Helios was a great free activity as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. Photo / Luke Jerra
As the cost of living continues to hit headlines, going out and paying for entertainment is making our wallets a lot thinner.
Always up for a challenge, entertainment reporter Mitchell Hageman wanted to find out if it was possible to entertain himself in Auckland for a week – for free.
Auckland is spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment offerings. But as the cost of doing business – and the cost of living – dictates, you’re often paying a pretty penny for them.
On average, a concert at Spark Arena or Eden Park could set you back between $110-$150 for the lowest price point, depending on the act and demand for tickets.
Heading to the movies is also slowly creeping up in cost, with a current price of $28.25 per standard ticket for an adult at Event Cinemas (without discounts – or popcorn).
So my question is: can a week of free events be just as good as a week of paid ones? Here’s what I found out.
In what was a remarkable stroke of luck, the Auckland Arts Festival was on this week, so I began by checking out one of its many free installations.
I love a good art exhibition, but when it costs (like the $39.50 I paid when Banksy’s work filled the Aotea Centre’sfoyer last year), it can often make or break whether I go.
All praise, then, to UK artist Luke Jerram’s multi-sensory wonder Helios – the blazing ball of light I walked into at the Auckland Town Hall. Measuring 6m in diameter, the artwork features 72dpi detailed imagery of the sun’s surface. Each centimetre of the internally lit sculpture represents 2300km of the sun’s surface.
While I was only there 20 minutes (as opposed to the hour I’d spend at a longer exhibition), it was enough to leave my mouth agape and mind blown. If you time it right, you’ll also get the added bonus of an orchestra playing while the sun works its magic.
Be quiet and reflect, or chat with others about what you think the sun represents; it’s a great experience that the whole family will enjoy for free.
Time spent: Roughly 20 minutes.
Money saved: Anywhere from $29-$50, depending on the paid exhibition’s nature.
Crowd enthusiasm: Awed.
Personal enjoyment: 4.5/5
Usually, I would go down to the local pub with family and friends tonight, spending roughly $19 on a drink and perhaps some chips as we battle it out to be the top quizzers.
In the true spirit of “we have [insert board game name here] at home”, I called on my flatmates to see if we could scrounge together our own free event – an at-home games night. We seem to forget sometimes that an “event” doesn’t have to include traipsing halfway over town, and you can quite simply turn any fun hobby or pastime into an event if you choose.
Tonight’s free game was Happy Little Dinosaurs, a card / board game hybrid where you try to escape extinction. Players pit numbered cards against each other to survive and get the best outcome, and there’s plenty of mental chess involved when it comes to picking the right strategy. While it took a few tries to get into it, by the end, we only stopped because it was getting late.
I highly recommend a board game night, because when you find the right one, you’ll be hooked. I think we might even do it next week when I’m not bound by these money rules.
Time spent: 2.5 hours.
Money saved: Approximately $19-28, depending on how hungry or thirsty I usually am.
Crowd enthusiasm: Competitive.
Personal enjoyment: 4/5
I’m an A-League Football fan, so usually I’d happily pay to see Auckland FC take on their rivals at their Go Media Stadium fortress at $29-$50 a ticket, depending on where I sit.
But what many people don’t know is that the Auckland FC Reserve team play in the Dettol National League, of which all games are open and free to the public.
The games are played at club grounds around Auckland, and I watched them take on East Coast Bays at Bay City Park. My support was firmly in the Bays camp, as my younger brother was playing.
The great thing about seeing sport at this level is that you have the freedom to move around and choose the angle you want to see the game from.
Another bonus is mingling with the club stalwarts as they tell stories of their football glory days and give inside information about the game and the clubs.
Bays ended up winning 4-2 after a hard-fought game. The game quality was professional, fast-paced and definitely worth it if you’re a football fan.
Time spent: 2 and a bit hours.
Money saved: About $29-$60, depending on what seats I could get at a stadium game.
Crowd enthusiasm: Jolly.
Personal enjoyment: 5/5
Heading back to the arts festival, I wanted to check out some of its free music events as a substitute for that $100-$150 concert ticket I would sometimes fork out for.
It’s always a joy to hear te reo Māori on-stage, so stumbling across the lunchtime Te Whainoa Te Wiata: Aotearoa Songbook Singalong concert was great. Set in the Aotea Festival Garden (with a bar, food, and plenty of seating available), it featured acoustic versions of classic waiata and songs of Aotearoa that were belted out as I ate my lunch.
If you head in later at night, the area bumps it up into party mode, with DJs taking to the stage, and people can enjoy the hum of the festival atmosphere. A great opportunity to hear great musicians do what they do best.
Time spent: 1 hour.
Money saved: About $100-$150, depending on seats.
Crowd enthusiasm: Relaxed.
Personal enjoyment: 4/5
I was praying the weather held up for this one, and while I did get a little damp (my fault for not bringing a raincoat or umbrella), watching a movie at one of Auckland’s most picturesque parks was epic.
The free events, run in conjunction with local council boards and Neighbours Aotearoa, encourage people to bring their own chair, blanket or beanbag for a night of family-friendly movie fun.
Tonight, it was crowd-pleasing NZ comedy Red, White and Brass at Coyle Park, Pt Chev. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I would’ve paid good money in a theatre or to a streaming service to see this film, as it was unexpectedly hilarious and heartfelt.
Movies today cost around $28.25 for a standard ticket at Event Cinemas (booking fees included). For a family night out, this adds up. What was great about this was that there were plenty of extra things to do for families, including food trucks, bouncy castles and games. For the adults, it was a great way to meet your neighbours and catch up.
Time spent: 1 hour 45 minutes.
Money saved: About $28.25.
Crowd enthusiasm: Community-focused.
Personal enjoyment: 4/5
Definitely. If I swapped my week of free events with ones I paid for, I would’ve spent about $225.
While I’ll still continue to budget for paid events (where I will generally spend a bit more time), this experience made me realise there’s so much out there I’m missing out on.
I think having a good mix of free and paid events not only helps the wallet, but the heart as well. I was connecting with new people, learning new things, and getting out into my community instead of sticking to things I’m used to.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.