Maketu Kaimoana Festival

The Kaimoana Festival at Maketu was established in 2008 to celebrate Maketu’s unique location, culture and seafood. It is an afternoon of great food and entertainment. Seafood served will be in both traditional and contemporary styles with vendors vying to serve up the most fabulous variety of mussels, whitebait, paua, prawns, scallops and oysters served natural, or as sushi, kebabs, pizza’s and chowders. These will be complemented by fine wines and beers which can also be purchased. Personal alcohol will not be allowed onto the venue.

The popularity of cooking demonstrations in previous years has meant that special emphasis will be placed on demonstrations by this year’s local celebrity chef, Peter Blakeway.

This year's event features “The Madsen’s Superstar Show” who tribute the Beatles, Bee Gees and the Eagles and has raised the profile of the festival and is attracting an even wider audience than previous years.

Other entertainment includes popular local bands ‘Jumpstart’, ‘Captain Who’ and 'Hurricane Tilly' plus Troupe Waihi, kapa haka, a plane flyover. and other local entertainment to keep the crowd entertained between acts .

Started by the Rotary Club of Maketu, the Festival has been a major focus of the club over most of its short history. The Club was chartered in 2005 and is a small, vibrant group with a strong local community focus. The Kaimoana Festival has become the primary fundraising activity of the club. As a result of the Festival, Maketu Rotary has been able to support the Maketu Fire Brigade, the Surf Life Saving Club, Maketu Coastguard, Whakaue Marae, the Primary School and numerous programmes for youth in the community.