The Whare Flat Festival opens its gates at noon, December 30th and runs to January 3rd, decamping that day (by noon) with a farewell session in town that evening.
Whare Flat ("Whare" is pronounced fa - reh - the 'f' is soft and the the 'r' is almost a 'd' sound - Maori word for house or home) is set in the beautiful Waiora valley, nestled in the hills behind Dunedin, Whare Flat is a small paradise. It's the perfect venue for folk music, jamming, sessions or just relaxing with your favourite musical instrument.
Completely surrounded by native bush and song-birds, there are bush walks and hiking tracks, a crystal-clear stream with swimming holes, exotic forestry plantations and many natural features - even glow-worm grottos! The festival itself is on the Waiora Scout Camp site and has full vehicle access to many secluded campsites, good toilet and shower facilities and a treated water supply. Camping is easy and pleasant. As with most places in the South Island, expect a full range of weathers. Even in cooler temperatures, the sun is deceptively harsh with high UV content so hats, sunglasses and sunscreen are a must. Nights can be quite cold. There are no overtly dangerous animals or plants in New Zealand but insect repellent can be a good thing where sandflies are concerned. Huhu beetles are big and scary but a totally harmless prehistoric native - please don't feel compelled to kill them.
