Paeroa's 25th Highland Games & Tattoo

Jo from Positive Paeroa Inc

The 25th Annual Paeroa Highland Games & Tattoo will be held on Saturday 10th February 2018 at the Paeroa Domain. What started out as a small Pipe Bands Competition has grown over the years, and today is a fully-fledged Highland Games, one of only seven such Scottish gatherings in New Zealand, and the only one in New Zealand to hold an Evening Tattoo.

This year's special guests.

WILL MARTIN
New Zealand born classical crossover singer

CELINE TONER
Scottish born Country singer

STEVE McDONALD
NZ born Singer, Instrumentalist and Composer

This year's events include;
Heavyweight Field events
Pipe Bands Contest
Highland Dancing
Axeman's Carnival
Solo Drumming
Solo Piping
Tartan in the Park
Pipe Band Street March

Clan Village
There are 15 Scottish Clans in the Village this year. Tracing your clan can be a great experience, learning about the colourful and often bloody history of the clan homeland. The Clan concept dates back to the 12th Century when the Scottish clans were originally extended networks of families who had loyalties to a particular chief, but the word ‘clan’ is derived from the Gaelic ‘clann’ meaning literally – children –.

The history of a family Clan is complex and interwoven, finding out which clan you belong to can depend on which era of history you are looking at. Most Scots or persons of Scots descent can work out their clan with a little research into their family history.

Visit the Village today to start the search for your family clan!

Clan names are usually associated with the area of Scotland where the clan lived. They lived off the land with cattle being their main source of wealth, along with border disputes, the prime cause of inter-clan unrest. The most important clan Chiefs held power over the lands within their control, acting as king, protector and judge. As the Chief expanded his territory, the new peoples swearing allegiance to him often took this Clan name. There were many bitter rivalries and feuds along the way, none of which have been carried forward to the modern day, fortunately!!

Do not forget to visit the Scottish Shops in the Village where you are bound to find something for a memento of today's visit.

Situated in the Clans Village the Highland Bar provides the opportunity to rest your feet and sample the delights of a cold one or a ‘wee dram or two’.

Come and try the ‘Paeroa Fling’ (Drambuie over ice, a dash of lemon and of course the world famous in New Zealand Lemon & Paeroa)

This celebration of Scottish culture is attracting interest throughout New Zealand as well as internationally. Attendance numbers have shown steady growth to a record 8,000 in both 2013 and 2015. It is now a major undertaking by a small team of passionate volunteers who believe in putting something back into the community in which they live.