Next month's Matariki Festival will feature a manu or bomb competition, as demonstrated here by a master of the art. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Next month's Matariki Festival will feature a manu or bomb competition, as demonstrated here by a master of the art. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A new festival starting in the Bay of Islands next month aims to help restore Matariki to its rightful place as an unmissable national celebration.
Matariki — the Māori New Year, which is set to become a public holiday next year — is heralded by the rising of the starcluster Matariki in late June or early July.
The new Bay of Islands Matariki Festival will run from July 2-11 with more than a dozen free and ticketed events.
Attractions will range from astrophotography workshops and a Māori cuisine night to live music and a manu contest off Russell wharf.
The new festival includes an astrophotography workshop led by Kerikeri's Mark Russell. Photo / Mark Russell
Organiser Jackie Sanders, of Jacman Entertainment, said the festival had been developed in collaboration with local iwi and the Bay of Islands Marketing Group.
Festival-goers could feed mind, body and soul with storytelling, cultural experiences, Matariki-inspired feasts, vineyard tours and star-gazing.
One of the highlights would be a four-course culinary experience at Russell's Duke of Marlborough prepared by Māori master chefs including ''Hāngī Master'' Rewi Spraggon, Grant Kitchen, Tu Fearn and Tama Salive, with matching Māori-made wines and Tammy Davis as MC.
''Hāngī Master'' Rewi Spraggon is among the top Māori chefs taking part in the upcoming Matariki Festival. Photo / supplied
The festival would also feature light-hearted events such as a concert by Auckland band White Chapel Jak — who stole the show at Paihia's It! Festival two years ago — and a manu, or bomb, contest off Russell wharf.
Sanders said the initial drive for the festival came from the announcement of a regional events fund designed to drive domestic tourism post-Covid.
People she spoke to about Te Tau Hou Māori, the Māori New Year, agreed the Bay's abundance of culture, food and clear night skies made it an ideal place for a Matariki Festival.
It was different to other festivals planned around the country in that it was an umbrella event. It would have a few ''star attractions'' but any group or businesses could add their own events as long as they fitted the Matariki theme.
Bonnie Hurunui and Nathan Boston of Auckland band White Chapel Jak will be returning to Northland for next month's Bay of Islands Matariki Festival. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Duke of Marlborough co-owner Anton Haagh said the Bay of Islands' unique history made it the perfect place for a Matariki Festival and he was looking forward to seeing how it developed in years to come.
Organisers hope to add more free, large-scale public events in future.
Russell's Haratu Marae, Waitangi's Ngāti Kawa and Ngāti Rahiri, and Kerikeri-based Ngāti Rēhia have helped develop the festival.
The way Matariki is celebrated varies from iwi to iwi but it is traditionally a time to gather together, celebrate, reflect and plan for the future.
The Matariki star cluster is also known as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters.
■ Festival highlights include a Matariki weekend at Orongo Bay Holiday Park, Russell, July 2-4; Winter Cup Pool Competition, Sandpit Bar, Paihia, July 6, 7pm; Astrophotography Workshop, Plough and Feather, Kerikeri, July 7, 6.30pm; White Chapel Jak, Nauti Penguin, Russell, July 9, 7pm; Manu Masters, Russell Wharf, 10.30am-1pm; Tohunga Tumau culinary experience, Duke of Marlborough, Russell, July 10, 5.30pm. Go to www.matarikinz.com for a full list of events and booking information.
