Tangata (people), young and old, walked, scooted and biked their way from the Invercargill City Council building to Queens Park on Saturday, to start a week of activities uplifting te reo Māori and te ao Māori (the Māori world).
Some came adorned in their tino rangatiratanga flags, and one whānau proudly wore their brightly coloured, "Kia Kaha te reo Māori" T-shirts.
Waihōpai Hauora spokesman David Ihimaera said te reo Māori was a language that could be celebrated by everybody living in Aotearoa.
"It’s an inclusive language that has really helped young people to connect with their identity and find some direction in their lives.
"It’s a beautiful thing for individuals, for whānau, for the hāpori [community], for everybody living in Aotearoa."
Local Pakeha man, Paul Hurley, 74, joined the hīkoi riding his bike with his kurī (dog) in tow, embracing the kaupapa (purpose).
"I’ve lived in Invercargill for something like 50 years and I support everything to do with Māoridom.
"Even though I don’t speak te reo Maori, I know one or two words.
"But the whole concept of this language is wonderful.
"It’s been taken from the brink of extinction to becoming a mainstream language."
Mr Hurley encouraged New Zealanders to learn te reo Māori and to start by getting out a book on Māori phrases and just learning "one phrase or even a word a day".
Tamariki enjoyed the rest of the afternoon playing kemu Māori (Māori games) on the grass near the Queens Park rotunda.
Waihōpai Runaka put on a free sausage sizzle and kai, topping off the end of the first day of celebrations for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.
The September 14 celebration of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori coincides with the day activist group Nga Tamatoa delivered its Māori language petition to the New Zealand Parliament grounds 52 years ago.
