Te Ao Māori

The drum has a special meaning to the people of Taranaki that many groups have paid tribute to this week.

While aihi kirīmi, pāua, and hāngī have sold like the clappers at this year's Te Matatini, other stalls not so much.

The rōpū from the Te Arawa region have been crowned champions for the first time.

Whether it's Māori business merch flying off the shelves, custom pounamu, or handcrafted pēke (bags) to carry all the necessities - every fit has a story.

Hundreds of spectators were so keen for the they started lining up at 3am, four hours before the gates opened.

Theodore Anderson would normally be scaffolding, but he is now carting kaumātua up and down the steep Bowl of Brooklands hills from dawn to dusk.

The twelve finalists for Te Matatini have been announced, among them are defending champions Te Whānau a Apanui, boundary-pushing Auckland group Angitu and star-studded newcomers Te Taumata o Apanui. Audio

Every item performed by kapa at Te Matatini carry a pūrākau (story) of people, places, and events of historical of significance for their hapū and iwi.

A feeling of anticipation has gripped Pukekura/Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymout.

Numbers at Te Matatini have been building up over the week, and will crescendo for a sold out finals on Saturday.

Ken Mair, a leader of the landmark iwi reclamation, says a lot has changed in the 30 years since they made their stand.

"Māori are very political people," Rawiri Waititi who performed at Te Matatini with new group Te Taumata o Apanui, said.

While temperatures around the bowl hit a high, so did the heat on stage as haka star Jeff Ruha wore a full suit for his performance.

Kapa haka fans sprinted through the gates of the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth this morning to secure prime positions as Day 3 of Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga got under way.

The Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth - where the festival is being held - holds 15,000 people and it is at capacity.

Of the 14 groups that performed on day one, only three will qualify for the finals.

See all the pictures as teams take the stage and visitors queue for hours on the first day of the "Olympics of Kapa Haka".

The first performers are taking the stage at the national kapa haka championships, with more than 2000 people and 55 groups set to perform. Audio

Te Matatini officially got underway in New Plymouth