ABOUT THE EVENT

Thank you for an Unforgettable First NZ Golden Retriever Gathering

What a day! On Sunday 4 October, Taupō turned Golden.

Hundreds of golden retrievers and their people came together for the first ever NZ Golden Retriever Gathering, and it was everything we hoped for and more. There were wagging tails along Tongariro Street, dogs in every shade of sunshine, and smiles all the way from the Taupō Great Lake Centre to the #lovetaupo sign.

To everyone who travelled near and far with their beautiful Goldies, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The feedback has been overwhelming, with so many happy people, wagging tails, smiling faces and wonderful memories. That, more than anything, is what we hoped for. You made history, and your dogs stole the show.

To our incredible sponsors, many of whom came on board when this event was little more than a dream, thank you for believing in us. Your generosity filled the goodie bags, the raffle table and the day itself with treats and good cheer. There are too many of you to name individually, but we are truly grateful to every one of you.

Thank you to Love Taupō and Taupō Council for welcoming us into the heart of town and helping the day run so smoothly. Thank you to the Taupō Dog Training Club for letting us hold such a special event at your grounds, and to our stallholders and food vendors, who kept people and pups happy, fed and well pampered. Thank you also to our bagpipers, who led the parade with pride and gave the morning its unforgettable sound.

A very special thank you to the Lions Club of Taupō, the Hospice Taupō volunteers, and our amazing friends and families who rolled up their sleeves to help with registrations, raffles and all the jobs behind the scenes. We could not have done it without you. And thank you to photographer Dianne Derbyshire, whose talent and passion captured the joy, the mischief and every golden grin. We can't wait for you to see the wonderful moments from the doggy photobooth!

$4,000 Raised for Hospice Taupō

Thanks to every one of you, we are thrilled to announce that $3,000 from the Golden Retriever Gathering has been donated to Hospice Taupō. The Lions Club of Taupō then raised another $1,000 from their little train, with gorgeous Goldens and their owners hopping aboard for a ride.

That makes a wonderful $4,000 for Hospice Taupō. Everyone who attended, supported, donated or helped in any way can feel incredibly proud. This is what our gathering was all about: bringing people together through our love of Golden Retrievers and giving something back to the Taupō community.

Our First Gathering, and What We Learnt

We know there is plenty we can improve, and our list is as long as our arms! The sound system did not give us the volume we needed, and we are sorry that so many of you could not hear what was happening. Some lovely surprises never happened either, including the birthday cakes, which were still sitting in the clubrooms fridge!

That is the reality of organising something for the very first time. We knew we would make mistakes, and we certainly did, but we learnt so much and there are heaps of things we would love to do differently next time. We hope you will forgive our little hiccups and remember the day for what it was: a celebration of our beautiful Golden Retrievers and the people who love them.

One thing we never expected was the warmth, kindness and encouragement we received from everyone. Even with that chilly wind, the smiles just kept coming!

Our first Golden Retriever Gathering was not perfect, but it was filled with love, laughter, beautiful Goldies and wonderful people. Together, we raised $4,000 for Hospice Taupō, and that makes every bit of hard work worthwhile.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
From the Golden Team: Robyn, Lynda, Phillipa and Kim

View the Gallery

Don't miss out!

If you are interested in the next Golden Gathering, sign up below to be the first to find out...