In my eyes Bloom festival couldn’t be in a better location. Matakana Country Park is just an hour north of central Auckland, and just two kilometres north of the idyllic Matakana village, set against the backdrop of Providence Vineyards.
For those just there for the day there is plenty of on-site paddock parking for a fiver, however the way to the registration tent is anyone’s guess. It’s a good reminder to us city folk to chill out, as the hand-written Matakana road sign suggests: ‘We are now on Matakana time.’ Along the way the bridge and pond is littered with inflatable frogs, the fences decorated with colourful satin flags, and the trees adorned with fish kites. Music from the main stage kicks you into a celebratory mood, and the scorching heat and dusty feet tell you you’re on holiday. Burn-time, 12 minutes, ice-cream-melt time, two minutes.
There is so much to do, even with under-fives. The Disney Village is set up with sponsored picnic rugs, beanbags and umbrellas, and tents with colouring activities, face painting and the opportunity for youngsters to pot their own seedlings. If your little one is game they can be zipped into a giant clear plasticbubble to zorb themselves hamster-style around an inflatable pool, but under fives would have to be totally fearless to try the biggest inflatable water slide in the whole wide world. If you’re just coming for a day, pick Friday to avoid long queues.
My daughter’s dreams came true at the Fairy Shop tent, and my son’s dreams were discovered as he ‘drove’ my husband around the tyres on the dodgems. There’s an inflatable maze, a climbing wall, a legendary bouncy castle, a horizontal ferris wheel of sorts…and when you’ve exhausted yourselves there are even tee pees to take refuge in.
Our favourite area was Magic Meadow. Quaint little St Andrew’s church was transformed into a story-telling venue,
and we were a captive audience for the NZ Ballet performance, and circus workshop, at stage two. Our children made instant friends with their workshop companions, and we actually managed some rest and relaxation.
In the market area you can re-charge your batteries with mexican, kebabs, exotic candy and delicious $9 wood-fired pizzas… and you can recharge your phone/camera/ipod batteries at the nifty little recharge pod. $3 half an hour, $6 full. Don’t bring your i-pod though, not cool. The best of Kiwi music spills out live from the main stage. Do bring your camera – our day was full of Kodak moments.
