Andrew Spence prepares crayfish at the seafood festival. Photo / Dean Purcell
Andrew Spence prepares crayfish at the seafood festival. Photo / Dean Purcell
Food, music and regatta draw the crowds from all over to downtown.
Live music, fireworks, sailing, nearly all the oysters in the country, thrill rides and chainsaw-juggling buskers with a backdrop of three days of spectacular weather was how Aucklanders celebrated the 175th anniversary of their city at the weekend.
Head counts for the plethora of free and ticketed events throughout the city reached record highs, with the city's waterfront morphed into a vibrant venue for the celebrations.
The festivities were enhanced by stunning weather, with clear skies and temperatures in the city hitting 27C on all three days of the long weekend.
Image 1 of 17: Lead singer for Royal Blood, Mike Kerr, performs at St Jerome's Laneway Festival at Silo Park in Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday
ASB and Auckland Council's free event transformed The Cloud and Queens Wharf into an interactive history lesson, craft fair and games zone with a final head count of more than 41,000 over three days.
A council spokesman said Shed 10's A Story of Auckland exhibition was particularly popular, with 15,000 people through by 4pm yesterday alone.
The wharf was teeming throughout the weekend, with road closures and extra public transport ensuring party guests could access the area easily.
West Aucklanders Phil, Angela and Katie Thomson said they caught the train into Britomart to enjoy the festivities.
"It's a beautiful day and we wanted to go out in the sunshine and celebrate the special 175th anniversary," said Mrs Thomson.
Dragon boat crews compete during the 175th Auckland Anninversary Day Regatta. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The family arrived at midday and spent the afternoon wandering Queens Wharf until it closed at 6pm.
SeePort, Ports of Auckland's open weekend that showcased the shipping industry and Auckland's maritime history, offered tours and behind-the-scenes experiences.
Spokeswoman Dee Radhakrishnan said about 48,000 people went through the Captain Cook Wharf and were particularly enamoured with rides inside container cranes and a novelty golf course.
The tugboat race. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The Auckland Seafood Festival also hit a new high, with 20,000 tickets sold for people to eat their way through the country's supply of oysters at Wynyard Quarter, said spokeswoman Melanie Walker.
"We had pretty much all the oysters available in New Zealand," she said.
One stall holder sold 700 dozen in just two of the annual festival's three days.
Fireworks released from the Sky Tower and three barges in the Waitemata Harbour were a big draw card on Sunday night, and the annual Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta drew draw record-breaking entrant numbers to the water yesterday.
Optimist yacht regatta at Narrowneck beach in Devonport. Photo / Brett Phibbs
More than 500 vessels participated in various classes of sail races and more than 1000 across all 17 of the associated events, said spokesman Eric Mahoney.
"It was a spectacular festival of sail on the harbour."
The oldest boat to race was the Jessie Logan, launched from Devonport in 1879.
An estimated 10,000 people toured HMNZS Otago during its two open days on Saturday and Sunday.
Fine weather also meant more work for some emergency services, with Coastguard flat out attending to boat breakdowns. Police reported general good behaviour.
