One of the joys of living in a varied multicultural society is the opportunity to experience locally, celebrations that in the past required overseas travel. The  Auckland Lantern Festival is part of the local celebration of the Chinese New Year and a great opportunity to experience some sights, sounds, smells and foods that I first encountered in Hong Kong many years ago.   

The timing has often coincided with taking Edin back to Auckland to start the University year, but until last year, the opportunity to attend had clashed with other commitments. The move of the Auckland Lantern Festival to the Auckland Domain in 2016 made it much easier for us to access from our usual Auckland accommodation and we visited for 2 nights, marvelling at the beautiful lantern displays as the evening faded into night, enjoying food from the stalls and ending with the dramatic fireworks display.

This year we made a special trip up just to visit the festival and again enjoyed the final night with happy crowds, food, fireworks and endless photographic opportunities. 

All photos with Fuji XT1 and Fuji 10-24mm f4 lens