Matariki celebrations to take over Taumarunui

'Space Cat', by James and Makayla Cannon, is a past winner of the Ruapehu Art Awards.

Art, lights, music and fun are all on offer to celebrate Matariki in Taumarunui.

Matariki Winter Festival has become the event of the year in the central North Island town, with light shows throughout the area every night, multiple art exhibitions, fun events for the whole family and public artwork on display.

The Ruapehu Art Awards will fill the Memorial Hall, showcasing a wide selection of art from around the country.

“We have paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, fibre art, Māori art, children’s and young adults’ art and more,” said Kathleen Lennie of the Taumarunui Art Group & Twin Rivers Art Gallery.

“We’ve received more than 250 adult entries and all artworks are for sale, so this is a great opportunity to discover, love, buy and invest in new and hidden artistic talent.”

The Ruapehu Art Awards’ opening event starts at 5.45pm on Thursday, July 13, with the prizegiving at 6.15pm. The exhibition will be open to the public on July 14-27, between 10am and 3pm, at the Taumarunui War Memorial Hall, 153 Hakiaha St, State Highway 4.

On Saturday, July 15, the Artisan Craft Fair, including live demonstrations, will be on at the War Memorial Hall at 10am-1pm.

“James Cannon’s Māori kite creations light up the Ruapehu Community Arts Centre at night; you’ll also find his carved birds in Manson’s Garden on the main street and Jack Marsden Mayer’s driftwood moa sculpture just down the road,” Lennie said.

Art in the Ruapehu Community will host a Matariki-themed exhibition at the Ruapehu Community Arts Centre on Taumarunui’s main street. Anyone interested is welcome to attend the opening evening at 5.30pm on Wednesday, July 12. The exhibition will then be open from 10am-5pm daily until Sunday, July 16.

Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho, an exhibition of harakeke [flax] pieces by local artists, will be on at the Ruapehu Community Arts Centre from July 18-21. A feature of the exhibition will be a demonstration mahi of weaving and whatu kākahu.

Matariki showcase Wāhine on the Kat Walk will be on at the Regent Theatre on Saturday, July 15, starting at 6.30pm. Entry by koha.

Mana Ariki Marae invites everyone to celebrate Matariki on Friday, July 14 from 10am-8pm and Saturday, July 15 from 10.30am-3.30pm. There will be live entertainment from Riverview Band, Groove Hutt, TJ & Huri and DJ SWA, as well as kai stalls, hāngī, kapa haka, raffles and miniature train rides. The marae is located on Ongarue Back Rd.

The Twin Rivers Community Gallery will be open from 10am-2pm daily at 109a Hakiaha St (SH4 opposite the railway station), with a selection of local art, crafts and gifts. Space Cat, the Premier Award winner from the previous Ruapehu Art Awards, will be on display. It is a fun concrete sculpture by father and daughter team James and Makayla Cannon.

“Taumarunui is centrally located - as the locals say, ‘The middle of nowhere and the centre of everything’ - no more than a few hours’ drive from Taupō, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Tauranga or Palmerston North; a perfect destination for an art-themed road trip this Matariki,” Lennie said.