Old rivalries will resurface on Waitangi Day as the usually harmonious folk of Hawea draw a battle line down the middle of the district for the annual Town v Country Challenge.
The cerebral side of the hotly-contested Waitangi Day weekend competition is a quiz night tomorrow at the Lake Hawea Community Centre, followed by Monday's sports programme, which includes a Top Town-style challenge at Peter Fraser Park in Hawea and a community barbecue to reunite the two sides again once a winner has been determined.
The "country" competitors, sporting red as their team colour, are those living in the country catchment area of the Hawea Flat School, including John's Creek, Hawea Flat, Maungawera Valley and Dublin Bay.
The blue-clad "town" team includes all residents living in the Lake Hawea township, within Muir Rd, Cemetery Rd and Domain Rd and the lake, including the holiday park.
The event was first held in 2006, with town taking the honours at the first two challenges.
Country then won the event for the next two years, before town came back to win in the last two years.
Despite captaining the town team, event organiser Colleen Carr was favouring a country win, to share the glory around.
Mrs Carr said despite Waitangi Day falling on a Monday this year, which meant many Hawea residents would be away for the long weekend, the competition would still be fierce.
"There is plenty of banter going on ... and there will still be plenty of action. It should be fun.
"What we're really aiming at is getting as many of the Hawea community together as we can."
