Mercury Baypark will come alive with colour, music and precision on Saturday, October 18, with the North Island Leisure Marching Display Day, a non-competitive event celebrating the spirit of community, movement and camaraderie through Leisure Marching.
The event, hosted by the Tauranga Leisure Marchers Group – a group of six local teams who have spent the past two years planning the day – is expected to attract about 50 teams from Whangārei to Wellington.
“It’s a day full of colour, fun, fitness and friendships,” said Glenice Dando, secretary of the event’s organising committee and a member of Tauranga’s Glengyle team. “It’s the music that gets you going; a good beat is all that is needed. Our team marches to Neil Diamond and Ricky Martin songs.”
She said every team has their own uniform, music, and display.
Laughter
Leisure marching is a low-impact, non-competitive activity for mature women.
“You’re walking at pace and your arms are swinging, so it’s good exercise, and good fitness. Also, as each step in each move must be counted it is extremely good for mental fitness! Our practices sometimes just dissolve into laughter, and we go back and start all over again.”
The Tauranga Combined Leisure Marchers, made up of six teams. Photo / Supplied.
The movement began in Tauranga in 1991 and had steadily grown in popularity with most teams practising for an hour or two once-weekly.
The display day will start 8.30am with former Silver Fern and netball legend Casey Kopua taking the salute during the March Past. After this, all six Tauranga teams – Glengyle, Kaimai Rangers, Matua Majors, Elite, Pacific Guards, and Greerton Gold – will open the programme, followed by performances from visiting teams.
Each team will present no more than a five-minute display, with routines set to a variety of upbeat music.
“It’s not about competition,” said Dando. “Every team gets off the floor and says: ‘We won today’ because it’s all about the effort, the teamwork, and the joy of performing together.”
The Tauranga Leisure Marchers Group has been preparing to host since September 2023, with Dando saying the collaboration between local teams had been effective, rewarding and “fabulous”.
“The committee have all formed strong friendships and they will continue, I imagine, for many years after this.”
The leaders of the six Tauranga Leisure Marchers - Linda Wakefield (Kaimai Rangers), Sally Smith (Matua Majors), Robyn Cotter (Glengyle), Jayne Porter (Elite), Kaye Webster (Pacific Guards), and Lorraine Yule (Greerton Gold). Photo / Supplied.
Visitors can expect a festive, welcoming atmosphere, with marchers out and about in Tauranga during the weekend. Many are making a multi-day trip of it, enjoying local accommodation, retail and hospitality.
An evening function at Classic Flyers Museum will cap off the day’s celebrations, with a live band for the teams.
Free entry
Dando encourages everyone to come along and support the participating teams. Entry is free to the NZ Leisure Marching North Island Day, starting 8.30am at Mercury Baypark, Mount Maunganui, on Saturday, October 18.