Festival opens with a splash of rain
It wouldn’t be Soundsplash without a rain shower.
Festivalgoers were settling into a damp campground at the annual ‘‘good vibe’’ music festival held on Raglan’s Wainui Reserve yesterday.
Intermittent heavy showers were falling as neo-dub band Tunes of I kicked off the three-day event. Organisers were hopeful for an overall sunny weekend.
Better equipped than most were Troy Rodger, 23, and Jamie Read, 23, who had driven their 1988 Isuzu house bus from Pukekohe for the weekend.
It was a nervous moment driving the yellow-painted 6.9-tonne vehicle over the hill to Raglan. ‘‘It’s not the fastest uphill,’’ Rodger said.
It’s their first summer in the old North Shore Tramping Club bus, bought for $24,000 on a $1 reserve Trade Me auction. It serves as their permanent home.
‘‘We didn’t come here for any musicians in particular – we’re just here for the vibes,’’ Rodger said.
A near sell-out crowd of 7000 was expected to attend for a line-up which boasts psychedelic reggae fusion band Ocean Alley, multigenre group Shapeshifter and Perth-based electronica duo Slumberjack.
Soundsplash was resurrected in 2016 after an eight-year hiatus. In January 2017, festivalgoers had to decamp on the Sunday as high winds forced organisers to cancel the final day’s music.
Yesterday, a few Saturday day passes were remaining.
A campground of 4000 atop Wainui Reserve was at capacity.
Soundsplash operations manager Wairere Iti said a few patches of mud were the only concern, as the worst of the forecast had passed.
‘‘From now on, it’s basically sunny skies.’’
Iti said festivalgoers had heard two key messages from the organisers: zero waste and no alcohol.
All festival stalls must be fully composting and recycling, and campers were provided with rubbish bags to pack waste out.
‘‘We all believe that we’ve got to do everything we can. We want to make sure we have as little impact as possible.’’
A strict alcohol ban for campers had been largely adhered to.
A mandatory search uncovered only a few contraband items, Iti said.
‘‘This is a good-vibe festival.’’ Everyone is here to enjoy the location and, when we get it, the good weather.’’