Auckland CulturalFest: In a Mingling World

It was a day of class field trip planned since the semester started. Notice came: Let's hang at the Auckland Multicultural Festival in April! It was quite a distance, so the whole family came along to drop me off.

Auckland CulturalFest is held every April, one of the largest cultural festivals

The vast park filled with countless booths and people of every kind. Police cars and officers guarded the entrance—typical for festivals like this—and people in various traditional costumes walked around noticeably.

No gathering spot or group tour—I just wandered around greeting various friends. The day's assignment: interview someone with a different cultural background to understand cultural diversity firsthand, then reflect on what we learned for personal growth.

I talked to some Māori after watching the Māori youth performance—kids barely in their early teens singing and dancing. Their songs rang out in clear, vibrant voices. Their faces radiated inherited pride and festival joy. Even in this brief performance, fierce spirit and courage poured out vividly. And through it all, the warm gaze of Māori adults guiding and watching over them.

The Korean booth sat next to the Māori one. Games like string figures, ddakji, and tuho were set up (it was before KPDH). No one actively explaining or promoting Korean culture, no performers—just small activity corners. A bit disappointing, but my friends showed interest so I shared what I knew.

While I interviewed people and hung out with friends, my kids wandered booths with their dad, playing games and buying snacks. The sunshine was as perfect as their smiles. On the way home, a beautiful rainbow popped in the sky.