100,000 visit New Zealand pavilion at Japan expo

With the world expo at Aichi, Japan, barely a week old, attendance figures have already topped half a million with about 100,000 visiting New Zealand's pavilion.

New Zealand commissioner-general Phillip Gibson says it has been a "solid" start.

Visitor numbers were "looking good", despite a cold start to the expo with temperatures around zero on the opening two days.

"The public's reaction to the New Zealand pavilion has been excellent and we have been achieving a high profile in the local media," Mr Gibson said.

"Without question, the two most popular features of the New Zealand pavilion are the pounamu boulder and the kapa haka group," he said.

The 1.8 tonne greenstone boulder, which was found in a tributary of the West Coast's Arahura River and is on loan from Greymouth's Mawhera Incorporation, is the centrepiece of the pavilion.

The kapa haka group, from Lake Rotoiti, is the first of three such groups of Maori entertainers who will be performing over the six months of the expo. The group performs three times daily at the pavilion.

- NZPA