Paihia’s annual sandcastle competition returned last Saturday with a display of summer creativity.
Fittingly for Waitangi weekend, many of the winning entries focussed on Māori themes, including a taniwha, a tiki and the great waka Ngātokimatawhaorua.
It was a case of second time lucky for the organisers, Bay of Islands Rotary Club and the Sandpit Bar, who postponed the event from the previous weekend due to an ominous weather forecast. Fourteen teams entered this year.
![Lydia Brown (left), Wyntah Tau-Whiu, 12, Tiari Brown, 8, and Shauntelle Edwards of Paihia won second prize for their recreation of Paihia wharf’s marlin statue. Photo / Peter de Graaf](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/T5NT7KE3BRFOJE3SMQT5A72YZM.jpg?auth=ffc518b0748720b7dd131e4997506b85f9357cdc787f543331cfb42c72d6ef84&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
![QRC hospitality students make sure beachgoers know where they are. From left, Caitlin Muir, Ashburton; Steven Whatarau, Hicks Bay; and Meelah Lawton-Rei, Palmerston North.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/UTRITVZ63FERHCY35X7ICKMFCM.jpg?auth=b8c4e1a1e6bc5057da325fafba35a5f27ddc99446dabc5137b5769273a003227&width=16&height=9&quality=70&smart=true)