Auckland Cup Week begins on Saturday with the Trackside Derby day and finishes off on the following Saturday, March 9, with the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup Day. Photo / Ellerslie Racecourse
Auckland Cup Week begins on Saturday with the Trackside Derby day and finishes off on the following Saturday, March 9, with the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup Day. Photo / Ellerslie Racecourse
February has slipped into March, but the events lined up in and around Auckland are not slowing down. In this week’s guide to Auckland, you’ll find details on both the big-ticket events and the hidden neighbourhood gems.
If you’re sticking around Tāmaki Makarau this weekend, marvel at contemporary Japanese art, thrift a new coat for the impending colder weather or make your way down to a free outdoor workout session to start the weekend on a high.
Use this week’s guide to make an action-packed plan with family and friends, or tick them all off on a solo ride.
1) Secondhand Spin - 242 Broadway, Newmarket
Secondhand Spin will be hosted by Trade Me this weekend in Newmarket. Photo / 123rf
In the darkest depths of your wardrobe live some once-treasured items of clothing you haven’t worn in years. This weekend is the perfect time to finally pull them out and find them a new home where they can be loved by someone new. To help, there’s a pop-up laundromat called Secondhand Spin on this weekend (hosted by Trade Me) where you can take your preloved items and get them sale-ready. There will be “styling stations” where you can steam, press, lint roll and even fragrance your garments and a photography wall where you can take well-lit and composed images of your item(s). There will also be staff onsite who can give you all the tips and tricks for getting the most out of your listing. If you — like most people — could do with a little cash injection, then a fossick through your wardrobe and a visit to Secondhand Spin could be just what you need.
When: Today and Sunday,10am-4pm.
Where: 242 Broadway, Newmarket, Auckland. Limited to 1-2 items per person.
Price: Free.
2) Mermaid Parade - Queens Wharf
The inaugural Mermaid Parade takes place this Saturday at Queens Wharf. Photo / Interesting Things
Calling all merpeople, Saturday is the inaugural Mermaid Parade at Queens Wharf and everyone’s invited to celebrate the mythical women of the sea. There’s going to be a “Mermaidification Station” where you can live out all your Splash and Ariel fantasies as you transform into a sea goddess or god. As suggested in the name, there’ll be a mermaid parade (2pm) as well as performances and live music from Anita Wigl’it, The Dust Palace, Fathe and the Sweetos, Mermaid Bait, the Wellington Sea Shanty Society and more. There’ll be food, drinks, a festive aquatic atmosphere and the opportunity for us humans to be “part of that world.”
Orewa Misty Morn - Amanda Gleason. Supplied by artist.
Take a little drive north this weekend to Orewa and get inspired by a new exhibition from Auckland Plein Air Group at the Estuary Arts Centre. Plein air painting is painting outdoors, allowing the environment — including the light, sound, smell, sensations and scenery — to influence the artwork. The members of the group work in a range of mediums, including oil paint, acrylic, watercolour and various drawing tools. The exhibition, Auckland In Plein View, hopes to introduce the wider public to this art practice and maybe encourage some to join the regular “paintouts” the group has across Tāmaki Makaurau. If you feel immediately inspired, consider signing up for the Quick Draw event on March 9, a competition, exhibit and sale. What could be more dreamy than an afternoon spent painting in nature?
When: Until March 24 (Quick Draw competition March 9, from 11am).
Where: Estuary Arts Centre, 214 Hibiscus Coast Highway, Orewa.
Price: Quick Draw competition, $10 for adults and $5 for young ones; Visit @aucklandpleinairgroup on Facebook for more information.
4) Auckland Cup Week - Ellerslie Racecourse
Giddy up, readers, it’s Auckland Cup Week at Ellerslie Racecourse, beginning on Saturday with the Trackside Derby Day and closing the following Saturday, March 9, with the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup Day. The organisers hope to match the equine-enthusiasm of the sold-out Karaka Millions event in January. Along with the Grand Tour Racing Festival on the track, there’ll be live music from The Black Seeds, kiwi rock band Zed and DJ Arii Jade, as well as the national final of the fashion in the field competition. If you fancy a little flutter, there are millions to be made, but even if your horse comes in last, there’s a good time to be had with food, drinks and live entertainment.
