Lanterns are lit up in Auckland, New Zealand on Feb 14. [Photo/Xinhua]

Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand marked the Lunar New Year with the opening of a grand lantern show on Feb 14.

The show is a feast for the eyes, stomach and soul, with live music, dance performances and nearly 100 street stalls on offer.

This year, in addition to a dazzling display of lighted lanterns shining around trees and pathways, the lantern show welcomed a group of craftspeople from East China's Zhejiang province, whose on-site demonstrations of crafts are expected to add more splendor to the show.

This is the second time that Zhejiang has dispatched a delegation to attend the largest cultural festival in New Zealand. However, the number of handicrafts displayed at this year's event is much bigger than in the previous edition.

The most distinctive crafts, including kites from Huzhou, colored lanterns from Haining and colorful ribbons from Tonglu, are being showcased to people in the southern hemisphere. These exotic goodies have aroused visitors' strong interest in Chinese art and culture since the festival opened on Thursday.

Huang Yun, director of the exchange department of Zhejiang Cultural Center, said that the selection of members at the Zhejiang delegation was made from different perspectives such as their techniques, personalities and experience and the Lunar New Year provides a great opportunity to promote Chinese culture in Auckland. 

Visitors admire the traditional crafts from Zhejiang province at the lantern show in Auckland, New Zealand on Feb 14. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

A foreign child tries hands at making traditional Chinese crafts at the lantern show in Auckland, New Zealand on Feb 14. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]