Wild Dunedin festival focus on the sea

Down to the Sea is the theme of next year’s Wild Dunedin festival, so the organising committee chose an apt location, the beach at Lawyers Head, for a meeting this week. Settling down for the meeting are (from left): Emma Salmon, Neil Harraway, Rachel MacJeff, Hoani Langsbury, Jayashee Panjabi, Charles Buchan, Jeannie Hayden, Kerry Buchan, Taylor Davies-Colley, Steph Godfrey, Suzanne Middleton and Taylar McNeilly. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN

The nature festival will return next April with a new theme, Down to the Sea.

Festival director Jeannie Hayden said it would explore sea life on the shore, harbour and ocean, and also how what we do on land affects ecosystems.

There would be about 70 events.

The area had so many ties to the sea, from tourism to local wildlife, that the theme was a ‘‘no-brainer’’.

Among new additions to the festival would be internationally known Wanaka environmental artists Martin Hill and Philippa Jones, would be creating land art, which would last only as long as nature allowed.

The land art projects would only use materials that came from the beach.

There would also be an increased focus on gardening and food at the next festival, she said.

The festival will run from April 22-28.

daisy.hudson@odt.co.nz