Lanterns light up Matariki celebration

Ahurei Tana, 5, was very impressed with all the colourful lanterns. Photo / Stephen Parker

The Matariki 2015 Lantern Parade had children glowing with excitement as 60 to 80 lanterns lit the streets of Whakarewarewa Village.

Organiser Te Rangikaheke Kiripatea said although the number of people in attendance weren't quite what they had hoped for over the two-night Matariki celebration, it was a spectacular event.

"We had around 300 kids make lanterns in the lead up to the festival, but many of the schools where the workshops were held were low decile schools and families may not have been able to make it for many reasons," he said.

"But there was a great cross-section of people that attended, many of which had made their own lanterns. It was an engaging, vibrant colourful event and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it."

The parade started on Saturday night at Whakarewarewa School as children, parents and teachers gathered with their lanterns, before making their way down to Tryon St in a procession. People then stopped at the lantern reserve next to the recently re-opened Scholes Gallery, and hung their lanterns for all to see.

Mr Kiripatea said he was grateful for the support he received from the community in the lead up to, and during the event.

"We had a lot of volunteers, and marshalls at the events to help ensure the safety of everyone there. We also had a lot of volunteers helping with the food stalls and entertainment. It was great to see people getting involved."

Mr Kiripatea said he expected the event to continue to grow each year, attracting more locals and tourists as more people learned about Matariki.

"We want to see Matariki events continue to grow slowly, year by year, to become a natural part of the Rotorua events calendar. This is an opportunity for us to get out there and share with the people of Rotorua, the story of Matariki."

The event was originally meant to run over Saturday and Sunday nights, but last night's parade was cancelled because of wet weather.

What is Matariki?

* Matariki is the Maori name for a cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades.

* Traditionally, Matariki was a time to remember those who had died and also a time to celebrate the harvesting of crops.

* Matariki, or Maori New Year celebrations were once popular, but stopped in the 1940s before being revived in 2000.

* Kite flying is a special feature.

* For more information visit teara.govt.nz