If you go crazy for your kaimoana, then the beautiful seaside town of Maketu is where you will want to be this Waitangi Day.

Paua, mussels, kina, scallops, crayfish, snapper, kahawai and so much more will get your taste buds tingling with delight when the Maketu Kaimoana Seafood Festival returns on February 6.

The Maketu Kaimoana Festival returns to the Maketu Sports Grounds on Waitangi Day – Saturday, February 6. Pictured: Robert Stent serving up a paua fritter during the 2015 festival. Photos: Tracy Hardy

Organised by the Maketu Rotary Club, the festival is now into its ninth year and will once again take place at the Maketu Sports Grounds, from 12pm to 6pm.

It's the club's main fundraiser for the year and the money raised from the festival is pumped back into the Maketu community and wider rohe (region).

Co-ordinator Charles Peni says the festival keeps growing from strength to strength and this year there'll be about 30 stalls offering up a huge range of scrumptious kaimoana.

'I always look forward to event, I'm a bit of a glutton when it comes to kaimoana,” Charles says with a chuckle.

'It's a brilliant day which attracts many people, the committee's worked hard to make it a real event for the whole whanau. We're all set to go, so now it's just a matter of counting down the days.”

During the festival there'll be plenty of entertainment for the kids including helicopter rides, games and face painting, stalls from local crafts people and artists, plus some fantastic music too.

Along with lip-smackingly good food, a select range of stalls from local crafts people and artists will be up and running during the Maketu Kaimoana Festival.

The musical line-up features 60's Kiwi rock star Shane Hale, as well as The Shadz, B-Side Band, Mr Reuben, Gunshy featuring Chris Gunn, Stave-Aotearoa, plus the winner of Maketu's Got Talent.

While one lucky person who finds themselves in the right spot at the right time on the day will win for themselves a mystery travel voucher from the prize's sponsor House of Travel.

And even if you're not a fan of kaimoana but still looking for a great day out there'll be plenty of land-based foods and vegetarian options for you to dig into it.

The festival will go ahead rain or shine and marquees will be provided for shelter from the weather.

'We get up to 2000 people each year coming along to the festival and people just love it. In fact, soon as the festival wraps up we'll get vendors straight away wanting to register for the next year,” says Charles.

Please note that with the current Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning warnings currently in place, all kaimoana offered on the day by the registered licensed vendors have been sourced from outlets.

The Maketu Kaimoana Festival returns to the Maketu Sports Grounds on Waitangi Day - Saturday, February 6. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $10 for children. For more information and where to buy tickets visit the Maketu Rotary Club's at: www.maketu.nz