Weekender: Culture Club

Our top picks for your next weekend getaway.

Celebrate the art and culture of Auckland's Asian communities at this weekend's free Cultural Festival at both Auckland Museum and Auckland Art Gallery. Guests can expect musical performances, arts and crafts, traditional games, martial arts showcases and more from Chinese, Japanese and Korean Aucklanders. There will also be performances and demonstrations from international artists from Japan and Taiwan, and plenty of opportunities to take part yourself. Auckland Museum and Auckland Art Gallery, Saturday, August 25 and Sunday August 26, from 10am-4pm. Free. Visit aucklandmuseum.com and aucklandartgallery.com

All grown up

Singer Jon Toogood.

Our favourite musical New Zealand side project, The Adults, driven by Jon Toogood (Shihad) are touring their second record Haja, which hits Wellington next Saturday. The Haja tour, featuring Toogood, Estere, Raiza Biza, Ben Would (TrinityRoots) and Emily Browning, plays the very cool Meow bar on Saturday, with Christchurch (September 14) and Auckland (September 15) coming up. The album was influenced by Sudanese folk music, Aghani-Al-Banat — performed exclusively by women — which Toogood first encountered at his wedding in Khartoum. 9 Edward St, Wellington, September 1, 8-11pm.

Tickets from $55 at

aaaticketing.co.nz

Rally for a good cause

This Sunday's Daffodil Rally for Cancer, organised by local Vintage Car Clubs for the sixth year in a row, takes place all over the country to raise funds for one of our most important charities, the Cancer Society. The Waikato branch has planned a car parade through the Hamilton Lake Domain as well as a Show and Shine at the Hamilton Classics Museum until 2.30pm. There will be onsite entertainment and collection buckets, and there is a $10 donation per car. Wintec carpark, cnr of Collingwood and Tristram Sts, Hamilton, Sunday August 26, 10.30am-2.30pm.

Visit

wvvcc.co.nz and vcc.org.nz/daffodil-rally-cancer/

for more information.

Daffodil Day.

Hey ladies ...

Spring is officially here next weekend, so what better reason for the ladies out there to get on their bikes for the first Ladies Ride of the season through Rotorua's magnificent Redwoods? The first loop will be a flat-ish 10km with grade 2-3 trails; after coffee, snack and lunch at the cafe by the Waipa carpark the second loop will be a bit harder, higher and faster. Please bring a spare tube and water bottle. Meet at 10:30am at the washbay area of the main Waipa entrance to the Redwoods, Sunday, September 2, 10:30am. Free to MTB TGA club members and gold-coin donation for non-members.
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