Out & About: Havelock Mussel Festival

The sun shone, the music was marvellous and the seafood sublime as the Havelock Mussel & Seafood Festival celebrated 19 years.

Hundreds of people flocked to the sunny Havelock Domain on Saturday as the popular not-for-profit event got underway.

With plenty of entertainment on offer, crowds were buzzing as they took in tunes from Kiwi legends the Jordan Luck Band, The Lost Tribe of Aotearoa, Jody Direen and Genre Fluid.

As well as the native NZ Green Shell Mussel the festival also celebrates New Zealand King Salmon and the Pacific Oyster.

Celebrity chef Simon Gault was on hand to highlight some new ways to create great meals with locally sourced ingredients, including mussels and salmon.

Organisers have hailed the event as a great success, especially the switch to reusable cups at the festival, which also doubled as a take home souvenir.