Festival success ensures another year | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Wairarapa's top tourist event will be on again next year, Toast Martinborough spokeswoman, Cath Hopkins, said after the weekend's successful 13th annual wine and food festival.

A smaller number of participating vineyards and slower ticket sales had led to speculation that the festival's days could be numbered.

But according to Ms Hopkins Sunday's Toast Martinborough was the "best ever" and there will definitely be a Toast Martinborough 2005.

"Every event seems to have a natural lifespan and,sure, we ask how long the festival can keep going but there are no plans to stop yet.

"It's still the most popular drawcard on the region's tourist calendar and it would be mad to stop it," she said.

Organisers had made a conscious decision to reduce both ticket and vineyard numbers and previous participating vineyards like Nga Waka and Muirlea Rise didn't take part this year.

The smaller number of vineyards made it possible for visitors to get to all the sites, she said.

There are about four other festivals each year in New Zealand, including the longest-running at Marlborough, a festival on Waiheke Island, Queenstown and Hawke's Bay.

But Martinborough remains unique because of the ability of guests to walk or bus from one vineyard to the next

With temperatures touching the mid-20s more than 10,000 supped, rode the shuttle buses supped some more, danced and listened to the music and had a pleasant day in the sun.

Ms Hopkins said 60 per cent of the participants came from Wellington and about equal numbers from Auckland and Wairarapa, with the balance coming from elsewhere in New Zealand or from overseas.

There was a noticeable increased police presence at this year's festival, after organiser's requests from the 2003 Toast Martinborough.

"We asked for as many officers as possible to make people feel safe and happy," Ms Hopkins said.

In the event police made one arrest, caught four drunk-drivers and cautioned several people for disorderly behaviour.

The 10,000 plus crowd was largely well behaved, according to Featherston police Sergeant Tony Matheson.

Respected Wellington food and wine writer David Burton, who has attended all bar one Toast Martinborough, said the longer ticket selling period in past years could be a sign the natural life cycle of the festival was coming to an end.

The original idea had been to use the festival as a branding exercise and this had been very successful.

Although the formula is excellent and the public still seem enthusiastic about Toast Martinborough he has heard some grumbling from somes vineyards about the extra work and expense of hosting the annual event.