Sand Magic by Aiyanna

24/02/2026

Creating an expanded space for love to land❤️❤️ .... and grow 🌱

Created at Maukatia/Maori bay, Muriwai 2023

So grateful to all those sand angels who came and helped create this ripple effect of peace and love.....it's still rippling❤️💚💚❤️

02/02/2026

A beautiful community gathering of like minded souls gathering in presence sharing love, music, dance, creativity, sand magic, play, bubbles, kai, sacredness, prayer, connection and friendship



So magical

02/02/2026

Happy Lughnasadth/Lammas from New Zealand.

The festival of harvest, gratitude and abundance.
These are photos of my sand magic book I have created from 2019- 2023 that is now for sale. This photo of me and my 'sand angels' standing in the sand cornucopia we created on 30/1/2022 celebrating Lughnasadth resulted in this magical bubble moment.... 🫧🦄🐎💧

Accompanying the 13 sand magic pieces are the stories of creation of each of them. Each piece has its own life in 4 stages I find...
⏳️When the design is being thought about/talked about by myself or cocreating with others
🌊The actual creation on the day on the sand
⏳️What happens next as there's always a magical connection with people on the sand or who connect with it
🌊The ripple effect....where the image and stories travels to afterwards....

The book is $60 plus postage.
I will sign it personally for you if you would like me too.
Please send me a message and let's connect.

Thanks so much for your support 🙏
Much love Aiyanna

30/01/2026

I got myself up on the pier this morning. The first time in many months to meet Brendon the man Wayne is creating this sand magic piece for.

He has terminal bowel cancer and is taking part in Februarys Bowel cancer fundraiser 'Move your Butt for bowel cancer'. What an inspiring man. Your message matters.

100 people a month are dying in New Zealand of bowel cancer. I had no idea the Stats were that high.

I'm so glad I came out this morning to meet Brendon. If you would like to sponsor him or learn more about this fundraiser here's the link

https://www.moveyourbutt.org.nz/fundraisers/brendonvere/move-your-butt

18/01/2026

Created to day with love and reverence by Wayne/Webby on New Brighton Beach, Christchurch New Zealand on January 18th 2026

As the venerable monks walk across the USA sharing their message of peace to the world

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace 🙏

12/01/2026

This weeks early morning tides has seen some incredible creations from Wayne/Webby this week

10/11/2025

So tonight I spoke at the Soup night organised by the Driftwood Council of Brighton
I got to share about my project 6 months on that I won $500 for. Where the story boards about the sand artists from New Brighton were at.
We had just picked up two finished ones about Peter Donnelly from the printers a few days ago.
I have worked closely with Peter's sister Linda Thomas over the last 5 months to bring the story of Peter's creations together.

When I told my story I spoke about my why..... why I wanted to make the story boards

My why starting this project was I didn't see Peter's sand art and contribution to New Brighton anywhere and I thought how sad it was. I wanted to acknowledge his wonderful creative talent while he was still here. Having travelled internationaly with my sand art I know how rare and special us sand artists are. There's too many stories in our history of artists becoming famous or getting credit for their art after they passed and I didn't want that for Peter.

I wanted him to know how much he was loved and how his sand art touched peoples hearts. So much so that people would ask us or share every week on the pier something about Peter. ❤️❤️
He had a huge ripple effect.
... Not knowing of course the path this whole project would take over thenext 6 months and Peter's health journey...

Peter sadly passed on 13th October 2025.

I don't feel sad he hasn't seen the story boards or plaque because I know he knew about it while he was still alive......and that meant the world to me. When we were privelaged to visit him in hospital and as we were leaving, Wayne and him had a hug and he just reached out his hand to me and looked me in the eyes... that said everything to me about how he felt about what I had been working on.

I feel so blessed to have been able to help tell Peter's story to a much bigger audience.

🧙‍♂️⏳️🧹🌏🌊💙

Thanks Wayne Allan Webb for all your help and support

Never give up on your dreams

04/11/2025

Something very special and very dear to my heart is going to be revealed in New Brighton very soon. I'm going to be talking about it at soup night on 10th November. Through this amazing event I was lucky enough to get the most votes to win the cash so I could make my wish come true. Two of the Sand Art story boards are nearly completed and will be revealed on Monday night. Whoop whoop!!!

