Being able to perform for the thousands of people who attended Saturday's Greerton Family Festival was an "amazing feeling" for Mereana Vaka.
Vaka, who was one of the leaders from the Te Ohomairangi kapa haka group, enjoyed being able to perform at the event, which was an early celebration for Waitangi Day held at Greerton Village School.
She said the group was part of the C3 Church Tauranga which practised every fortnight and more often leading up to a performance.
Vaka said performing for the audience at the weekend was an "amazing feeling" and it was "amazing to be able to release God's message to everyone".
The kapa haka performance was just one of the many forms of entertainment on offer at the Greerton Family Festival, organised by the Journey Restorative Trust for the fourth year.
Whether it was having a go on the slip and slide, petting the rabbits or having a ride on the ponies there was plenty to for all members of the public.
Journey Restorative Trust manager Tina Salisbury was pleased with the turnout of the thousands of people who turned up to enjoy the free event.
"It's so great to see the cross-section of the community here today. There is a wide range of multi-cultural, multi-generational people here," she said.
"It's great to create a safe and fun environment for the whole family," Salisbury said.
The festival included food vendors, a free sausage sizzle, a trampoline, pony rides, a petting zoo, family-friendly games, a scavenger hunt, a lolly scramble and more.
Performances from the Urban Dance group and Te Ohomairangi kapa haka group attracted crowds to the centre stage.