More than 6,000 people turned up for the annual kite flying festival organised by Vaishnav Parivar New Zealand Inc. on the occasion of Makarsankranti at the Eastdale Reserve in Avondale.
The event commenced at 11 a.m. with only a few hundred people on the ground, however, by 2 p.m., the reserve was packed with families, who had camped their tents, rolled their kite spools, and set their kites in the air.
Hundreds of multicoloured and differently designed, textured, and themed kites were seen flying in the blue sky. The wind and occasional drizzle failed to dampen the mood of the enthusiasts gathered.
The event was an opportunity for the growing multilingual Indian community of Auckland to come together to celebrate the festival. It also brought together Kiwi and Pacific Islander families who were seen flying kites alongside Indian and Fiji-Indian families.
One of the main attractions at the ground was the 25-foot long black and white kite made of lightly weight plastic table covers by an Avondale resident, who stitched 15 pieces of table cloths together to make the most attractive kite seen at the venue.
“It took me approximately 24 hours to get the kite ready, and I bought nylon string to fly this massive snake-looking kite,” Bandu La, a Sri Lankan national who participates in the festival every year, said.
National List MP Kanwaljit Bakshi with his team of four was also present at the occasion.
Talking to Indian Weekender, Mr Bakshi said, “We have lost four kites so far and cut 47 and still counting. Looks like we will hit a half century soon.”
Children as young as six and seven could be seen helping their parents fly a kite and some of them took the spool and the kite string in their hands. Other entertainment for children included bouncing castles, merry-go-rides, dancing, and face painting.
“We bought 3,000 kites, and by 4 p.m., we were left with a less than 50 kites, kite spools, and strings,” Manhar Patel, President and Coordinator for Vaishnav Parivar NZ Inc. said. “We made sure that people do not miss Gujarat and the fun they used to have back there, and the response is really encouraging.”
Another highlight of the event was the impromptu garba performance by a few visitors. Children and other community members also entertained the crowd with other dance performances.
People commended the efforts of Vaishnav Parivar for organising the event and bringing the community together for the celebration.
“Kite flying is a big tradition back in Gujarat and having such a massive celebration overseas for the diaspora is a great initiative. I appreciate the hard work of Vaishnav Parivar for arranging kite festival for the community,” Meghal Trivedi, a kite flyer at the venue, said.
The event concluded with a lucky draw in which Mr Nahari Pathak won a five-day holiday package for a couple in Nadi, Fiji.