Sheafs, cabers and tartan on show at Turakina Highland Games

Tartan, bagpipes, sheafs and cabers were out in force at the Turakina Highland Games, billed as New Zealand's longest-running such event. They're into their 160th year.Tartan, bagpipes, sheafs and cabers were out in force at the Turakina Highland Games, billed as New Zealand's oldest continuously running highland games. Come along to the Turakina Highland Games with Country Lifehttps://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6346364762112Dressed in six yards of Scottish tartan "to try and keep the wind away", Callum Carn cuts a dash as he waits his turn in the A Grade piping competition.The tradie from Wellington first played here as a boy in 2008 and hasn't missed a year since. The event, billed as New Zealand's oldest continuously running Highland games, was held this year on a cool, windy day in January.Now in its 160th year, it is a not-to-be-missed mark on the calendar for many - including Bruce Cawood, who's been coming since 1955."It's home for me," he told Country Life.Cawood is a descendant of one of the district's Scottish pioneering families, who bought their land sight unseen while they were still in Scotland."It's the oldest continuous Highland gathering in New Zealand. It's not the first one that started but it's always gone on." Tartan embellishes the welcome sign to Turakina, a small settlement of historic weatherboard buildings at a crossroads south of Whanganui.Up behind the main street, at the Domain, you can see a kiltmaker at work and learn about the different tartans from clan representatives like Ian Dickson of clan Keith, who is serving up kedgeree in a marquee.He's there to answer questions about genealogy, clan history and tell stories - "some of which may be true".Three of his grandparents were Keiths, "so I was kind of born into it.""I was kind of curious about grasping for the 'Y' chromosome - where have I come from - and took on this role as the convenor for the clan in 2012."Back in the day, there used to be an event like this on every provincial anniversary - "huge and filled with bicycle races and waka races, a lot of drinking, a lot of story telling", he says.Over at the Women's Institute tent, Gillian Butcher and other local members are selling freshly baked scones and homemade jams.The games are a chance to boost the group's profile and pick up a few members.Butcher has also been coming since she was a child, and feels interest in the games is growing as people want to understand more about their heritage…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details