Wanderlust

From RNZ Music, 4:00 pm on 7 February 2015

Pitched as a “transformational festival”, Wanderlust brings together yoga and music, to open hearts, minds and hip flexors.

Arli Liebermann accompanying a yoga class at Wanderlust photo by Ali Lieberman
Arli Liebermann accompanying a yoga class at Wanderlust - photo by Ali Kaukas.

Started in the United States in 2009, it has grown exponentially, with seven Wanderlust festivals over the U.S. and Canada, and 17,000 attendees at the largest event in Squaw Valley, California.  

The Wanderlust experience has been brought to New Zealand and Australia by Jacque and Jonnie Halstead. The parents of three-under-five were the perfect partners to pick up the NZ and Australian editions of Wanderlust; Jonnie has spent years producing music festivals including The Gathering, Homegrown, and Coromandel Gold, and she’s a Yoga teacher, originally from Seattle.  

The first four-day event was held in Taupo last weekend, with a music line-up that included Nightmares on Wax, Xavier Rudd, Nahko and The Medicine For The People, and a mix of traditional chant and dance DJs during the yoga classes, keen yogini Kirsten Johnstone went to check out the vibe.

Duncan Peak and Kirtan Players Jase Te Patu Justine Hamill and Shane Hamill leading a yoga class Photo Ali Kaukas
Live music and yoga. Photo Ali Kaukas.

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