Country Comes To Town At Royal Easter Show

Monday 27 March 2006

Country Comes To Town At Royal Easter Show

Letterboxes, shearing, equestrian, animal competitions and more

Leave your lattes behind and grab your gumboots as the country comes to Auckland this Easter.

On from 13-18 April at the ASB Showgrounds, the Royal Easter Show gives city dwellers a taste of the rural life, with a unique blend of town and country.

New this year, the Great New Zealand Letterbox Competition will see some of rural New Zealand’s most creative letterboxes on display for the duration of the show, with the overall winner decided by public vote and announced on Easter Monday.

One of the top three shearing competitions in the North Island, this year’s Lion Foundation Royal Easter Show Shears competition will see New Zealand’s top shearers competing for honours.

New Zealand champion Dion King, second equal Paul Avery and John Kirkpatrick, and world champion David Fagan are all expected to compete, along with another 120 competitors who will battle it out for their share of the $13,800 prize pool.

More than a 1200 sheep will be shorn over the three-day event, with categories including senior, veteran, open, intermediate, junior and speed shearing, the highlight being the speed shearing event.

Some of New Zealand’s top breeding animals, including cattle, calves, sheep, donkeys, alpacas, pigs, rabbits, goats and poultry, will be on display and competing in six days of animal competitions, with dog trials also on the final day.

Many of New Zealand’s top horses, ponies and riders are confirmed to compete in the prestigious Royal Easter Show equestrian competition, with events including showjumping, harness classes, show hacking classes, breed classes, and miniature horses.

This year’s one-star showjumping is expected to be exciting viewing for spectators, with the Grand Prix event which boasts one of the largest prize pools on the New Zealand competition circuit, taking place on Easter Monday.

With its petting pens, Farmworld allows children to get up close to learn about pigs, cows, sheep, alpacas, rabbits and other farm animals. Plus back after last year’s successful appearance, the Kiwi Loggersports team will display their impressive skills in chain saw carving, axe throwing, cross cut sawing and burling (log rolling on water).

For more information on the Royal Easter Show visit www.royaleastershow.co.nz.

ENDS

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