Earlier this week, a captivating new art exhibition opened at Studio One Toi Tū. Variation and Autonomy: The Prints of Contemporary Japanese Painters features the work of 10 Japanese artists whose experimentation with printmaking in the 1970s was boundary-pushing. The exhibition is a collaboration between Auckland Council, the consulate-general of Japan in Auckland and the Japan Foundation and includes prints by the incomparable Yayoi Kusama, alongside pioneers in the art of peintre-graveur (painter-engraver), Masanari Murai and Toshinobu Onosato. If these intricate artworks have you feeling particularly inspired, sign yourself up for the printmaking workshop on March 9 with Ina Arraoui. Or if Kusama is the draw card for you, there’s a free screening of 2018 documentary Kusama: Infinity on March 16.
When: On now until March 28.
Where: Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland. Visit studioone.org.nz for more information.
Price: Free.
6) Freida Market - Freida Margolis
Wander down to Freida Margolis on Saturday morning for their monthly vintage market. Photo / Freida Margolis
Need a weekend market fix? then wander down to Freida Margolis in Grey Lynn on Saturday morning for their monthly vintage market. This one’s all about the good finds and good grooves — there’s always an eclectic collection of preloved and vintage clothing and treasures, as well as unique ceramics, jewellery, vinyl, seasonal plants and flowers. Like all good morning markets, there are baked goods and other tasty treats, plus there’s always live music, vinyl spinning and friendly folk to vibe with.
It’s Neighbours Aotearoa month, which means now’s the perfect time to say hi-de-hi to your next-door neighbours or “Top of the mornin’ to ya” to anyone you pass on your morning walk. The community initiative, which started in 2009, is all about encouraging in-person connections with the people you live close to, helping everyone feel a sense of belonging and improving our general well-being. The idea is that you either organise a neighbourhood event — and register it on the Neighbours Aotearoa website — or find an event in your neighbourhood that you can participate in. Or if neither of those things appeal to you, you could do something on a much smaller scale, such as inviting your neighbour over for a cup of tea, making a meal for someone or helping your neighbour pull some weeds — the options are limitless.
Get down to Ponsonby's Western Park every Saturday in March for a free outdoor workout to kickstart your weekend. Photo / Mode Studio
Anyone in the Ponsonby vicinity looking for a cracker way to kick start your weekend should check out the month-long series of free outdoor workouts by the new fitness studio on the block, Mode. They’re offering a 50-minute workout that combines cardio and strength training on Saturday mornings for the first four weekends of March. Bring a water bottle, a towel or mat for groundwork and a buddy if you like and get those endorphins flowing. Almighty and Coffee Supreme are providing some post-workout refreshments so you can get that dopamine trifecta: exercise, nature and caffeine.
When: Today,March 9, 16 and 23, 9am-10am.
Where: Western Park, Ponsonby, Auckland.
Price: Free - Register at modestudio.co.nz or download the app from the Google Play or Apple Store.
Opening Next Week: O le Pepelo, le Gaoi, ma le Pala’ai
Photo / Auckland Theatre Company
The Auckland Arts Festival opens next week and one of the local highlights is the premiere of Auckland Theatre Company and I Ken So Productions’ play O le Pepelo, le Gaoi, ma le Pala’ai / The Liar, the Thief, and the Coward. Written by Natano Keni and Sarita So, the bilingual play tells the story of a Samoan chief whose impending death ignites a power struggle between his children — a Samoan Succession of sorts. Starring Semu Filipo (The Justice of Bunny King, Next Goal Wins), it’s a layered and profoundly moving tale about generational divides, cultural identity and the impact of democracy, capitalism and tourism on traditional ways of life. It’s our pick of the Festival’s opening week.
