Ranfurly festival draws crowd

About 2000 people attended the 10th Ranfurly Art Deco Festival last weekend, organisers said.

Volunteer committee member Amie Pont said about 1400 people paid for entry to the festival on Saturday, and 450 participants of the annual Otago Central Rail Trail Duathlon gained entry as part of an agreement between festival and duathlon organisers.

Mrs Pont said a small number of festival-goers "sneaked in" or avoided entry fees by staying on the town's main street before its closure for the annual celebrations.

An art exhibition, a new feature of the event, attracted about 500 people, and Ranfurly's swimming pool recorded one of its busiest days.

Mrs Pont said entry to the event covered pool fees for children on Saturday and more than 60 children and 30 adults took advantage of the deal.

• Fifty people interested in crafts came from all over New Zealand to attend the Pounawea Paper Craft Retreat in the Catlins last weekend.

Retreat organiser Wilma Sharp, of Pounawea, said it was the fourth held, and four tutors taught card-making and scrapbooking.

The retreat attracted people from Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and around the South Island .

Jill Smith, of Naseby, said she enjoyed paper crafts as they gave her an opportunity to get together with like-minded people.

"It's creative and relaxing, and in the winter you can do it inside," she said.

Mrs Smith said she learned new skills at the retreat, and she was introduced to new paper craft equipment.

"We all like learning new skills."

Mrs Sharp said the retreat had gone well until Sunday morning, when it was interrupted by the evacuation resulting from the tsunami warning.