Dinosaurs invade city for all-ages show

Andrew Blackman plays the palaeontologist Huxley in the show. Photo / Jason Oxenham.

Why did the Tyrannosaurus Rex cross the road? To get to Auckland's Vector Arena.

This weekend the internationally acclaimed arena spectacular Walking With Dinosaurs will invade the city for a handful of shows. Based on the award-winning BBC series the show has been seen by more than eight million people in 243 cities.

The production has been updated recently and will showcase spectacular and colourful changes to the dinosaurs based on the latest scientific research - including the likely feathering of some species.

The show is produced by Global Creatures and chief executive Carmen Pavlovic said she was thrilled to bring the updated tour to New Zealand.

"A new generation is ready to experience these beasts in this awe-inspiring spectacle, which has still not been matched in terms of scale and quality," she said. "This show remains a must-see for audiences of all ages."

The show depicts the dinosaurs' evolution with almost cinematic realism and has scenes of the interactions between dinosaurs, how carnivorous dinosaurs evolved to walk on two legs, and how the herbivores fended off their more agile predators. Ten species are represented from the entire 200 million-year reign of the dinosaurs. The largest, the Brachiosaurus, is more than 9m tall.

The first performance is at 7pm today. There are three performances on Saturday and two on Sunday. Ticket prices start at $44.40 and are available through Ticketmaster.