Major surf lifesaving carnivals were held at Horowhenua beaches last weekend.

Conditions were perfect for a senior event at Foxton Beach on Saturday and a junior carnival at Waitārere Beach on Sunday.

Levin/Waitārere club committee member Dan Cudby said it was the first major carnival held at the beach since the 1990s and it was great to have the ability to host visiting clubs and officials in their new surf club building, which opened last year.

“It was cool to see so many kids competing. There was such a great vibe,” he said. “Conditions couldn’t have been better. There was a little bit of cloud cover and a bit of a wave, which is what you want.”

Cudby said they had great feedback from visiting clubs on their new surf club building, and they hoped to host more carnivals in the future.

He said a section of Waitārere Beach was closed for the carnival although vehicles could still access the beach through entranceways either side of the surf club, with Tatana Contractors controlling traffic management.

“That worked so well. Vehicles could still access the beach and we could conduct the event without that worry,” he said.