For the first time the South Island is hosting Te Mana Kuratahi, the national kapa haka competition for primary school students.
The four-day event kicked off today in Nelson with 45 teams coming from around the country.
Te Mana Kuratahi chairman Jack Te Moana said travelling across the Cook Strait was a hurdle for some.
"It's been challenging for all our teams, especially the ones coming from Te Tai Tokerau. But they want to be able to get their tamariki to stand on stage at a national event, that was the drive for all our whānau."
Te Tauihu Māori Cultural Council's Sonny Alesana said he wanted the teams to enjoy being in the region.
"The iwi have been out there diving and getting seafood in. The army are coming in to put up beds, 300 beds. We bought probably about 180 air beds. The marae have given us around about 70 to 80 mattresses."
The teams are based in hotels, marae and kura across Te Tauihu, the top of the south, including in Ward and Takaka. This means some are travelling two to three hours to get to the event.
Te Kura o Manutuke's Dayne Hollis said it was an opportunity for the students to see another part of the country.
"For lots of them it's the first time on the ferry. For lots of them, for other kura, it's the first time on a plane. I don't think any of them knew there was another part of Aotearoa."
Teams have been practising for up to six months for their 25 minutes on stage to showcase their kapa haka skills. The event is running until Thursday at the Trafalgar Centre.
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