Rain fails to dampen Tulip Festival as town is transformed

The wet weather in the lead-up to the Tulip Festival at Wynyard last weekend created an event within an event at the Table Cape Tulip Farm.

“The kids were desperately trying to play in the mud and the adults were desperately trying to keep the kids out,” Table Cape Tulip Farm manager Dave Roberts-Thompson said.

“It made me realise that a lot of people don’t have those opportunities these days.

“I never really thought of the mud being an attraction in itself.”

More than 20,000 people swelled to Wynyard, a town with a population of around 7000, for the annual festival on Saturday celebrating the blossoming of the tulips.

Gutteridge Gardens along the Wynyard waterfront was transformed with live music, stalls and food, with part of Goldie Street closed to vehicles for the celebration.

But the wet weather in the lead-up to the event was a concern for Mr Roberts-Thompson.

“It was a very wet and stormy Friday and we really didn’t know what we were going to end up with on the Saturday,” he said.

The main worry was that the carpark at the Table Cape Tuilp Farm, a roughly 10-minute drive from the Wynyard town centre, would get too muddy and cause vehicles to get bogged.

However, Mr Roberts-Thompson said it did not become an issue and that around 3000 people popped into the farm on Saturday while the festival was happening down in town.

“It was probably a little less than in previous years.

“But considering the weather, it was a good turnout.

“Last year, we were putting sunscreen on for the Tulip Festival.”

The inclement weather only had a minor impact on the tulips at the farm.

“We worry about hail mostly,” Mr Roberts-Thompson said.

“We did get a bit of hail, but it was almost nothing.

“The wind was pretty awful and extremely strong, which did cause a little bit of damage.

“But most people who visited wouldn’t even notice, it’s just the farmers that notice that.”

Mr Roberts-Thompsn said that the tulips had not finished peaking yet.

“We’ve had a bit of a later season than usual.

“So normally they would peak before the tulip festival, but it's been so cold and overcast, which has slowed down the flowers’ growth.”

The Table Cape Tulip Farm will be open to the public every day until the end of the month.