Gore is taking part in the Southland Arts Trail for the first time this weekend, with more than 10 addresses in the town opening to visitors on Saturday and Sunday alongside studios in Riversdale, Wyndham, Seaward Downs and Waikaia.

Organiser Arts Murihiku has reshaped the free, self-guided trail for 2026, replacing one large regional drive with three linked local trails over two weekends. The Te Anau and districts leg ran on 24 and 25 October, and the Gore and districts and Invercargill and coastal legs both run on 31 October and 1 November.

Arts Murihiku says the new structure means "we can deliver richer visitor experiences, greater opportunities for artists, and stronger local engagement".

Across the region the trail takes in five stops around Te Anau, 13 in the Invercargill area, three in Ōtātara and six across Riverton, Bluff and Orepuki, the Otago Daily Times reported. The Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre at Mandeville and the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore are also open, and the trail promotes close to 100 South Sea Spray street murals across Southland, including eight in Gore.

Among the Gore artists opening their doors is Margaret Palmer-McKenzie, a former registered nurse who has painted for about 30 years and is showing dozens of works on Albany St. Her current pieces began when she noticed a tear in a canvas and cut out a single element to stand alone; the cut-outs, finished with gold borders, draw on the curved lines of Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

"I decided I would cut them into pieces and … [in turn] resuscitating this or that part of the [original] painting," she told the Otago Daily Times.

Ms Palmer-McKenzie started evening art classes at the Southern Institute of Technology's Gore campus in 1995 and has taught art in the community for about 20 years. "It was an outlet for me to learn something new and keep my sanity," she said. "I think it's a healing practice … it's a place to find equilibrium."

In Invercargill, seven artists have mini-studio spaces at Whare Taupua, 34 Forth St, which are open from 10am to 4pm: Suzanne Muir, Nicole Wright, Kimberley Birchfield, Diane Golez, Abbey Bennet, Renee McGinnis and Ashwin Gogate.

The trail arrives in a busy week for the arts in Gore. The Māruawai Centre has just opened Mawhiti Tino Rawe, Clever Crustaceans, a free hands-on exhibition developed by Te Papa with NIWA scientists and hosted by the Eastern Southland Gallery, which runs until 13 December.

A printable trail map and a Google Maps guide are available on the Arts Murihiku website, and visitors are advised to check opening hours for individual venues before setting out.