Story: Picnics and barbecues

Picnic-goers cross a branch of the Waipoua River on their way to the Kuripuni Sunday School picnic in Wairarapa in 1910. Church and Sunday-school picnics were among the highlights of the social year, particularly in rural areas. Such picnics were usually held on public holidays such as Boxing Day or New Year, but not on a Sunday, which was set aside as the sabbath, the day of rest.