Would you like to get your neighbours together for a summer BBQ? Strengthening neighbourly connections?

Would you like to plant some additional trees in your neighbourhood?

Would you like to organise a beach clean-up in the lead up to summer?

Do you have another idea, that could benefit from a $500 cash injection? We all know how hard it is to get funding at the minute ... could $500 help?

We are hosting our next 'SOUP event' on the 10th November - we are currently on the hunt for local people / groups who want to do something in New Brighton over the summer and are keen to pitch their idea at our event.

The criteria for pitching at our SOUP event is as follows:
* Must be cool.
* Must do 'good' for New Brighton and/or be a person/group that comes from New Brighton.
* Concept must be (at least partially) realised by our next SOUP event (Autumn 2026)
[Note, established groups including small businesses are welcome to apply, if their project meets the above criteria and they have a fresh idea they need help funding that supports New Brighton]

How do you win the $500?
* Each person who attends the SOUP event pays a $10 entry fee which goes into the prize pool.
* This gets them a bowl of soup (hence the name of the event) plus a voting token.
* After everyone has pitched their ideas on the night, the attendees then vote for their favourite pitch.
* The favourite pitch wins the $500 prize pool.

Even if you don't win on the night, this is a great way of getting word out about your project to audience of people who genuinely care about improving New Brighton.

Plus, you might just make a few new friends too!

19/10/2025

Such sad news to hear of Peter Donnelly, the Sand Man's passing on Monday 13th October here in Christchurch, New Zealand.

My life has been enriched over the last year here in Christchurch where I have got to meet Peter a few times and he would always have a yarn and read one of his latest poems to Wayne Allan Webb and I. We even got to see some of his original paintings.

Peter created over 1100 large sand works over a 17 year period 1997- 2014 at New Brighton, Christchurch, New Zealand, seen by people all over the world, back when people had actual cameras they took photos with and got the photos developed. People would post him photos they had taken of his creations for him to see.

Thank you Peter for shining your light so brightly, for being the creative spirit you are in all the ways, inspiring me to flow freely and fly like the seagulls.
Fly free 💜💜

17/10/2025

Such sad news to hear of Peter's passing. My life has been enriched over the last year here in Christchurch where I have got to meet Peter a few times and he would always have a yarn and read one of his latest poems to Wayne and I. We even got to see some of his original paintings. I hoped the storyboards I am making of his sand art legacy here at New Brighton would have been finished for him to see, however he knew they were happening and for that I am very grateful. Thank you Peter for shining your light so brightly, for being the creative spirit you are in all the ways, inspiring me to flow freely and fly like the seagulls.

Christchurch has lost one of its most creative and beloved figures. Read more ⬇️ Rest in Peace Peter.

28/09/2025

Here's another beautiful tribute made for Peter Donnelly coming from Nielson’s Beach, Bargara Queensland Australia.Thank you Cynthia for your beautiful design and kindness. I so appreciate you

A small message is carried across the seas and touches the hearts of those who receive it.

20/09/2025

So today Wayne Allan Webb and I went out and created a sand magic piece for Peter Donnelly New Zealands original sand man.

Peter created here at New Brighton beach from the day the new pier opened 1/11/1997 until 2014. In that time he created 1180 large creations on the sand mostly taking 4 hours each to complete.

Over this weekend I have spoken to my many friends in the international sand and land art community and have asked if they would like to create a tribute for Peter and how he has inspired their art, poetry, life.

The ripple effect......

What a wonderful project to be a part of and thank you to all of you who are creating something. As artists we aren't always aware of how big our ripple effect is so I wanted to show Peter how many people genuinely care about him and how his sand art has touched their life.

Look out for the photos to come !!! Exciting. Some have come from Scotland already!!!.

'Much love from all of us.
Thank you for all of your sand magic
SANDMAN'

And a big hi to all those creative souls gathering for Talamh this year. Thanks again Sean and Miranda for your amazing organizational skills to create this amazing festival again. Talamh 2023 was life changing for me. 🥁🎶⏳️🧹🌈🌊
Hi from New Zealand