Events Calendar

Throughout the year there are annual events held within our area or not too far away. Take time to stop for a few days while you attend or travel to the event. The Marlborough Wine Festival and Hunters Garden Marlborough attract large numbers of visitors, both from within New Zealand and overseas. The Hopai Sports Day, held annually in the Pelorus Sound, has it's own regulars with some families having 3 or more generations who have attended the sports day. It's a great way to experience a unique outing - egg & spoon, sack & running races, gum boot throwing, tug-of-war teams vie against each other, boat races, dinghy rowing races, Hopai He-man, and chopping competitions make this a great day out for the family.

The following events will happen in the future, but we do not have a definite date yet:

• A & P Show, Rai Valley
• Adventure Marlborough
• Penanze Sports Day

• Hunters Garden Marlborough www.gardenmarlborough.com
• Havelock Mussel Festival www.musselfestival.havelocknz.com
• Marlborough Wine Festival www.wine-marlborough-festival.co.nz
• Blues, Brews & BBQ's www.destinationmarlborough.com/brightstone-blues-brews-and-bbq-s/
• Classic Fighters at Omaka www.destinationmarlborough.com/ClassicFightersAirShow/

You can find a lot more detailed information about these and other events at:

• Destination Marlborough
• Marlborough 4 Fun

Hopai Bay was originally known as Kopai and is found on the Eastern Shores of Crail Bay in the Pelorus Sound, Marlborough.

An annual sports day has been held here since about 1920. Due to the early records being lost it is unsure exactly when the sports started. Old newspaper clippings, and photographs have given a reasonable guess as to when they began.

It's a family day, bring a picnic and enjoy the fun; mothers, fathers, children, aunts ∓ uncles, grandparents and friends. In the early years, it was the time when local families could catch up with each other on all the gossip, see the new babies, and participate in the events. Some of these families wouldn't see other until the following year.

As families started taking in paying guests to supplement incomes from their farms, these people came along too. Nowadays, people who have their own holiday homes, or rent, or are on boats, all come along too. Others travel from Blenheim or Nelson, some have been coming for generations. But it is still a family day for everyone to enjoy. It used to be boat access only, now you can also drive, or come by float plane, or helicopter (permission required from land owners), as well as the traditional way by boat.

Boat racing, rowing, chopping, races for children and adults; running, relay, egg and spoon, sack races, grandmother, grandfather races being some of them. There used to be nail driving competitions, and a Miss Hopai. The Hopai He-man was introduced, and now we have jet-ski races as well.

One of New Zealand's leading axeman, Geoff Hocquard was a regular competitor in the chopping, who went on to become the Double World Champion in 1969 at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. He was captain of the World Team in 1970 and again in 1974 when the World Team defended the title against the Rest of the World Team, the World Team won. His son, and grandson have also followed in his footsteps.

Many local family names have been close links with the sports; Harris, Redwood, Harvey, Godsiff, Robb, Roach, Foote, Fell, Shand, King-Turner, Black, Orchard, Haliday, Rogers, to name only a few. You will still find these names as competitors or committee, bu now we find that new-comers to the Sounds are helping run the sports too, it's a great way to get involved in the community and help keep the tradition of the Hopai Sports Day alive.

Compiled by Ann Bigley-Scott
Reference: "Kopai – Hopai" by Kristen Gerard.