“Thirty of the teams marched through the morning. The balance finishing after a half hour lunch break, during which the Beat Boy Drummers – five 12- to 14-year-old boys, played amazing music. Thank you, Beat Boys.”
Haslar said around 2pm a ‘Maze March’ was then enjoyed by all.
“It was a fabulous finish to a fabulous day. Brian Yanko did an excellent job as the speaker, with individual music for each team. A big thank you from the Northland Tui Marching Team for the invitation to such a special well-run event.”
With more women taking up the sport, the Leisure Marching Nationals will be held in Whangārei in 2029.
Whangārei’s Purple Reign and Northland Tui leisure marching teams were among those in the Leisure Marching National Finals in Palmerston North earlier this year.
For more information go to www.northlandtuis.org.nz, or www.leisuremarching.org.nz.
With its growing popularity, new leisure marching teams are being formed in Northland.
While leisure marching involves plenty of discipline and intricate routines, there is no competition or judging: teams simply put on a five-minute display.
Lyn Hutchings, who coaches three leisure marching teams in Northland, said many leisure marchers used to do competitive marching when they were younger and wanted to get back into the sport.