Need to know: Weekend Planner

Compiled by KATHERINE HOBY

Weather

There will be cloudy periods over the Northern part of the North Island, possibly with a few showers north of Whitianga and on Great Barrier Island. It will be mostly fine over the North Island tomorrow, with a few cloudy periods. On Sunday there will be a mix of fine and cloudy periods, with a few showers over the Far North and central areas.

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Two rocket launchings will be a highlight during Waikato University's information day. The 1.4m and 2.2m rockets will reach 300m. More than 3000 students visit the campus every year to see the events and exhibitions on offer. Driving simulations, lasers, holograms, music performances and mock law trials are some of the more than 100 programmes planned for the day. Waikato's information day runs from 9 am until 3.30 pm.

Sporting life

* Round 10 of the Super 12 kicks off at Rugby Park, New Plymouth, at 7.35 pm when the Hurricanes clash with the Waratahs. The other weekend games include Stormers v Chiefs (Cape Town, 5.10 am tomorrow, Crusaders v Sharks (Christchurch, 7.35 pm tomorrow), Reds v cats (Brisbane, 9.35 pm tomorrow) and Bulls v Blues (Pretoria, 1 am Sunday).

* The The New Zealand Warriors take on the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday (4.05 pm). Peter Jessup expects a close entertaining clash - and a narrow Warriors' win.

* Round six in the Netball NZ Coca Cola Cup sees the Magic take on the Flames at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre in Tauranga, the Cometz meet the Shakers at Allen Brester Stadium at Papatoetoe, and the Flyers and Diamonds clash at TSB Stadium in New Plymouth (televised on One, 1 pm, Sunday).

Today


* The Maniapoto Maori Trust Board is holding an Hui-a-iwi at Te Tokanganui-a-noho marae in Te Kuiti at 10am. The agenda includes a presentation on pre-settlement fisheries allocation, including constitutional requirements for Iwi organisations.

* The Great New Zealand Craft Show is on at Auckland Showgrounds today, tomorrow and Sunday.

* The Royal NZ Foundation for the Blind is holding it's annual Guide Dog Appeal today and tomorrow. The aim is to raise money for guide dog services, and other services for blind and sight-impaired people. Give generously to collectors in streets or shopping malls. Anyone wishing to help the foundation by becoming a volunteer may phone 0800 364-329.

Tomorrow


* People with fondness for the good old holiday bach may care to visit Huia Lodge at Cornwall Park to see a free display celebrating the bachs of Rangitoto. After a long battle it looks like many of the island's 37 baches will be saved from demolition. The display includes some of the baches' contents, a record of each bach and a 13-minute video presentation organised by the Rangitoto Island Historic Conservation Trust. The lodge is open daily from 10am to 7pm.

* The Governor-General,Dame Silvia Cartwright, will open the Pukekohe Town Centre redevelopment at a ceremony in Pukekohe Square at 2 pm. The day offers a range of entertainment including school performances and music highlights.

* Entrants in the Rotorua Marathon will overtake the city for the 2001 event. The race starts at 10 am at the Government Gardens, Rotorua, with an official time limit of seven hours. There are 2581 entrants, with 683 of those tackling the marathon for the first time.

Sunday


* The inner city haven Basque Park in Newton will be the venue for Ecofest 2001, starting at 10 am. The St Benedict's Community Gardens group is organising the eco-festival which might be the last of its kind because of a controversial Auckland City Council plan to evict the organic gardeners from the park. The aims of the festival are to promote a sustainable city and to provide awareness of the environmental pressures facing Auckland. The Green Party and the Wild Greens will be there. MPs (including Nandor Tanczos) and local politicians Maire Leadbeater and Dr Joel Cayford will speak. Entertainment from local performers Karen Hunter, Fall Guise and Dylan Lajunen is included. For more information visit the Ecofest website.

* 2001 A Dance Odyssey, a Footnote Dance Company production, comes to Auckland as part of the Auckland Dance Festival. The performance is at Sky City Theatre at 6.30 pm. Tickets from Ticketek on (09) 307-5000..

* It is the first annual Veterinarian's Day, with members from about 100 countries participating in events and activities to mark the event. For more information on events visit the WorldVet website.

Links


Ecofest

WorldVet

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