The event attracted more than 80 participants and brought together members of Dunedin's Japanese community, including exchange students and local residents.
At least 18 people died in France, including two children left in a hot car, as a heatwave hung over Europe, smashing temperature records in several cities on Monday.
NZ First leader Winston Peters has angrily responded to a query about whether he might side his party with Labour after this year's election, calling it a "wanker question".