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The fo­cus shift­ed from the road to the river­bank for Ash Wednes­day yes­ter­day, when friends and fam­i­lies gath­ered at Cau­ra Riv­er in Tu­na­puna. While some opt­ed to cool down be­neath the bam­boo shade or in the wa­ter, oth­ers con­tin­ued their rev­el­ry.

The pop­u­lar na­ture spot in the North­ern Range drew crowds from across the coun­try for what many con­sid­ered their last cel­e­bra­tions for Car­ni­val.

Af­ter mid­day, ve­hi­cles lined the road­way near the riv­er, the smell of food filled the air and mu­sic echoed through the area.