Waitangi Day Race Meet

It’s Wairarapa’s best kept secret – the Waitangi Day race meet at Tauherenikau. Get your family and friends together, pack a picnic – or enjoy a good-old-fashioned hotdog. The Rose and Smith Event Centre will be open and serving woodfired pizza and handcrafted burgers.

Expect live music, kids bouncy castles, miniature train rides, Zappo the magician, human wheel barrel, tug of war, and three headed races. As well as a fantastic line-up of racing events.

Adults are $20 at the gate, kids 18 and under are free!

Gate’s open at 9am

Eight Races 12:15pm – 5pm (approx.)

Zappo’s magic show is scheduled to start at 2:30

After races one, three, and five, we’ll have on-track kids’ events: tug of war, three-headed race, and human wheelbarrow. 

PUNTERS CLUB

Tickets for our punters club are $10 and must be purchased before race two.

Bets placed for the punters club and results will be announced over the PA system. Results will be displayed on the board outside the secretary’s office.

Any winnings for the punters club will be shared out equally between members, and should be collected at the TAB windows at the end of the day.

TRANSPORT OPTIONS

The club provides a pick-up and drop-off service from the Featherston railway station on new year race days (Jan 2nd). The train leaves Wellington at 9.55am and returns around 5.00pm. All you have to do is to walk-in, walk-out and have a great day at Tauherenikau!

ALCOHOL POLICY

The Wairarapa Racing Club holds a license that allows patrons to BYO refreshments on January 2nd and February 6th race meetings. An allowance of 6 stubbie bottles of beer OR 1 bottle of wine per person is permitted. This will be strictly monitored by security at the gates.

There are also fully licensed bars on site at Tauherenikau.