Holiday off to a racing start | Rural

From petrol-head heaven to body art galore, there'll be something for everyone in Taupo this Auckland Anniversary Weekend.

The town is gearing up to host three world class events.

The annual New Zealand Body Art Festival, the Toyota Racing Series at Taupo Motorsport Park and the Thunder on the Great Lake Offshore Powerboat series are all on.

District events manager Nick Reader said the long weekend was going to be a big one for Taupo.

"We've got the fastest things on water, on the track and the freakiest creatures on land, so this is a weekend not to miss."

He said it was great to have such a variety of events over the weekend.

The body art festival and offshore power boats are regular features on the events calendar at Auckland Anniversary Weekend while the Toyota Racing Series at Taupo Motorsport Park is a new addition.

The Toyota Racing Series, which is part of the Taupo Car Club's meeting, features some of the top young drivers from around the world.

Taupo Motorsport Park general manager Geoff Langham said there was a fantastic variety of races on offer with some "very good, hard racing".

He said the Toyota Racing Series was a unique event featuring some drivers who were on their way to becoming Formula One drivers.

The series, now in its eighth year, includes competitors from 12 nations driving high performance single seaters and is a stepping stone to international single-seater classes.

The third annual New Zealand Body Art Painting festival, starting tomorrow, is three days of interactive art, colour and illusion held at the Great Lake Centre. The festival will feature the world's best body-painting artists delivering demonstrations and exhibitions of their work. There is also a series of workshops on special effects make-up, extreme hair-ups, mask-making and more, as well as competitions for those who want to give it a try.

The festival culminates on Sunday, with the International Body Painting Competition.

The New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Racing series hits Lake Taupo on Sunday.

The annual race, known as the Thunder on the Great Lake, attracts huge crowds of locals and avid powerboat enthusiasts. This year, the race will also feature the Grand Prix Hydroplanes, an even faster and louder class of boat with the ability to travel up to 300km/h.