These kites weren’t your backyard cloth and sticks and string either — they were special kites brought south by Peter Lynn Kites from Ashburton.
There were turtles flying in the sky, a half shark-half squid and rainbow manta rays
All were gigantic kites, flown on ropes that could hold up to 20 tonnes of pressure on their slack.
It was a nice day out for co-owner and kite designer Simon Chisnall, who spends his time either at the Ashburton factory or travelling around the world to various kite festivals, but found time to head to Mataura.
Recently, Peter Lynn Kites won the Guinness World Record for the largest kite flown for ‘The Hope’, commissioned for the Al-Farsi Kite Display Team overseas, adding to the manufacturer’s international success.
Mr Chisnall said it was awesome to bring the spectacle of the kite shows down to Southland and around the South Island, as it is an aesthetic joy but also one for people to join in and have a crack at themselves.
"It’s different down here, they don’t really have big show kites. There are big events all over the world, but in New Zealand they are smaller, so everyone’s quite amazed.
"A kite festival isn’t like any other event. You can come look at the kites, participate, you see all the families all around flying their own kites and joining in, that’s what makes the kite festivals so good," he said.
