Part of the Hawke's Bay attraction is the varied open-air festivals and exhibitions on offer. The summer months burst with wine and food festivals, winery concerts, under-the-stars cinema, and, of course, the Art Deco Festival. Winter is quieter, with hibernating vineyards and orchards, and a twiggy, barren landscape.
Recently, a newish winter festival popped up on my radar and seemed interesting enough to lure me out on a winter’s night.
“Walk of Wonders” is situated and and around the grounds of Black Barn Vineyard in Havelock North and runs for 10 days in August. The organisers describe it as a 'multi-sensory playground featuring animation, augmented reality, graphic illustration, projection mapping, roaming performance art, kinetic sculpture, pyrotechnical elements, and accompanying original musical score.'
The Light & Fire festival lived up to its name - an explosion of sound, light and colour that awoke my senses and engaged my imagination.
The rambling one to two-hour walk covers a lot of ground; installations in vineyards, an underground cellar, shadow-puppetry in a creepy-looking house, and geometric sculptures you’re encouraged to climb into. There’s no particular order, and it’s easy to re-visit spaces.
The Festival debuted last year with 12,000 people through the gates. Saturday 14th was the climactic night for the Festival, with live musicians playing the score, roaming performance artists, and a DJ installed in the underground cellar. The organisers were hoping for over 1,000 through the gates, and while part of me wanted to see the performance, I chose mid-week for a quieter visit.
The installations varied in size, design, and theme. In one large vineyard, hundreds of tall posts rippled through the colours of the rainbow, while an enormous sphere slowly rotated at one end.
In a smaller vineyard, a string of bulbs led to an installation of what I took to be neon tubing. Up close, I think it was a cat's cradle of rope, illuminated with purple and blue bulbs that turned the lengths neon.
Around the amphitheatre, large inflatable mushrooms dotted the grass, delighting kids.
An underground cellar turned mini gallery, exhibited six commissioned works around the theme “A Baptism of Pink”. Brief nailed! The works were stunning and everything glowed pretty pink.
Devil in the detail by Richard Boyd-Dunlop $12,000
The May Queen by Grimoire $8,297
Cauldrons of crackling wood fires represented the fire aspect, culminating in a tall bonfire, half a dozen blazing cauldrons at its feet, and two flame throwers, projecting fiery streams into the black sky. The comforting smell of wood smoke surrounded me throughout the walk, interspersed with plenty of smoke machines, all of which had their work cut out for them in the increasing drizzle.
The original musical score, composed by local Tom Pierard, boomed from hidden speakers behind trees and inside installations. To me, it evoked an abandoned, broken-down theme park, interspersed with lush, synth new-age sounds and the occasional cacophony of handbells! Very quirky and sometimes eerie. This other-worldly vibe changed once when, out of nowhere, an electro-swing track rocked out. Think swing and antique music modernised with electric dance beats. It’s amazing and makes my shoulders wiggle and jump.
The Silent Disco was a reprieve from the soundtrack. Someone handed me a pair of headphones and encouraged me to dance like no one was watching, which thankfully no one was. I shook my booty to a couple of Gin Wigmore tracks in the drizzle - loved it. I only realised I was singing aloud when I clocked a glance or two. In appreciation or horror? I don’t mind either way. It’d be a lot of fun when packed with bodies. At this festival, everyone listens to the same music but I’ve heard sometimes they play different genres. Imagine one dancer air-guitaring to hard rock next to another doing the twist, while yet another is trying out which Spice Girl they Wannabe.
After an hour and a half, the drizzle developed into battering rain, so I took my freezing hands and face home. With a good dose of frosty night air in my lungs, I felt as uplifted and smiley as the kids. I’m glad it’s only once a year as it makes it all the more unique and something to look forward to in the desolate winter months.
