What to do in Auckland this weekend: Grab your boating gear, see a show, or get creative with the kids - NZ Herald (2024)

Haven’t made any weekend plans? It’s never too late to sort something fun to do now.

While the number of outdoor activities is dwindling, there’s still plenty happening at venues across Tāmaki Makaurau this weekend.

There are a number of kid-friendly events on (although you may have to leave them behind for others). Depending on what vibe you’re looking to create for your weekend, you can keep busy by taking your young ones to a pendant-making workshop or lego-building classes, or indulge them in a world of words at the Auckland Writers Festival.

And if there are no kids around, even better; take yourself out to a show by some extremely talented local and international artists, who range from comedic geniuses to skilled musicians, or pop on down to the Auckland Showgrounds to grab some new boating and fishing gear with your mates.

1) Pukapuka Adventures - Aotea Centre, Auckland CBD

This weekend the Auckland Writers Festival is in full swing with a cornucopia of creatively and intellectually stimulating events taking place over the next two days. The festival may contain events like “Let’s Get Physical: the Importance of Horny Stories” but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a plethora of content suitable for the whole whānau. Pukapuka Adventures is taking over the top floor of the Aotea Centre with free activities and events for families including book readings, dancing, singing, drawing, zine-making, crafting, a bookish family quiz and even an app-guided walking tour of the city called Pipi and Pou and the Forgotten Stream. Spend the weekend revelling in a world of words and wonder with your young folk at Auckland Writers Festival. No kids? No problem, the programme is overflowing with events for adults with all kinds of literary interests - something for every reader, writer, thinker and dreamer.

When: May 15-19.

Where: Aotea Centre, Auckland CBD.

Price: See writersfestival.co.nz for the full programme and tickets.

2) Unquiet Dream, NZTrio - Auckland Town Hall, Auckland CBD

We cannot overstate the talent of the NZTrio. Year after year they continue to provide consistently outstanding live music performances that have the power to effortlessly convert any classical-resistant audience member to fan in minutes. Sunday’s Unquiet Dream is the first Auckland concert of their three-part 2024 Triptych Series. Filling the shoes of pianist Somi Kim, who’s on parental leave for the first set of concerts, is founding member of the trio, Sarah Watkins, who joins Amalia Hall (violin) and is reunited with fellow founding member Ashley Brown (cello). The evening’s repertoire includes the work of four distinctive composers: Benjamin Britten, Lera Auerbach, our own Chris Cree Brown, and Felix Mendelssohn. After Sunday’s concert, the NZTrio will head south with Unquiet Dream to Wellington, Martinborough, Palmerston North and Havelock North. And will return in September with part two, Untrodden Ways, and October and November with the final instalment, Untamed Hope.

When: May 19, 5pm.

Where: Auckland Town Hall, Auckland CBD.

Price: Tickets - adult $60 + booking fee, student $30 + booking fee from ticketmaster.co.nz

3) The Mids - Various locations, Auckland CBD

Midtown is popping off this Saturday for NZ Music Month with an event called The Mids. It’s a pop-up market with a record fair, live DJs, a sneaker swap meet, street art and more. Head to the Strand Arcade where you’ll find Sky Pirates Streetwear selling some limited edition gear with artwork by local graffiti artist Deus, and make sure you bring your sneakers to swap. The arcade is also hosting an exhibition by graffiti photographer Graffgatherer. Down the road a bit, in Queen’s Arcade, there’s a music photography exhibition next to Marbecks celebrating our unique local music culture. If skateboarding is your preferred mode of transport, head back uptown to High Street with your board in tow and take part in the Skate Challenge at Trainers Skateboarding. Loads of midtown shops are also getting in on the party so the vibe in the city is going to be groovy.

When: May 18, 11am-3pm.

Where: Midtown - The Strand Arcade, Queens Arcade, Trainers Skateboarding and more - Auckland CBD.

Price: Free.

4) New Zealand Boat Show - Auckland Showgrounds, Epsom

A fleet of boats, sea vehicles and boating-related paraphernalia sailed into the Auckland Showgrounds on Thursday for the opening of The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show. The show is going to be awash with seafaring enthusiasts over the weekend with so much on display to float your boat and lots that will tempt you towards life at sea. At the Shimano Fishing Pavilion there’s a range of cutting-edge fishing technology on display as well as a masterclass series. The Kai Collective is where you’ll find all things food, particularly seafood, related and there’s a giant inflatable pirate ship, bumper boats and a rodeo shark that will keep young visitors entertained. Along with over 200 exhibitors, there are safety and education workshops on offer and some lucky duck is going to win a Surtees/Yamaha boat package that’s valued at over $300,000. If the NZ Boat Show is calling, you must go.

When: May 16-19, 10am-6pm.

Where: Auckland Showgrounds, 217 Green Lane West, Epsom, Auckland.

