Grant Matthews takes part in Auckland's 15th International Buskers Festival.
Auckland celebrates its 175th anniversary this weekend. The city is alive with festivals, sporting events and outdoor attractions. Here's our guide.
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The country's biggest festival of seafood, at Halsey Wharf, Wynyard Quarter, has more than 100 delicious dishes from 50 pop-up stands.
Events include the traditional - the Blessing of the Fleet to wish fishing boats a safe year ahead (Monday, 1.30pm) and the Sicilian fishing tradition of the Slipper Pole (Monday, 2.30pm) - to the modern (Jordan Luck, Jason Kerrison and friends performing at the Monteiths Beer Garden). MasterchefNZ 2010 winner Brett McGregor has free cooking demos.
Today until Monday, 11am-6pm. Tickets from $20, kids under 13 free. For tickets, see iticket.co.nz.
Our favourite mini-event is the annual Kids Gone Fishing competition with the Blue Light youth charity, hosted by Gone Fishin' telly star Graeme Sinclair.
It's Auckland's largest free children's fishing event with bait and lines provided and loads of spot prizes at the Wynyard Quarter Wharf. Today and tomorrow, 9-11am.
Take nine zany street performers from around the world. Mix in one busy waterfront with six crowd-friendly plazas, add fabulous summer sun and food and a birthday spirit and you have the best mix for the fifteenth Auckland International Buskers Festival.
As well as Kiwis, there are street performers from Spain, Canada, USA, UK, Mexico and Australia. There's dear little Bendy Em, a pint-sized comedian who contorts her body into freakily mind-boggling positions; Mario, Queen of the Circus who has a unique mix of complex juggling tricks and universal sex appeal; Fire Guy who breathes and juggles fire while riding a skateboard (kids, don't try this at home) or Bike Boy with fearless tricks on, yes, his bike; while Becky Hoops charms with absurd characters and many, many, hula hoops.
The performers roam between Viaduct Harbour, Downtown on Lower Queen Street, Princes Wharf, Karanga Plaza (Wynyard Quarter) and Queens Wharf. The night shows (Market Square, Viaduct) are great social fun for grownups. For programmes, maps, alerts and performer bios, download the free ShowGizmo smartphone app and click on International Buskers Festival.
Vote for your favourite in the people's choice awards (online until Sunday 4pm).
Today noon until 10.30pm, tomorrow and Monday noon to 5pm; see the schedule online at aucklandbuskersfestival.co.nz
The annual birthday party began with the sailing regatta, so don't miss this in the midst of all the other excitement. Keep an eye out for our favourite, the tugboats. Up to 30 tugs, tow boats and fishing boats -- the biggest, the William C Daldy, weighs 346 gross tonnes -- are racing in the inner harbour for the first time this year so that more people can watch, heading east from Princes Wharf to Orakei, then back west to the Harbour Bridge and back to the wharf. There's a firefighting demonstration off Cook's Wharf and a judging parade into the Viaduct Harbour. The grand style race, classics and keelers, starts from 11.40 off Princes Wharf and there are up to 400 other boats racing in 17 locations throughout the city. Get up close to the 36 dragon boat teams racing in the Viaduct Harbour (from 9.30am).
The full programme is at regatta.org.nz.
You'll have read all about the performers in Thursday's Time Out.
But don't forget the festival is serving up some great food from old favourite food trucks and newcomers Burger Burger, The Bearded Clam, Brooklyn Dogs, The Food Truck, Bird On A Wire, international tastes, plenty of drinks vendors and coffee to keep you going.
The Vivian wine bar will offer a well-curated range of biodynamic and sustainable wines from around the country. Organisers promise 1500m sq of shade to deal with our spectacular summer, while the Thunderdome stage is a cool-as, air-conditioned silo space with some of the best local and international bands. Laneways supports Garden to Table, who help school kids grow, cook and eat good food. Monday, from 11.30am. Tickets from ticketek.co.nz.
The SS Puke is always a hit with kids during Anniversary Weekend.
Anniversary Weekend is all about the regatta, but you can get in some nautical action on dry land at the Maritime Museum. The museum is hosting pop-up photo exhibitions at Te Wero Island and Captain Cook Wharf.
Outside the museum, the Viaduct Carnival transforms the plaza into a seaside space with an old-time photobooth, kids' storytelling, decorate a sail boat, compete in a mini sail boat racing competition, or make a sand picture. There will even be carnival rides for the traditional seaside experience! Parents can pull up a deckchair and relax.
On Monday, children's author Tessa Duder will be reading from her latest book, Out on the Water, the Royal New Zealand Navy Pipes and Drums band will march (10am, 1pm) and there'll be a cannon fired at midday.
You can even join the Regatta itself, with the Museum's special Regatta Day sailings -- a deckside seat right on the water. The Ted Ashby has 2hr cruises (10.30am-12.30pm, adults $30, kids $15) and a final cruise to watch Regatta yacht return (2pm, adults $15, kids $7.50); or you can join the Breeze for a full 6-hour sailing to get up close to the tug boat race and parade (10am, $110 per person).
Bookings, ph 09 373 0800.
Ports of Auckland has opened access to Captain Cook wharf in a delightfully interactive family event, SeePort. From the container stack creating a gate at the entry, to the photo exhibition and art gallery, Ports have created an enticing look behind the scenes.
Join bus or boat tours for up close views of operations, tour the container terminal control centre, take a hands-on tour of the Ship Simulator (used at the Maritime School of New Zealand for container ships) or book a ride in a Personnel Cage to be hoisted up a massive container crane (age limits apply, you need a head for heights).
There's mini golf, displays from Navy and the ever popular tugboats, climbing walls, a bungy trampoline and loads more.
For ride bookings call 0800 AK PORT (0800 25 7678). Today to Monday, 10am-6pm.
Kate Sylvester, fashion designer: "Auckland Anniversary is Laneway weekend for us. We will be hanging out in the sunshine, cold beer in hand, smiles on our faces, listening to Belle and Sebastian."
Valerie Adams, shotput champion: "I'm going to Wellington [today] to support and appear at the opening of a new indoor throwing facility in Lower Hutt. [Tomorrow] I will be at church and then having a lunch with friends and on Monday I have long training session in the morning and then I will be heading up north for some time on a beach!
Jacinda Ardern, Labour MP: "I'll be spending the weekend with some friends from Wellington who have come to visit, so I'll take them out and show them a bit of Auckland [today] and on Monday I'm going on Laneways - I like catching the New Zealand Acts like Tiny Ruins, but I'm also looking forward to seeing Belle and Sebastian."
Bree Peters, daughter of politician Winston Peters, plays Shortland Street's Pania Stevens: "I'm spending my weekend surfing with friends at the Mount."
Wendy Petrie, One News presenter: " I plan to take a chance on the traffic not being terrible for a drive up north to beautiful Matapouri beach. This summer is so fantastic I want to make the most of it."
Telegraph: Major dry spells are common, but there are ways to get the spark back.