'It’s extraordinary': 10,000 turn up for Matariki beach fires in Napier

Organisers say it’s likely that more than 10,000 people took part in a Matariki DIY beach fire event that continues to both capture and warm the hearts of Napier residents.

The Ngāti Kahungunu event Matariki Mahuika, now in its fourth year, was started after Cyclone Gabrielle when big piles of driftwood coated the shoreline.

This year Napier City Council embraced it as the city’s main Matariki event.

With little to no dry driftwood around, Pan Pac and Tumu Timbers donated offcut pine, which was left in mounds along the boardwalk near the Spirit of Napier statue for people to pick from for their fires.

It kicked off at 4pm on Saturday, with groups quick to stake their spots and start their fires.

Lanterns floating on the pool of the Spirit of Napier statue. Photo / Derek Rossiter

Quickly, hundreds of fires were burning from the National Aquarium to Kinross White St.

The Waka Maimai Aroha Procession – where people wrote messages on lanterns floated in batches on the Spirit of Napier’s pool, with the smoke carrying the messages to the stars was a popular part of the growing tradition.

James Murphy and his family had travelled from Taupō for the event.

He’d easily managed to find a spot and an armful of wood to burn.

“Just keeping an eye on the little one so she doesn’t get too close to the fire, but no, it’s awesome,” he said of the night.

There was a family friendly vibe at the Matariki Mahuika fires. Photo / Derek Rossiter

Near the National Aquarium, a stage adorned with the Matariki star cluster had kapa haka groups performing, stories being shared and songs being sung to a crowd devouring kai from an array of food trucks.

On Friday night, Kahungunu held a Hastings event with similar attractions, plus a massive fireworks display, from the Hastings racecourse.

Neill Gordon, who help found the event and continues to co-organise it, said he had asked people to share the warmth of their fires but they went much further.

“I’ve been to festivals with a great atmosphere where you know anyone would help you out if you asked, but never to an event where it’s the norm for strangers to be asking and offering to help each other, sharing their kindling, their marshmallows and matches, handing round hot drinks.

“The vibe at Mahuika isn’t just special, it’s extraordinary. Everyone on the beach is whānau at Mahuika.”

Gordon said a key component of Matariki was memory, not just remembering those who have passed but pausing and taking stock of where we are now, creating new memories.

“That’s what was happening last night, people loving sharing stories and creating lasting memories. People of all cultures and all ages were there, some of them from the heat-pump generation sitting around a fire for the first time in their lives.”

Roughly 10,000 people attended the Napier event, organisers estimate. Photo / Derek Rossiter

The key demographic who had always responded most strongly to Mahuika were grandmothers, Gordon said.

“There’s a generation of older folk with strong memories of sitting around a fire with their parents and grandparents who are passing that on - almost literally handing the torch - to a younger generation who will remember last night until the day they’re sitting there with their own mokopuna.”

Gordon said he’d spoken to people from around the world who were stunned by what they took part in at Napier, and travellers from other parts of Aotearoa who were equally thrilled.

Napier City Council and Mana Ahuriri Trust collaborated to run a Matariki beach clean-up on Sunday morning and Fire and Emergency New Zealand supported the event.

Gordon said it was “entirely trouble-free”.

“A light off-shore breeze carried the smoke from the fires out to sea on a chill but clear night after days of rain. A light shower about 6pm passed before people had the chance to put their coats on.

“Lighting beach fires is what Hawke’s Bay people have always done at Guy Fawkes and New Year but that’s the wrong time of year to do it from a fire risk perspective and also because there are rare birds nesting on our beaches between August and March.”