Mahurangi Matariki Festival Lights Up Snells Beach for Second Year Running
This year’s Mahurangi Matariki Festival, held in Snells Beach on 18 July, was a heartwarming success — a collaboration of local community groups celebrating the Māori New Year by honouring the past, taking joy in the present, and looking forward to the future. Run by the Kawau Bay Action Group with support from the Rodney Community Team, the event opened with a captivating performance from Horizon School’s Kapa Haka group.
The car park came alive with activities for kids, including a 7-metre-high rock climbing wall from Bigfoot Adventures and the Play Taakaro trailer, while parents enjoyed a sausage sizzle run by the Snells Beach Community Association. As evening set in, marshmallows went up on sticks for eager kids to toast over the braziers thanks to the Kawau Bay Fishing Club.
Inside, hopeful cooks brought along homemade soups to share potluck-style, doing double duty as entries in the Soup-O-Rama competition. Everyone tucked into their favourite soup flavours with fried bread ahead of dinner, before the top three placegetters were announced.
Local singer-songwriter Avya treated the crowd to soulful live music, while the Razza Dazzlers and Felicity led a beginner-friendly line dancing session. There were plenty of smiles and laughs as people worked up an appetite for dinner.
The night was capped off with the Whānau Dance Party, with local legend DJ Wendy Douglas stepping up to the decks as parents and kids hit the floor together — a joyful close to another successful year for this growing community celebration.
Rodney Community is a free service managed by the Rodney Community Team to promote community events, activities and initiatives across the Rodney Local Board area. Our goal is to connect with community on the ground and support them with resourcing, venues and expertise. Event organisers are responsible for ensuring the terms of use are met.
