Celebrating Waitangi Day

It was a day full of celebrations at the Orongomai Marae as it celebrated Waitangi Day with an open day.

Food was cooked for visitors on the day and proved popular among the crowds.

‘‘The hangis were the first to go,’’ Kaimahi Cameron Kapua-Morrell said.

About 500 people stopped by the marae throughout the day with people dropping in and out to see a range of cultural shows.

Kapua-Morrell said it was amazingto see so many people of different cultures and backgrounds come together to celebrateWaitangi Day.

‘‘There were people from eastern Sudan, mainland China and Hong Kong. The day wasn’t just for us, it was for everyone,’’ he said.

Three or four kapa haka groups performed at the marae, including one from St Bernard’s College. Fivepiece country band Rimutaka Trail Group also came along for a concert and spent some time taking requests for songs from the crowd.

People gathered to watch a bright display of Chinese dancing too, as the Oriental Cultural and Performing Arts group put on a performance.

Kapua-Morrell said the amount of people at the day was incredible to see.

‘‘It was a significant difference, far greater than we have had in recent years. The last time we had that amount of people was three or four years ago.’’