The Enchanted Ball is Hawke’s Bay’s most glamorous event, which only reveals the secret and stunning venue on the night.
A long, long time ago (sometime before the 1980s) people would go to a local dance at the weekend to socialise, have fun and perhaps fall in love. Country halls, church halls and dance halls were decorated, a band was booked, the beer was brought in, and the ladies made a supper so that couples and singles could enjoy a night of waltzing or jiving – whatever the mood was.
There was good music, great friends, and a lively atmosphere of romance. But one day the magic faded and vanished over the hills …
… until, dear readers, some clever Hawke’s Bay lads had an idea over a beer – the creative start all brilliant ideas need.
“We were having a beer at Hugo Chang’s and chatting about how, after people have left school, there’s no balls to go to, no really formal occasion where people can dress up and enjoy a great night out,” says Greg Howie, who directs the enchantment each year.
It was one of those ‘aha’ moments that had the right people at the table. Greg is an experienced event creator with his company Etiquette, while Patch and Ted operated the Flagship Events Company (Patch has since retired), hiring out premium Sperry marquees. Between them they had good connections with sound-system suppliers and some of the best Hawke’s Bay caterers and merchants.
And so, The Enchanted Ball was born. From the beginning it has been the premier boutique Hawke’s Bay event, offering a glamorous night out, and raising much-needed funds for local environmental causes.
“We set out to create an event with inter-generational appeal, sparkling settings and amazing music,” says Greg. Each year a secret locale is chosen well ahead of time, then beautifully styled to enchant the Ball-goers. The ticket includes everything guests desire for a good time – transport, food, drink and music, elegant surroundings and a dance floor.
The inaugural Enchanted Ball in 2018 saw 250 guests enjoying the first of the opulent surprises at Bill Heaps’ Te Awanga property. It’s part of the Maraetotara Stream environmental enhancement project, so the fundraising that year supported the Maraetotara Tree Trust. Since 2019, The Enchanted Ball has partnered with the Te Mata Peak Trust and has raised thousands of dollars to support Hawke’s Bay’s largest and most iconic natural asset. Guests are collected by bus from Napier, Hastings and Havelock North – and last year from Waipukurau – and whisked to the secret location. Each location piles on the mysteries – there’s a different theme each time, a different band and a beautiful mystery walk from the bus through to the superbly styled venue.
“We take time to get to know the property owners, as we are reliant on them allowing guests to enter their property. It takes special people to allow that many unknown people to their property or venue,” says Greg.
And then the owners have to keep the secret. This was a challenge worthy of an MI5 operation for Oscar and Sophie Williams, whose property on Craggy Range Road was the 2021 venue, a venue set well before tickets went on sale in May. We all know what year that turned out to be, and The Ball was rescheduled four times before finally being held in November 2022. “Oscar and Sophie were amazing to keep their property available for us through four reschedules and almost two years of the team coming and going in attempts to set it up each time.”
Then 24 hours before that Ball was finally to go ahead, there was 90 mm of rain on the site. The team and volunteers hurriedly spread many trailers of mulch over boggy pathways. In the end, it was a stunning evening by the lake, and such is the optimism and party-mood of the guests that they still wore their best shoes, and not gumboots as advised, to walk to the party to the beat of Bay Batucada drummers. “We did advise guests not to wear their best stiletto heels that night, but some still did.” (Did Cinderella wear sensible shoes, Greg?)
The previous Ball in 2020 was also eventually a huge hit at the beautiful Mana Lodge, Paul Holmes’ former home at Poukawa, after being rescheduled twice to get around new Covid restrictions. “It was an incredible event, as everyone was really ready for a good night out that year. We had a stunning evening and walked through the redwoods accompanied by a New Orleans-style band.” The first Ball to support Te Mata Peak Trust was at Bruno Chambers’ property on the slopes of the Peak in 2019.
In one year, the attendance had quickly grown to 400 guests, who arrived in the first ‘zone’ where they enjoyed drinks and canapes, while participating in a fundraising auction for everything from mountain bikes to art to an exclusive private dinner experience. A Ngati Kahungunu kapa haka group led the diners through a bush trail to the main venue overlooking the Tukituki Valley.
The organisers have always hired amazing DJs and bands from Auckland and Wellington to add something fresh, including one year, New Zealand’s top covers band, Wellington-based Superbad Soul Selection. Last year the Royal New Zealand Airforce Band featuring Lisa Tomlin got the party going at Bostock Vineyards at the historic Ngatarawa Stables Winery.
Such is the Ball’s reputation that forty percent of tickets are sold out of town. “We started by rallying friends from Auckland and Wellington to come to Hawke’s Bay for the first event, and they had such a great time they’ve helped to spread the word,” says Greg.
The recipe seems simple but is difficult to achieve and, because The Enchanted Ball is a fundraising event, it could not happen without dedicated, long-term supporters. Brendon Smith of Hastings Pak’nSave has been an instrumental supporter, Pat Heavy from Peroni has been a long-time supplier, Orton’s Catering has provided delicious food for the past three years, while Intense Sound and Vision keeps the music floating across the venue.
Flagship Events Company continues to support with their beautiful marquees and Hannah Moore from Sniff Flowers creates incredible floral installations. Gifford Devine and Partners sponsors sculptures, Flock Events helps with styling, Tranzit provides the buses and Premier Loos provides the essentials. There is even a swing for those Instagram moments, with the signature neon sign created by a friend of Greg’s, Brandon Ransfield, in California.
Greg and his team of supporters have kept their heads and done the hard yards through the pandemic and bad weather. Starting from 250 guests in that first year, when nobody knew what they were getting themselves into, The Enchanted Ball has blossomed into an iconic event on the Hawke’s Bay calendar, hosting over 700 guests.
The event is on again in November, another superb occasion to have a magical time. So, the mystery now is: where’s The Enchanted Ball going to be in 2024? If you want to find out, tickets are on sale now.
