Tapawera’s population of about 300 people got a rather significant boost last weekend, with 2000 people descending on the area for the town’s annual Music in the Mountains motor campervan rally.
Event convenor Lindsay Dennis reports that 808 vehicles attended the event, which kicked off last Thursday and involved four nights of live music, as well as line dancing, bike maintenance workshops and plenty of grooving in front of the bands. He says that it was another “really successful” event, with positive feedback flowing in.
He is full of praise for the musical acts, which he says “knocked our socks off” as people crowded the dance floor in front of the event’s purpose-built stage.
The 800-odd caravans and campervans – 100 more than last year - come from all around the country. The organisers keep track of the statistics and Lindsay says that there were 22 vans from Northland alone, and that about a third of all attendees were there for the first time. There were even 176 pets along for the ride – mostly cats and dogs, says Lindsay, “and the odd parrot”.
“People go away buzzing about it.”
Lindsay reckons the event sells itself, with visitors saying they’ll be back and will be telling their friends. I hope they don’t,” he says with a wry smile, “because it’s probably big enough with 800 vans.”
Music in the Mountains began about 18 years ago in St Arnaud, with 40 vans attending. It quickly outgrew the available space and has been held in Tapawera ever since. The event is the main annual fundraiser for Tapawera Area School, where money is brought in through a portion of the caravan site sales.
The school also sells hot drinks and baking, and opens their pool for a $2 swim for the caravaners. The town’s rugby club provides access to their toilets and showers, as well as offering a fundraising sausage sizzle.
Lindsay is grateful to the school and club, as well as the domain board and the Moleta family who opened up space for the hundreds of vans to park up, saying that without their combined support an event of that size would not be possible.
