The first of more than 1200 shipping containers have been removed from the stricken cargo ship Rena, six weeks after it ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga.

We've rounded up some of the best events happening all over the country this long weekend.

Maritime New Zealand is praising the Bay of Plenty community for its support in the clean-up.

This is the closest look the public has had yet of the stricken container ship Rena.