Hurrah for the Auckland Harbour Festival!

We went down to the Viaduct on Sunday night to sample the festivities. We actually parked by the university, and as I’d refused to wear shoes and socks my feet were aching by the time we actually got to the waterfront.

The acrobatic stylings from the RNZAF actually started a few minutes early, and by the time we’d found a good vantage point (that Hilton monstrosity was getting in the way) it was over. Oh well. It was a good appetiser for when we go down to Warbirds at Easter. We walked along side the bars and restaurants and looked at the old “tall ships” which were docked there.

We then made our way through the throngs of people to explore the fair. The Exponents could be heard playing their concert. To be honest, they sounded awful. Surely most people are drunk when they mosh along to that music. To make up for it, a beautiful sun set was gaining momentum. The entire eastern sky was awash with a deep pink which reflected in the still water of the marina between the masts. As we wandered past the various attractions and rides, this natural attraction was far superior.

After further wandering around the wharf and checking out the luxurious super-yachts, it was time to head back to Princes Wharf to secure a spot to watch the fireworks. On our way we stopped to check out some fire-jugglers/eaters, who were averagely impressive.

We went up to the public viewing platform by White and stood waiting for the fireworks to start. A little girl next to us was intent on loudly singing her entire repertoire of show songs and hymns (about 4 songs in total) over and over again. We kept waiting.

Then, about 10 minutes behind schedule, there was a sudden explosion in the harbour and the show began. The next 20 minutes were absolutely amazing. I have never seen such a display. Every firework they let off was more impressive than the largest rocket I had ever previously witnessed. Each time we thought it was over, another spectacular round would start up. There appeared to be themes of colour. The crowd applauded spontaneously several times. Towards the end there were fireworks so massive they appeared to take up the entire sky. And at the very end, there was a massive blast, which seemed to shake the foundations of the wharf, exploding in a gold fury. It was sensational. Took me a few minutes to recover from the sensory overload.

Apparently the whole festival was quite a success, and will be repeated next year. More details here.

Mission Bay Jazz and Blues Fest

Yes, I was one of the thousands who attended this street festival last night. A great time had by all, I should think. Not only did it prove to be a great place to drink in snippets of a huge variety of music styles, but we also bumped into several people we knew milling about.

After the obiligatory hike from the car, we were very pleasantly surprised by the first offering we came across: "Shaken not Stirred". Other highlights included the "Off the Cuff" group from Avondale College, "Torch Songs", and the "Chris Mason-Battley Group". We finished with a great half hour with the sensational "Tuxedo Swing Orchestra", which was my favourite. Lovely moments to be had sitting under the stars in my husband's arms, drinking in the sweet sounds.

Time didn't allow us to visit all the bands, but there's always next year.


Lights on Tamaki Drive, leaving the festival


Fountain at Mission Bay