The Gathering - The Gathering Archives
The Gathering is a festival of freedom, dance, music and participation. Your presence creates The Gathering. Take care, we are all responsible for the environment. Be nice humans.
Dec 31 - Jan 2. Canaan Downs & Cobb Valley, Nelson Bays, Aotearoa.
Welcome to The Gathering Archives
Remember when we danced all night and all day on top of Takaka Hill? When the most important party gear was your tent, sleeping bag, sunnies and sunblock? When you planned your journey to Canaan Downs or Cobb Valley months in advance, and couldn't wait to get there?
Follow us up the single-track dirt road that leads to paradise, and to the party that changed all our lives.
This is The Gathering.
The website is divided into six main sections - one for each of the six parties. Within each section you'll find archival material on every aspect of the event, including the history and facts & figures of that party, photos, media coverage, official Gathering artwork and your stories.
This archive is a collaborative effort. Your photos and stories are at the heart of The Gathering. There are a million tales to be told, and a million photos out there which deserve to be seen.
This is an open invitation to all Gatherers and Gathering crew to send us your stories and scans of your photos from the Canaan Downs and Cobb Valley years. We'll add them to the site and together we'll make this a complete archive of the magic that was... The Gathering.
You can send us:
- Your photos of The Gathering
- Your stories about The Gathering
- Your video or film footage of The Gathering
- Additions or corrections to stuff already on the site
- Anything else associated with The Gathering
The Gathering on the radio
Inspired by this website, Radio NZ's Music 101 put together a documentary of everyone's favourite Gathering memories... here's what they said:
"We recall the crawl up the single-lane dirt road to Caanan Downs, the sound of a dull 'doof doof' in the background and the twinkling of glitter up ahead. We reminisce with musicians, organisers and punters about the golden age of dance music in Aotearoa, the freaks and the faeries, the filth, the sun, the rain, and the partying."
The documentary was first broadcast on 29 December 2007, and has been repeated a bunch of times since.
The Gathering 96/97
The first party. Born from the inspiration of Entrain, 4,000 Gatherers turned up to share in the magic, and create something new on top of Takaka Hill.
The Gathering 97/98
The party doubled in size, as suddenly everyone wanted to dance under the open skies to welcome in a new year. We filmed the whole party and made The Gathering documentary.
The Gathering 98/99
It was hot, it was dusty, the sun blazed down as 8,000 Gatherers danced for 2 days and nights at Canaan Downs. The year of the iconic "crowd" pics.
The Gathering G2000
The millennium party. 15,000 Gatherers on-site as G2000 became the place to see in the new century. It rained and rained, and became a lesson in survival for us all.
The Gathering G1
The first Cobb Valley Gathering. A new millennium, and a new venue.
The Gathering G2
The last ever Gathering.
The 97/98 documentary
Our first documentary was screened across the country. A piece of New Zealand history, it is now kept at the NZ Film Archives. Are you in it?
The ONYAS finalist
The Gathering Archives website was a finalist in the Best Content (personal) category at the inaugural 2009 ONYAs web awards in Wellington, NZ.
"A multi-media mashup of memoir, fractured histories and anecdotes from a series of events that erased the memories of many that were there. Alison’s site is a public service..."