Tupare springs into RWC2011 season

With spring and Rugby World Cup 2011 in the air, there’s a flurry of activity this week at one of Taranaki’s premier heritage properties:

The popular summer programme of free house tours will begin on Friday (2 September), a month earlier than usual, to give Rugby World Cup visitors an opportunity to inspect and learn about Tupare’s unique and stately Chapman-Taylor designed homestead.

A Friends of Tupare volunteer recruitment day on Thursday (1 September) will give locals an opportunity to learn how they can become more involved with the property.

Another High Tea at Tupare will be held on Sunday (4 September) as the well-supported mid-year season of monthly Mangorei School fundraisers draws towards its conclusion in October.

The free house tours will run at 11am and 11.30am every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from this week until the end of March next year.

“The house at Tupare is a much-loved slice of Taranaki’s heritage and the free tours offer both a close-up look and a chance to hear some of the stories of the strong characters behind it - Tupare developer Russell Matthews and the architect James Chapman-Taylor,” says the Taranaki Regional Council’s Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine. “The tour season doesn’t usually start until October but we thought it would be good to offer Rugby World Cup visitors an opportunity to visit.”

Thursday’s volunteer recruitment day will run from 10am to 3pm. “We'll show prospective volunteers around the property, tell them about its history and explain what the Friends of Tupare do,” says Mr Rine. “We'll provide lunch, so if you have an interest in gardening or history and you enjoy meeting new people, then come along ”

It is essential to register for attendance. Email georgie.williams@trc.govt.nz or call 0800 736 222 and ask for Georgie.

Sunday’s High Tea is this year’s fourth in what has become a winter tradition at Tupare.

“It’s a chance to dress up in your finest and soak up the atmosphere while enjoying a delicious high tea in the beautifully restored Chapman-Taylor house,“ says Mr Rine. “You can also take a guided tour of the house.”

The event runs from 2pm to 4pm, this Sunday (4 September) and again on Sunday 2 October. It costs $15 a head, with proceeds going to Mangorei School PTA. Bookings are essential. Get tickets at Raised Eyebrow Art and Coffee House, 501 Mangorei Road (opposite Mangorei School), ph 759 8955.

Tupare, along with Hollard Gardens and Pukeiti, is owned and managed by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region. All three properties are open daily and entry is free.

For more information, see www.tupare.info, www.hollardgardens.info and www.pukeiti.org.nz. Social media users can also follow the Regional Gardens on Facebook (TaranakiRegionalGardens)and Twitter (@TaranakiRG).