Vinegar Hill is a camping ground, located on the banks of the Rangitikei River in New Zealand. It is notable due to hosting an annual LGBT celebration.
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Vinegar Hill is a camping ground on the banks of the Rangitikei River within the Putai Ngahere Reserve, and is located on State Highway 54, about 5 km north of Hunterville in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand, on State Highway 1..
There is a misconception over how this Vinegar Hill was named. Some think that it is named after the Battle of Vinegar Hill in Ireland. However, the name was derived from a source closer than that; the Manawatu District Council information sheets on the campsite state that it was named after an incident in early colonial times - a bullock cart carrying barrels of vinegar overturned after the bullocks slipped on the muddy track on the hillside, covering the hillside in vinegar from the broken barrels.
Since the 1980s, Vinegar Hill has been a popular camping spot for Gay and Lesbian people and their families over Christmas and the New Year holiday period in the height of summer.[1] The first "Queen" of the camp was appointed in 1985, for the 1986 camp; the initial names engraved on the trophy presented each year are the drag names of the people appointed to the role of Queen. The Queen is appointed every year by all the former Queens who are present on the 31st of December.