The festival celebrates all things whitebait and is developing into an annual event for the town. Event organiser Rachel Norton said the crowd was very supportive and she hoped to see the event grow.
It was as much about bringing locals together as it was about attracting tourists, she said. About 250 people attended the festival, and around 60% were locals or regular whitebaiters.
"It’s about getting people together. This is such a busy time of year for us and we’re such a spread-out community."
Although wet weather shut down the bouncy castle, there were many other activities running throughout the day. The whitebait pattie cooking competition, which gave entrants five minutes to whip up a tasty treat, was hotly contested.
Local jet boat driver Vicki Cain was the stand-out competitor in the adult’s section, while 11-year-old Ben Wright, of Haast, won the children’s competition, despite the fact he doesn’t like the taste of whitebait.
Outside, children enjoyed the whitebait racing competition. Armed with water pistols, they encouraged their fish down the chute.
Whitebaiting season runs from September 1 to November 15. Haast River Motel and Holiday Park owner Darryl Frisby has been coming to Haast for 24 years and has lived there permanently for the past four.
He said there were almost 3000 registered fishers in the area, in a town where the population was only about 250.
"Even the whitebaiters that have been coming for 25 years know everyone."
- Rebecca Nadge
