7 Aug 2014

Celtic stage showcases kapa haka

11:26 am on 7 August 2014

Some of Aotearoa's best kapa haka performers have been showcasing their talents in front of thousands in Scotland.

Kapa Celtic - the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Kapa Celtic - the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Photo: AFP

Artists from around the world are performing at the 65th Edinburgh Royal Tattoo which started last Friday, including members of the two top Te Matatini haka groups, Te Waka Huia and Te Whanau a Apanui, which make up the 50-strong roopu.

Other performances include bagpipes and drums, a zulu dance troupe, singers from north-east India and Trinidad and Tobago's defence force steel orchestra.

Te Matatini spokesperson, Te Kahautu Maxwell, who is in Edinburgh, says it's been an exhilarating experience.

He said the backdrop of the Edinburgh Castle looking over the peninsula was a powerful setting, as well as performing to an audience of seven thousand people a night.

The Tattoo is running for three weeks and attracts more than 200,000 people and a world-wide television audience of 100 million viewers.