A weekend of kiwi taste sensations

HAENERTSBURG – The Kiwi Festival was an unprecedented success this past weekend.

Thousands of tourists flocked to the event. Parking was at a premium and the main street, Rissik Street, was full of people walking, taking in the sights and popping in to see the many stalls and businesses.

The Red Plate restaurant, owned by Colleen Pirie, was extended almost a year ago to accommodate double the original number of guests.

However, this past weekend the restaurant was filled to the brim inside and out on the wooden deck.

The Iron Crown Pub, under the new management of Linda Halkon and her son James, pumped from Friday to Sunday. Extra staffers were on hand to cope with the masses.

The open space in front of the Hae-nertsburg Post Office came alive with a variety of stalls and entertainment for the children in the form of jumping castles.

Cooking competitions that included kiwis as an ingredient were held inside the village hall and on the village hall pavement on the Saturday.

Another cooking competition for amateurs was held on Sunday. Two of the judges were well-known retired Dutch chef, Eric de Jonge from Haenertsburg and Peter Vereecke from the Bread and Crumb in Tzaneen.

Wine tastings were held every few hours in the inner room of the village hall. Junel Vermeulen from Cape Wine Master presided over the wine tasting.

Peggy Murray, wife of the late Duke of Atholl, runs the village morning market. The market was still open, three hours beyond the normal time on Saturday as tourists simply flocked to the market.