The island’s much-loved mussel festival is back on the calendar, with a refreshed, family-friendly format set for Saturday 10 January 2026, 10am–7pm, in Port Fitzroy.
A group of wāhine from the north—led by former island nurse and original organiser Adele Robertson alongside committee member Mairehau Cleave—are reviving the event with support from the North Barrier Residents and Ratepayers Association. A community grant was approved at this week’s Great Barrier Local Board meeting; the association had applied for $10,000 to get the festival up and running.
Back in the day, the Mussel Fest was an island institution. Second only to the New Year’s Picnic in the summer calendar, it drew thousands to Fitzroy and was remembered just as much for the long day of drinking as the mussels themselves.
“It came about with an idea that Tony Bazade had,” Robertson told Kathy Cumming. “The boat club thought it was a great idea, and in January 1999 we held the first Great Fitzroy Mussel Fest. I cooked at it every year.”
Crowds swelled quickly, with Fullers eventually running a special ferry—known to many as the ‘vomit comet’ Jet Raider—that dropped off day-trippers from Auckland. “We were completely overwhelmed with the number of people wanting to eat mussels,” Robertson said. “We estimated about 1,500 people some years. The mussel farms supplied about half a tonne of mussels.”
Stalls once turned out everything from smoked mussels and mussel pies to “beautiful mussel-and-mushroom vol-au-vents.” Robertson recalled: “I was so paranoid as a nurse that people might get sick, we insisted on total control of the food for the first two festivals. That wasn’t sustainable, but no one ever got sick from the mussels.”
The later years saw more security and fencing, cover charges, and eventually the end of the event in the mid-2010s. Funding changes, rising costs, COVID-19 lockdowns and the more recent spread of exotic caulerpa kept Fitzroy’s summers quieter.
Mairehau Cleave says the new format is about restoring a northern summer highlight, but without the excess. “We wanted to bring some excitement back to the north,” Cleave told Aotea FM. “Not the big booze-fest that used to happen—it’s a fresh look. We want it whānau-friendly, with our tamariki included.”
The name has been updated to the Rarohara Kūtai & Kai Festival—Rarohara being a traditional name for Port Fitzroy; kūtai means mussels; kai means food. “Kūtai are still the star, but widening the scope lets other caterers and food businesses be part of it,” Cleave said.
The day will run from 10am–7pm with gold-coin entry, $50 for stallholders, and a focus on food, music, and family fun. The committee is calling for musicians, entertainers and food vendors, and is considering reviving the “Ode to the Mussel” segment. “It’s really important for our young people to get up on stage, have a voice and talk about something they love,” Cleave said. “No ChatGPT—keep it above board,” she joked.
Stallholder details will be released shortly via the North Barrier Residents and Ratepayers Association. “Once we get the planning out, we’ll let everybody know,” Cleave said. “We want to manaaki our visitors and have our locals showcase what they can do.”
“It’ll be great to see Fitzroy buzzing again—family first, kūtai front and centre,” Robertson added.
