My Account
Friends Vivienne Jones, Allan Postlewaight, Georgia Phillimore and Petelo Richardson wanted to honour the victims of the Christchurch attack through their sandcastle entry. Professional sculptors In Good Form pay a touching tribute to the 50 lives lost in the Christchurch terrorist attack through their display of hearts. Other subject matter for sand sculptures included Star Wars, a giant hand, peacocks and a unicorn. ‘Dragon Castle’ won the expert category. The winner of the beginner category was a three-generation build by the Sym and Britland family.
A crowd of more than 1500 participants and spectators flocked to Ōrewa Beach for the annual Sandcastle Competition on Saturday March 23.
The competition involves experienced and beginner builders putting their best creation forward for a panel of judges made up of a professional sculptor and representatives from More FM Rodney and Barfoot & Thompson. Winners of both categories received $500 each.
Organiser and Destination Ōrewa administrator Gayle Hill believes the large turnout was due to better weather compared to previous years. However, competition participant Diana Grant says it could be a flow-on effect from the recent terror attack in Christchurch. “I think Christchurch showed everyone the importance of coming out and being a community,” she says. “It is so nice having unifying events like this after such a tragedy.”
Organisers planned to cap entries at 50, but relaxed the rules to let 55 take part.
Several tributes to Christchurch were among the official entries, plus spectators built mosques and left messages of support alongside the main competition arena.
Entrant Vivienne Jones says she decided to enter a tribute sandcastle as soon as she heard of the terror attack, and her teammates Alan Postlewaight, Georgia Phillimore and Petelo Richardson were completely on board.
“We just got as much sand as we could and winged it from there,” Vivienne says.
The end result was a mosque with a lit candle in its doorway.
Cantabrian sculptors In Good Form added one heart for every victim at the front of their large sculpture.
Other entries ranged from a three-headed dragon in the experienced category to a birthday cake castle for participant Kate Grant’s 12th birthday in the beginners.
