Residents living in and around Kaiwaka gathered at the Kaiwaka Sports Association on the afternoon of Saturday 14th June to celebrate the village’s annual lantern festival (See the pictures....). Fine weather meant that the “inside games” were not needed and instead afternoon activities included a gumboot tossing competition, three-legged races, and the ever-popular (if messy) egg-toss-and-catch competition (sponsored this year by Absolute Concrete, Kaiwaka’s own hardware store).
The games culminated with the inaugural East-versus-West tug of war in which teams drawn from people living on the east and on the west side respectively of the state highway faced off against each other in a contest of strength and will. The contest this year proved less than equal, with the East side team decisively proving its superiority (this is to be memorialised in a trophy displayed proudly at the Kaiwaka 4 Square). West Kaiwaka will have to wait until mid winter 2026 to exact its revenge – maybe!
The sun having set, the greatly anticipated lantern parade assembled. This year’s parade was larger than previous years, with well over 400 people setting off on the 1.7km route around the village. The benefits from the popular lantern making workshops were evident through the amazing variety and creativity of lanterns on display. The parade set off from the Kaiwaka Sports Association (KSA) grounds, walking first through the 400m long kauri bush trail. There in the dark a taniwha lay in wait, greeting parade goers as they passed with a graceful swaying dance. Later along the route performers danced with colourfully lit umbrellas, and when the parade reached Eutopia Café a team of fire dancers put on a splendid show as hot chocolate was distributed. Thus fortified the parade was welcomed back to the KSA with a rousing kapa haka performance by students from Kaiwaka School. The community saw out the evening toasting marshmallows over braziers to the musical sounds of Happy Fish and with more fire dancing in the background.
The 2025 Kaiwaka Lantern Festival has continued the tradition of providing free family fun for all the community at mid-winter. The Festival is an initiative by Kaiwaka Can Inc, a community action group dedicated to making Kaiwaka an even better place to live. Between 600 and 800 people attended the event overall, enjoying the entertainment, food and beverages and participating in all the fun. The Festival is made possible through the very generous support of local businesses contributing cash for festival expenses as well as in-kind prizes and items sold through the silent auction. So successful was this year’s sponsorship drive that it generated a surplus, to be applied to the construction of Kaiwaka’s new skate park, another Kaiwaka Can project.
Warm thanks are owed to the hard working team of volunteers that pulled together such a memorable day for Kaiwaka. Volunteering with Kaiwaka Can provides the perfect opportunity to meet people from around the community and work together to bring about such rewarding projects. If you would like to help prepare for the 2026 Festival, please contact us.
