Pacific Colours and Flavours Fill the Edge

MEDIA RELEASE

Pacific Colours and Flavours Fill the Edge®

AUCKLAND, 29 July, 2007 – For most Aucklanders, August means wrapping up warm and avoiding the rain. Visitors to the Aotea Centre, THE EDGE® will experience a colourful dose of sunny Island life with pacifica heartbeat.

Running from August 2-8, pacifica heartbeat will transform Level 5 of the Aotea Centre into a multicultural Pacific Island fiesta, giving visitors the opportunity to experience the numerous cultures, colours, sounds and flavours of the Pacific.

pacifica heARTbeat will give visitors the chance to explore the flavours of Fiji, Tonga, Soloman Islands, Samoa, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Tuvalu, Tokelau and Tahiti providing insight into New Zealand’s neighbouring Pacific Island nations.

The exhibition space will come alive with cultural performances, daily activities, music and contemporary art and displays of authentic pacific arts and crafts such as mats, tivaevae, tapa cloth, baskets, jewellery, paintings and carvings.

The event has been organised by THE EDGE® Public Programmes and admission to pacifica heartbeat will be free.

“pacifica heartbeat will bring the beating heart of the Pacific into the city centre,” said Public Programmes Manager, Sally Markham. “Previous exhibits and community events with a Pacific focus have been extremely popular with visitors to THE EDGE®. It is wonderful to be able to expand on this and provide an exciting and stimulating week-long Pacific experience.”

In addition to being open to the public daily, pacifica heartbeat will also be attended by numerous schools from throughout the Greater Auckland region during August 2-8. Each day will feature workshops for school focused on particular cultures and countries as follows:

Thursday 2 August – Cook Islands/Tokelau/Tuvalu
Friday 3 August – Samoa & Niue
Monday 6 August – Solomon Islands & Kiribati
Tuesday 7 August – Tonga and Fiji
Wednesday 8 August – Tahiti and Aotearoa

“This is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in Pacific culture,” said Ms Markham. “One of the joys of past events has been seeing young people embrace new cultures and new experiences and we feel sure that pacifica heartbeat will again stimulate young minds and touch their hearts.”

ENDS

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