Three hundred people visited Patearoa School, which had been transformed into a day-long music festival to celebrate the Taiari River and its scroll plain last Saturday.

The Taiari Wai River Festival, organised by freshwater conservation group Tiaki Maniototo (TM), began at midday with a “howling westerly”, TM communications officer Bill Morris said.

“The wind eased back and [the day] was a great success. We were really happy with the turnout.”

People came from Dunedin, across Central and the Maniototo to Patearoa School, “off the beaten track” and despite the weather, the crowd enjoyed the music, freshwater conservation, biodiversity information and the festival atmosphere.

Bill said the Maniototo presents unique challenges relating to weather and climate for events such as this, but that they planned to return “bigger and better next year.”

“We hope for the festival to become a regular fixture in the Otago music and events calendar.”

The music was a variety of genres; bluegrass from Maplewood String Band, blues, funk and soul from Tahu and the Takahes and alt folk from duo Jo Little and Jared Smith.

Hay bale seating for those listening to Jo Little and Jared Smith. PHOTO: Supplied  

During Friday’s bioblitz, samples were collected at Shortland Station in Danseys Pass. 

These were analysed and shared at the festival, with Otago Regional Council (ORC) Taiari freshwater management unit (FMU) catchment advisor Jack Mathieson, who was on hand to answer questions from citizen scientists and festival visitors. 

Collecting samples from the waterways at Shortland Station. PHOTO: Supplied 

Visitors chat to ORC Taiari FMU catchment advisor Jack Mathieson (on right) and youngsters inspect water samples with magnifying glasses. PHOTO: Supplied

Bill said TM wanted to keep the momentum going and would be working on getting signage panels developed and installed for recreation sites throughout the district.

‘We want to [improve and provide] access to waterways, connect people with them and learn about them . . . we hope to develop it into a local tourist attraction around the basin, like a trail.”

By 2026 TM aims to have planted 90,000 plants and completed 200 kilometres of fencing.

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