Price: Tickets $25 from boatshow.co.nz or on the door, children 16 and under free.

5) NZ International Comedy Festival Highlights - Various locations, Auckland CBD

Loads of comedy fest shows that have been making people LOL this week have their last show on Saturday night like Highly Credible by Alice Sneddon; Kirsty Webeck’s I’ll be the Judge of That; slapstick comedy performers Trygve Wakenshaw and Barnie Duncan in Different Party; Olga Koch’s Prawn co*cktail and many many more. Sunday’s big snorters include festival highlight shows Best Comedy Show on Earth hosted by Hayley Sproull and Comedy Fest All-Stars, as well as Covert Theatre’s improv shows Jester and Chuckle Monsters. Rolling into the final week of the festival, it’s your chance to catch local up and comer and Billy T Nominee Advait Kirtikar in New Show, Who Dis? Along with Kiwi favourites like Laura Daniel, Rhys Mathewson, James Mustapic and Melanie Bracewell. In the words of Charlie Chaplin “a day without laughter is a day wasted” so make sure you don’t waste any days this weekend or beyond.

When: May 3-26.

Where: Various venues throughout Auckland CBD.

Price: Visit comedyfestival.co.nz for the full schedule and tickets.

6) My Brilliant Divorce - Pumphouse Theatre, Takapuna

National treasure Jackie Clarke is currently performing a one-woman show at the Pumphouse Theatre entitled My Brilliant Divorce. You can probably glean from the title what this play is about. It’s a humorous story about a woman, Amanda, whose British husband leaves her for a younger lover and soon after her teenage daughter moves out. A Kiwi living in London, Amanda is left to navigate life alone for the first time in twenty years. Dawn French played this role in London twenty years ago and now Clarke’s putting her own Kiwi spin on the character. Written by Irish playwright Geraldine Aron, My Brilliant Divorce is a funny and relatable play, especially for anyone who’s ever been dumped and/or had to relearn to be independent following a long-term relationship.

When: May 16-26.

Where: Pumphouse Theatre, 2a Manurere Avenue, Takapuna, Auckland.

Price: Tickets start at $25 + booking fee from pumphouse.co.nz

7) Orakei School Brick Show - Orakei

If you’ve got little Lego lovers to entertain this weekend, take them down to Orakei School which is hosting a brick show by the Auckland Lego User Group or Aucklug as they call themselves. Visitors get to see some amazing Lego creations made by creative minds and dexterous fingers. Aucklug holds these events semi-regularly and it’s a great opportunity to be inspired to get creative with Lego. With any luck you’ll take the kids home and they’ll spend the rest of the day quietly creating - win, win.

When: May 19, 9am-4pm.

Where: Orakei School Hall, Sudeley St, Orakei.

Price: Entry is $7pp, children under 3 free.

8) Pendant-Making Workshop - Hillsborough

It’s wonderful watching your kids create art, but it’s horrible watching them create mess. This weekend, they can experience the joy of the first without you suffering the pain of the second, thanks to Colombian visual artist and ceramist Catherine Guevara, who is hosting a free pendant-making workshop. Kids aged 6-12 will be able to experience the excitement of working with a range of materials including metal wire and natural resources to create something new and unique. Just as importantly, thanks to Guevara, you will never once have to answer their repeated question “What do I do now?” Organisers say: “Guided with techniques to use the metal wire to create unique stamps, our young makers will experiment with the endless possibilities of working with clay.” Have at it, kids!

When: May 19, 2-4pm.

Where: The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead, 72 Hillsborough Road, Hillsborough

Price: Free - First come, first served.

Plan Ahead: Prima Facie - Various Locations

If you missed last year’s play of the year, Prima Facie, then get excited because this exceptional piece of theatre is returning next month to several venues across Auckland and around the North Island. This new production by NZ Theatre Company is directed by Michael Hurst and stars Cassandra Woodhouse in the complex role of a criminal defence lawyer whose staunch worldview is shaken when she is sexually assaulted. Written by former lawyer Suzie Miller, Prima Facie won two awards at last year’s Lawrence Olivier Awards including Best New Play. It’s a thought-provoking and challenging watch that should be required viewing. It’s touring Auckland from mid-June with seasons at the Pumphouse Theatre, Artworks Theatre, Dolphin Theatre and Lopdell House then on to Tauranga, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Gisborne, Waihi and finally Kerikeri.

When & Where: June 17-22. Pumphouse Theatre, 2a Manurere Avenue, Takapuna, Auckland.

June 27-30. Artworks Theatre, Waiheke.

July 4-7. Dolphin Theatre, 12 Spring Street, Onehunga, Auckland.

July 11-14. Lopdell House, 418 Titirangi Rd, Titirangi, Auckland.

Price: Tickets start at $30. Visit nztheatrecompany.com for further dates and to book.