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The third annual Kaiwaka Lantern Festival will again brighten local night skies, in a celebration of Matariki’s themes of light and regeneration, on Saturday June 14.
Brought to the community by local organisation Kaiwaka Can (KC), who help plan and promote the township, all proceeds from the festivals go towards community improvement projects, with this year’s event to fund a skatepark in Kaiwaka.
Starting at 3pm at the Kaiwaka Sports Association, the festival offers a variety of classic kiwi activities including a treasure hunt, egg-throw-and-catch competition and gumboot tossing, as well as three-legged and egg-and-spoon races, and roasting marshmallows over flaming braziers.
This year’s festival also has an extra ‘pull’ to it, with the adult East versus West tug-of-war competition, with locals living on either side of State Highway One – Kaiwaka and Mangawhai versus Oneriri Peninsula and Maungaturoto – pitching their muscles against each other to compete for the trophy.
KC’s deputy chair Pablo Garcia says the contest is guaranteed to generate a lot of excitement on the day.
“The primary purpose of the festival is to facilitate community engagement and foster strong local identity and pride,” he says.
“It receives strong support from our local business community in the form of cash donations as well as products, which are then auctioned to festival goers.”
Lantern-making workshops will be held throughout the afternoon with tools and materials provided.
As dusk falls, the 1.5-kilometre Lantern Parade around the village will begin with a refreshment stop at Eutopia Café, followed by a brief prize-giving ceremony.
Musical entertainment includes kapa haka performances by local schools and Happy Fish, as well as spot prizes, bouncy castle, face painting and a wide menu of refreshments from vendors.
A free lantern-making workshop hosted by Jude Bishop will be held a week before the festival at the Kaiwaka War Memorial Hall on June 7, from 2pm to 4pm. Materials and candles will be provided.
Garcia says KC’s mission is to make Kaiwaka “an even better place to live,” and the Lantern Festival is designed to meet this purpose.
“The festival provides a unique, entertaining and memorable experience for the residents of our community, with which they can closely identify and celebrate.”
To register for the free lantern-making workshop or to enrol in the tug-of-war, visit www.lanternfestival.nz or contact Pablo Garcia, mobile 021 664 674, pablo@manzana.co.nz
