Approximately two thousand people gathered on Wānaka’s lakefront on Saturday to be entertained and fed as part of the community’s annual Matariki celebrations.

The four and a half hour event, organised by Kahu Youth, included a hāngi, a community stage where nine school kapa haka groups performed, fire dancers, and fireworks.

“It was pretty epic, it was amazing,” Kahu Youth operations manager Anna Sutherland said.

Sienna MacDonald, Lucie May, and Olivia MacDonald enjoyed the celebration.

“We were really thrilled to see our community come together to celebrate the Māori New Year.” 

Arlie Carter, Nixon Hindering, and Duncan Eley help out at the hāngi.

Anna said the hāngi, which was cooked in the purpose built hāngi pit at the dinosaur park, fed 650 people.

A large crowd gathered at the Wānaka lakefront to celebrate Matariki.

“We lit the fire around two o’clock on Friday (June 24) to warm up the ground and the concrete and we keep it going as much as we can overnight then start it up again Saturday morning,” hāngi cook Rick McLachlan said.

Students provided entertainment for the crowd.

The food was placed into the hāngi at 12.30pm on Saturday and cooked for four and a half hours.

Lake Hāwea resident Lynley Malmo, who was at the lakefront to join in the festivities said it was good to see so many people at the event. “The hāngi was very nice,” she said.

Attendees were kept warm while waiting for the fireworks.

Wānaka’s Matariki celebrations have been organised by Kahu Youth for the past 11 years.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App