Ranfurly stepped back in time over the weekend with hundreds of people people dressed to the nines enjoying Saturday's sunshine.
The occasion was the 12th annual Ranfurly Art Deco Festival, and visitors of all ages were clothed in keeping with the the Art Deco theme. The women's outfits included fur stoles, feather boas, beaded headbands and parasols, while the men looked dapper in striped blazers or double-breasted suits.
Lynley and Russell Dear took things to a new level. The Invercargill husband and wife, who won the festival award for the best-dressed couple, set up a "Gatsby picnic" on Saturday at one of the tables in the town's main street.
They had fine china, a cake-stand and 1920s music, mostly "tea dance" songs, playing from a gramophone. It was their first time at the festival and the weekend was a 70th birthday present for Mr Dear.
"We've had a wonderful time and we'll certainly be back," Mrs Dear said.
Festival committee chairwoman Diane Paterson was pleased with how the weekend went. The festival had certainly attracted a large number of visitors to the town.
Many of the visitors were from Dunedin, Invercargill, Canterbury or Oamaru and a good number were "regulars" at the art deco weekend.
"It's nice to see all the traditional elements of the weekend, such as the fashion parade, are just as popular as they always were," Ms Paterson said.
The parade featured about 30 people dressed in theme, including several generations of some families.
Saturday's entertainment included music from Vince Martin, jazz bands and pipe bands, as well as a host of activities arranged to keep young festival-goers amused, such as a treasure hunt, miniature train rides and face painting.
Edna McAtamney, who was instrumental in starting the festival, was among those enjoying the weekend.
"It's great to see all the street performers, in fact the whole thing is just great, it's been a great weekend," she said.
"This is such a volunteer-driven event and it's wonderful to see it still thriving and bringing people into the area."
