About 30 members of the Tūrangi Events group headed out on a recent winter’s night, gathering at dark with torches at Te Ponanga Saddle to create and capture a light show featuring the magnificent stars of Matariki.
The group mapped out the star positions on the ground and then, with torches in hand, they spread out to create the light effect of the stars in the night sky, captured by a drone hovering overhead.
The starry scene wasn’t just about Matariki; it was a vibrant effort to help revitalise the community and symbolise unity within it.
Athena Anaru of Pihanga Health and a leader of the Matariki initiative told Taupō and Tūrangi Herald that many in Tūrangi had been struggling a bit lately and they saw this as a way to boost physical and mental health.
“In a small town environment, we struggle with all kinds of things ... we’re on the fringes and often get forgotten, we want to keep a community vibe up because health is external too.
Dorene Mills, left, and Athena Anaru are passionate about the Tūrangi community.
“Tūrangi is an interesting town because there are heaps of maraes and I think it’s creating that cultural awareness but I don’t know, there’s been a disconnect somewhere and I don’t know why.
“I think the only way to create grassroots and momentum is by getting involved.
“There’s many people that want to create things, sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time - I know I absolutely am.”
The driving force behind the creation, Dorene Mills of Tall Poppy Real Estate, agreed on being in the right place at the right time, having had her creation come to life in just 24 hours.
“I thought about it a couple of months beforehand then put it aside as being doable until a few weeks ago when I brought the idea to someone’s attention in the events team, she called somebody and we pulled it off in a day.”
The last thing to bring the light show to life was a drone, which was operated by Taupō District Council’s digital content creator.
Mills said the creative concept arose from her education in Canada.
“I wanted to do something different and bring attention to our Matariki events and I was thinking about high school. We formed our school letters on the field and I was thinking that would be fun to do with lights.”
The idea was a way to get Tūrangi on the map and show the good things the community had to offer.
“There’s been a push to have something more for our kids and so many people here have the same passions and want to see good here,” Mills said.
“In our little town, it’s up to those of us who are passionate about doing something for our kids and everybody else.
“We have all this energy for each other and want to make our town better, there is a lot of heart in Tūrangi.”
Tūrangi Matariki celebrations feature a karakia and night market on June 26, a hosted gala by Tongariro School and Family Lights Disco on June 27, and the Shimmer and Shine Ball on June 28.
