Held in Naseby at Easter, the festival showcases the work of bush poets, and is the only one of its type in the country.
This was the seventh year of the event and organiser Phil Garland, of Culverden, said it was a valuable way of highlighting this country's bush balladeers as well as country and folk musicians.
"No other festival concentrates on the spoken word like we do and that's what makes this unique. Bush ballads have been part of our history since the 1890s and we're resurrecting it and people's fresh take on bush poetry, so it's a mix of the old and the new."
The three-day festival included a "high country breakfast" each morning, as well as informal concerts during the day.
It finished on Sunday night with a concert at the Ancient Briton, which attracted about 80 people, and featured performances from invited guests and others who wanted to recite poetry or sing.
Next year is a major one for the festival, as it will help mark the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in the Maniototo, tying in in with other celebrations.
Performers this year included Mr Garland, Mike McPhee, of the Catlins, Paul Bond, of Motueka, Mike Harding, of New Plymouth, Keith Scott, of Dunedin, Dusty Spittle, of Cromwell, and Ross McMillan, of Naseby.
