spot; the food, wine and entertainment on offer are always of an excellent standard; the event always seems to be well-advertised; ticket prices ($25) don't seem insanely unreasonable.
So why is it that numbers, rather than continually growing, have stagnated and even dropped off?
It's not like the organisers were looking for unreasonable crowds. The basic aim, from what I can understand, was around 3000 people, not – I would have thought – an unreasonable ask. But for some years now numbers have been stuck at around 1500 – too low to quite make things viable.
Are the tickets too expensive? Are people not prepared to risk buying tickets for an outdoor event where it may possibly rain? Do Tauranga people just not like wine and food?
Perhaps it is the sheer glut of events at this time of year. Though last time around, with that in mind, the festival was moved to a November date so it could attract the pre-Christmas business parties as well as individuals. It made no difference: the numbers still stubbornly stuck at around 1500.
Blues Brews regularly attracts over 8000. The Mills Reef Stars Under the Stars concerts get around 4000 each night. Even the Marchwood Blues Picnic had its biggest numbers yet this year. So what is it about the Wine and Food Festival?
I'm genuinely at a loss about this and would encourage anyone reading, if you have a theory, please write to the letters page – just an email is fine – and share it. There must be some sensible explanation, but I'm buggered if I can see it.
But, moving right along, things of interest just keep cropping up to fill those long summer nights. At 8pm on March 11 and 12, Littleweed, home of many a festival over the decades, is playing host to the fantastic percussion ensemble Strike. Littleweed is a charming orchard at 88 Works Road (out towards Katikati), an ideal spot to take in music, and Strike return after a concert there around three years ago when they were absolutely sensational.
Actually the ensemble is always sensational, matching extraordinary percussion-playing with great visual presentation. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't seen them the sheer excitement and dynamic artistry of their shows. Formed back in 1993 they have been pioneers ever since and have collaborated with a who's who of top New Zealand musicians and composers, from Gareth Farr to Don McGlashan.
Making the weekend even more special, Strike have been working for a full week with students from Katikati Primary School, Katikati College, Pahoia School and the Avalon Training Centre, who will be joining the band on stage to perform three numbers during the shows.
Strike has played at festivals and prestigious events all round the world and really are staggeringly good. In the space I have here there is no real way to describe what they do and how well they do it. All I can suggest is – if this sounds even vaguely interesting – visiting their website and having a look for yourself. They are at www.strike.co.nz and there is also stuff scattered around on YouTube.
Tickets for the shows are $25, with discounts for families and children. They're available from Baycourt TicketDirect or the Katikati information centre.