Last night we went into the city for the last night of the Auckland Lantern Festival. We had heard it was pretty cool and we are always on the lookout for free and fun things to do together so we decided to give it a try.
We got there pretty early which meant it wasn’t crowded the first time we walked around. We made our way through the park and visited the street with the food carts first because we wanted to eat dinner and knew the food area would get crowded fast.
We strolled up and down the street with the food stalls a few times and each time got something new to nibble on.
There was a lot of good food and we definitely enjoyed it.
To see the rest of the food we ate check out my post on the food blog.
After we ate we walked around for a few minutes and took pictures of ourselves and the interesting creatures found at the festival.
I have to be honest and say that I have no clue what this red thing is.
We settled in to watch the end of a martial arts demonstration.
And then a “fashion show” … at least that’s what they said it was. It was more of a slow synchronized dance.
After that – KARAOKE! I have to say, this guy was hilarious. He was the first to go and was technically an employee “testing the mic” but he got the crowd in the right mood for hilarity.
In between the sessions I laid back in the grass and looked up at the sky. Not a bad view, right? It’s strange to me to live in a place with palm trees. I still forget I live so close to the ocean. Every time I see a palm tree or catch a seagull flying through the air it surprises me until I remember where I live.
Once it got dark we left the karaoke stage to wander around the park and look at the lanterns.
The moons and stars were one of my favorites. I’ve got a thing for stars and these vibrant colors made me so happy.
We saw bird lanterns in the trees above us as we walked through the park….
and underwater fish scenes by the side of the path.
There were all sorts of scenes set up throughout the park.
Those turtles made me laugh. They made me think of teenage mutant ninja turtles but with instruments. They were one of the last things we saw before heading home.
And of course the beautiful red lanterns that were hanging everywhere lining the paths. They were simple and beautiful.
Overall it was a really fun night! It was the perfect kind of thing to get me out of my “I hate NZ” space that I had been in for a couple of days. There really are some fun things here that I enjoy – like all the festivals and markets we have access to living in Auckland. I’m going to try to focus more on the positives than the negatives because like it or not I’m stuck here for the next few years. ;)
Have you ever been to a lantern festival? Do you like going to festivals and markets?
Beautiful pictures! It looks like such a nice outing… I’m glad it lifted your spirits.
What was in the banana leaf thing?
Sticky rice!!
Looks like awesome fun. I wish we had something like that down here in Blenheim! Hope it helped keep your mind off things for awhile!
Looks like a wonderful day – you’re so lucky! It is cold, and grey, and raining here in the UK…galoshes and rubber duck weather!
That doesn’t sound fun. But just think, when you get the sunny warm days we will get the cold, grey, rainy days! ;)
I know how hard it is to be away from home…but wow youre having some cool experiences, Mary.
Hang in there.
That looks so cool!!!
Mary, what amazing pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That festival looked like so much fun & the colors & sites & all… wish we had things like that here! Keep on enjoying!
Hi Mary, amazing picture, I spent 6 months living in Auckland in 2008 and it’s an awesome city, I also loved the fact that the ocean is everywhere and you’re never far away from it, and NZ is such a beautiful place. I’m back living in the UK now and it’s gloomy, grey and damp at the moment – wish I was back in NZ sometimes but I do also understand what it’s like to feel homesick. Hopefully the festival and fun times have lifted your spirits, it looks fantastic.
Hey Claire! It is a pretty place and sometimes has really fun stuff to do. I like the summer time over here more than any other season too since it’s so sunny and nice. :)
That looks like an awesome time! Beautiful colors and something fun to do at night and free?? Can’t get better than that! I love going to any festivals in town (or heck, outta town for a change of scenery) but free is a bonus you can’t pass up! Tell that fiance of yours to post a blog update soon! ;-)
LOVE the watermelon thing w/ the ice cream. Go NZ! Such a cool thing…so awesome
The glowing lanterns look gorgeous! And the food… :)
What pretty lanterns! No I don’t think ive been to a lantern festival. If I have, I don’t remember. There are lots of festivals here in sf but they tend to all kind of run the same. Usually I go to the biggest one, the folsom leather one, and then my neighborhood ones – noe valley and castro. I love living in a place that has palm trees! Its kinda weird like a vacation.