Haumoana Giant Pumpkin Competition

19/03/2023

Pretty awesome day right? What a huge turnout, you guys rock! We may have been surprised by how many voting slips we needed (whoops), but we were not surprised by the creativity of our growers.

We'll put up a few more photos this week of our winners and grinners, but for now here are a few pics from todays prize giving in case you missed it.

18/03/2023

Today is the day folks and what a day it is!!! 🌞 We are ready and rearing to host you all for some laughs, music, kai, and all around wholesome fun. Wander down from 3:45pm, we'd love to see you. All funds raised go to supporting our local playcentre get back on its feet post-cyclone.

18/03/2023

Worried that your vege is not competition worthy? Think you've left it too late to register and it's all a bit much? Two pieces of encouraging/reassuring information for you:

1. Thanks to the incredible support of our sponsors and community, the prize pool is worth nearly $2,000 and includes categories such as 'miniature' and 'ugliest'.....

2. We will have people onsite at 3pm tomorrow to manually register your pumpkin if you change your mind last minute!!

Please remember that only pumpkins grown from seedlings purchased direct from Haumoana Playcentre last year are eligible for competition entry.

Rumour also has it that a bouncy castle may also make an appearance for our youngest growers!!

Get primping and preening Kings and Queens!!

17/03/2023

The why, what, and where: find out here! Huge shout out to the magnificent Jesse Mulligan for once again shining a light on our fundraising efforts and Julia Hughes for representing us so beautifully.

The annual Haumoana Giant Pumpkin Competition is happening this Sunday. As with many events in Hawke's Bay, things are different this year, with people in the midst of cyclone recovery. Julia Hughes talks to Jesse.

15/03/2023

**RAFFLE**

With only a few days to go until our big weigh-in, I hope you're all madly drip-watering your pumpkins for max moisture, and working on your King and Queen attire?!

Quick heads up that on Sunday (4pm for you non-growers) as part of our fundraising we will be raffling off the delightfully Autumnal quilt pictured below. This handmade quilt has been lovingly created especially for the pumpkin competition and was driven here today all the way from Wellington!

Perfect for the lap on these cooler evenings or to artfully drape over your prize winning canteloupe, tickets will be a meagre $2 a piece. You can purchase these on Sunday at the Haumoana Pavilion during the display and public voting, alongside our sausage sizzle and bake sale.

All proceeds to towards the Haumoana Playcentre flood repairs.

See you all there!

06/03/2023

** Congratulations ** to Sharon Kate Owen - winner of our $50 Cape Four Square voucher! We hope you get to enjoy some excellent treats with your pretty punk this week!

For the rest of you hopeful growers - TWO WEEKS countdown until we do our final weigh in! Keep an eye here for event updates and competition categories.

07/02/2023

*COMPETITION TIME: SHOW US YOUR PUMPKIN*

📣 Mark your calendars, sharpen your secateurs, and polish those pumpkins 'cos weigh-in day is on the way!!! 📣

To celebrate this momentous announcement we are giving away 1x $50 Four Square Voucher to a lucky contender, courtesy of the fantastic management at Four Square Cape View, and to enter, all you have to do is post a photo below 👇 of the pumpkin you intend to enter in the 'Haumoana Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In 2023.'

Seems too easy right? That's because it is! Entries close 12pm on Friday 17th February, and a winner will be selected (by random draw) from the eligible entries.

*WHY* do we want to see your gargantuan growths you ask? Great question! As part of this fundraising effort we sold roughly 140+ seedlings....... if you have all managed to produce monstrous vegetables then that is an awful lot of pumpkin to plan for, so we want to know what is out there 'in the wild' and whether to start calling in a crane or two 😜 By entering your photo below you are helping our committee ensure that weigh-in day runs smoothly 👌

Not sure your pumpkin is of prize-winning size? Don't fret! We have other categories available which you can enter (best dressed, ugliest etc.), as well as lots of spot-prizes on the day for those attending the event. There will be more information in the coming days and weeks on judged categories, public voting, and PRIZES!!

📸 So, get amongst it and show us your punks!!! 📸

T&C's: the prize is one voucher to the value of $50, issued by Four-Square. Competition closes 12pm NZDT on Friday 17th February 2023. In order to be eligible your pumpkin must have been purchased from/be registered with Haumoana Playcentre; the winner will be contacted following the draw to confirm their name and pumpkin purchase. Winner will be announced on this page - entrant agrees to the use of their name and submitted photo for promotional purposes.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. By entering, Entrants agree to a complete liability release of Facebook.

25/12/2022

17/11/2022

What's this I see? How are all your vines doing? Do you have pumpkin babies yet, or some flowers forming?

06/11/2022

The seedlings are safely in the hands of the competitors (or, we'd like to hope, in the ground), and now the wait begins....... which means it must be time to talk about prizes!!! Before we kick-off the 'Spotlight on Sponsors' series, we would love to know...... what do YOU having riding on it? We are aware of several sub-competitions running amongst friends and whanau; tell us who you're trying to beat and why? Is it pride? Is it revenge? This particular author certainly has a score to settle........

30/10/2022

Happy Monday fabulous growers! As the last of the seedlings go out this week it’s time to turn your thoughts to pumpkin placement, feeding regimes, and pre-planning how you are going to deal with Christmas breaks and holiday watering. The below article is a great starter for researching pumpkin care. Let’s get growing!!!!

If you’ve ever wondered how people win pumpkin-growing competitions, get ready for some seriously strange gardening. Words: Nadene Hall These tips and tricks come from amateur experts in the USA, the champions of giant pumpkin growing. You will need (preferably): • Pumpkin seed “Atlantic Giant...

17/10/2022

Selling pumpkins and pumpkin pick ups from 10-12pm tomorrow Playcentre -15 Holden Ave in Haumoana. Get in quick not many left now.