Matariki Drone Light Show

When: Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th of June Time: Rotorua Night Markets from 5.00PM. Drone light show starts at 8.00PM on the dot. Where: Rotorua Lakefront | Kouramāwhitiwhiti Cost: Free and suitable for the whole whānau AROUNI Indigenous Arts Festival with First Lights presents ‘Matariki’, a drone light, sound and story event this midwinter at the Rotorua Lakefront, Aotearoa. Created by Māori artists Cian Elyse White (Ngāti Pikiao) and Mataia Keepa (Ngāti Whakaue), Matariki (the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades) tells the stories of environmental markers connected to this star cluster, as well as the large Waka or Canoe (Te Waka o Rangi) and it’s captain Taramainuku.

Throughout the year, Taramainuku traverses the sky with a large net, collecting the souls of our loved ones who have passed away across the year. During the month of May, Te Waka o Rangi sails beneath the horizon, rising again in June/July. When it rises, Taramainuku casts his net into the sky, releasing the collected souls to be immortalised forever as stars. Signalling the start of a new year, ‘Matariki’ invites audiences to look to the night sky and consider their human connection to the celestial realm. Artists and Narrators: Cian Elyse White and Mataia Keepa featuring Rangitiaria Tibble Music: James Webster Sound Design: Envelope Audio (Ned Beckley) Animation: Jarrad Russell Produced by Aronui Arts Festival, First Lights (Fremantle Biennale) and Stellar Lights.