I left the "City of Darkness" Auckland still suffering from the power crisis caused by the breakdown of the four major power cables and headed south to Wellington for a cultural break.

In stark contrast to the deserted streets of downtown Auckland, Wellington was very much alive and buzzing with activity. Held bi-annually, this was the seventh festival since its conception in 1986 and it certainly promised to be the biggest and brightest one yet. Opera, drama, jazz, dance, classical music, potters, painters, sculptors plus a hundred different fringe festival shows breaking out all over the city - this was a great place to be!

The opening ceremonies
As dawn broke on Friday February 27th the Festival came to life with a Maori ceremony of welcome held in the Civic Square. Artists, performers, organisers and onlookers - we were all invited to enjoy this demonstration of Maori dance and singing to celebrate the opening of this Festival of Arts. Later as dusk fell that evening Christopher Berthonneau and Groupe F (France) had been invited back again to launch the Festival with a dazzling, brilliant display of firework artistry. (Berthonneau made his reputation with the memorable firework choreography at the closing ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics.)

He did not disappoint us - the spectacular display of fire and colour, reflected in the harbour, was absolutely beyond words. The Festival really had come to life and was well and truly on its way.

Events to suit everyone
Romance and Revolution was the theme linking many of the events in this year's exciting and action-packed events. From the Cercle Invisible (France) a circus of two performers, Beauty and the Beast (U.K./N.Z.), 'Othello' from the Royal National Theatre (UK) and Cinderella from the Ballet de L'Opera National de Lyon (France) to American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, Espoo Big Band (Finland) and the Dutch Swing College Band - all in all over 500 events including Readers and Writers Week - there was certainly something to suit everyone's taste.

I had three special favourites. Firstly, for sheer beauty and energy, the production of Orchids of Manipur by the Chorus Repertory Theatre of Manipur (India) was outstanding. Manipur is a remote village in northeast India - a region with twenty nine different tribal groups. Ratan Thiyam, the director of the company, is a dedicated maestro who founded the group twenty two years ago. He insists that the remote countryside has provided much of the inspiration for his work. From gentle folk songs to vigorous drumming and dance routines, the programme was a wonderful demonstration of a cultured and competent group of thirty performers which kept us all cheering and asking for more.

A great favourite with the audiences and me was the hugely entertaining show, La Cuadra de Sevilla - Salvador Tavora's spectacular version of Carmen from the original legend told by the old cigarette makers from Trina. Although several of the well known songs from Bizet's Carmen were included, this version is very different from the romanticized version familiar in Bizet's interpretation. Here we saw thrilling Andadusian singers and flamenco dancers, accompanied by guitarists and the thirty strong authentic Andalusian pipe, drum and bugle band. However, the star of the show was undoubtedly the dancing white stallion who performed and behaved faultlessly - all in all a memorable night of Spanish magic.

In stark contrast was one of the biggest events in the Festival - Schoenberg's 'Gurrelieder' with its massive choir of 270 singers including the much acclaimed Berlin Radio Choir with the Orpheus of Wellington and members of the Auckland Choral Society. The N.Z. Symphony orchestra was boosted to 142 players for the two night performances. This was the first time 'Gurreleider' has been staged here - a major effort, but highly enjoyable.

Readers and Writers Week
This event ran from 10 March - 15 March and the venue was the Touring Gallery at the new Museum, of New Zealand, Te Papa, which was opened only in February. This gave us the opportunity to see some of the wonderful exhibits in the museum in between the talks, and I must say Te Papa is a wonderful asset for Wellington and certainly well worth a visit - or two or three.!!

There was an extensive line-up of international writers present including Arundhati Roy, writer of 'The God of Small Things'. Arundhati did not realize she would be the 'star' of the Festival Readers and Writers Week when she accepted the invitation to visit New Zealand. Her Wellington friend Viveka Kumari had approached her to come before her book was published. By the time the Booker prize was announced in October, Arundhati had already decided she would come. Her book is a lyrical and tragic cross-caste novel about twins living as outcasts in a tiny Indian village - a must to read!!

There is something magical and enthralling in listening to writers read their own work and Julian Barnes really made his novel 'A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters' so amusing and droll that I can't wait to read it. Louis de Bernieres entranced us with an excerpt from 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin', another on my book list and Anne Michaels confirmed for me that her latest book 'Fugitive Pieces" is worthy of the awards it has received.

However, it was Sia Figiel who delighted me most. This young Samoan woman is the first published Samoan woman writer. She is enthusiastic, passionate and determined to succeed. The church and the elders in her family do not approve of her acclaimed novel, 'Where Once We Belonged', which won the 1997 Commonwealth Writers Best Fiction First Award for S.E. Asia and South Pacific region. Her book blends traditional Samoan oratory and song techniques and is refreshingly different.

Writers and Readers Week attracted large audiences - most of the sessions were booked out. New Zealanders certainly love to read and this gave everyone a wonderful opportunity to catch up on the latest book releases - a chance not to be missed by bookworms.

I left the Festival with many memories and sad that I could not stay for the full three weeks. My main regret was that I was unable to attend the giant theatrical masterpiece by Robert Lepage and El Machina (Canada) 'The Seven Streams of the River Ota.' This seven hour performance has been internationally acclaimed and I was looking forward to this epic highlight. Alas the leading lady broke her leg whilst practising and her replacement did not arrive before I left to continue my holiday in the South Island. More from there later!!

N.Z. Festival of the Arts 2000
Plans are already in place for the first festival in the next millennium and it promises to be even more spectacular and exciting. If you are planning to visit New Zealand then, do contact the NZ International Festival of the Arts at P.O. Box 10-113 Wellington, or visit the Web page at www.festival.co.nz to be put on the mailing list.

You may also wish to join the Friends of the Festival - this entitles you to preferential bookings at discount prices. The Friends also organise day tours around places of interest in Wellington. This year they included private art collections, Government Houses, leading potters and artists at work and many more.