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THOUSANDS who lined the banks of the three rvers last night were treated to an outstanding fireworks display that filled the night’s sky with colour.
Timed to music and with enough loud bangs to thrill even the most hardened of sorts, the Walter Findlay’s Fire in the Sky fireworks display drew huge cheers from an appreciative crowd.
When the sun went down on the balmy evening, children snuggled under blankets to wait for the main event. Families and friends picnicked on the banks and a high tide made the rivers look clean and inviting.
The heat lasted until after 8pm and people dangled their feet in the water to take the edge off.
Some top wakeboarders and barefoot skiers kept the crowd entertained during the daylight hours with an array of tricks.
Pyrotechnician Chris Hilder was happy to help Gisborne celebrate the new decade.
Mr Hilder has co-ordinated the New Year’s Day fireworks displays since the turn of the millennium.
“This is just a fantastic venue. With the reflections the fireworks make in the water, it is just magical,” he said. “A lot of people say this display is the best fireworks they have ever seen and that has a lot to do with the venue. For a major fireworks display it is a very intimate setting . . . it feels like the Findlay family have just invited you to a private party.”
The 12-minute display was timed to four songs — a musical piece from Lord of the Rings, the theme song from the Harry Potter movies, an Iron Maiden cover of Phantom of the Opera and U2’s New Year’s Day. Each song had fireworks to match, with the Harry Potter theme particularly well done.
Many of the fireworks in the display had not been seen in Gisborne before, said Mr Hilder.
“We had a system where the fireworks were timed and let off to musical cues, but with fireworks there is always that unpredictable element so we had manual control over other parts of the display,” he said.
The finale was huge — golden streaks were sent into the sky, follow by loud bangs that would send colours speeding out in every direction, while golden and blue flakes showered across the river.
This display will go down as one of the best, if not the best, seen in Gisborne.