Local Focus: It's true! Palmy Rocks!

Palmerston North will be rocking more than usual this Saturday as Palmy Rocks holds its first event in The Square.

Palmy Rocks is calling all rockers in the region to come along to the first Rhythm n Rocks event where they'll be making a giant koru with all the rocks people bring.

Local rock star Heather Knox got the idea to paint rocks from the United States and thought she'd give it a go here in the Manawatū to encourage outdoor activity.

"I honestly thought it wouldn't last this long but it just keeps on going. There's something about them - the weight of them, the feel of them, you know - they stand out when you're in the bush. There's something happy about them," Knox said.

Anyone can join the rock community who paint rocks and hide them for others to find in nature. It's so populat, rock fever has spread throughout the country and across the globe.

For this weekends event, thousands of rocks have already been painted.

At Te Manawa Museum, an open art class called NOA meets twice a week where anyone can come in and get creative. They're pledging 50 rocks for the cause.

"We believe art is social glue. Art is really important for activating people in the community and enlivening public space. And we love Palmy Rocks," Aroha Lowe said.

It's a craze that's showing no sign of waning. Instead more and more people are climbing aboard.

"I think that's one of the key successors about Palmy Rocks is it's for everyone. We can all participate. And also here at NOA we really believe that we can lead from any chair and it's important we can bloom where ever we are planted," Lowe said.

And the best part is just like most rock stars, these ones have no rules.

"It's pretty hard to control so we just say if you're painting rocks you're putting them out to the universe and see what happens next. Paint your rocks, give them a big hug and set them free," Knox said.

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