Music in Parks offers free concerts at various locations in Tāmaki Makaurau throughout the summer. Photo / Auckland Council
Staying around Auckland city this summer? As well as ample parking and no traffic jams, there are many other reasons why you’ll have a great holiday. Here are some of the best things to do to keep the whole family entertained.
If you’re spending the first days of 2024 in the big smoke, you’re unlikely to find better summer entertainment than the ASB Classic. It begins on New Year’s Day with the women’s tournament, featuring 19-year-old US Open champion Coco Gauff and former World No 1 and mum-of-two, Caroline Wozniacki. The men’s tournament follows from January 8 to 13, with former Bucklands Beach Tennis Club member turned British No 1 Cam Norrie, French-Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and rising American star Ben Shelton. The food and beverage game is always strong at Stanley St with the G.H. Mumm garden, Aperol Serve Up Summer bar, Schweppes Social Club, Grey Goose bar, new Heineken Silver and Gwen by Church Road, as well as some quality culinary delights. All in all, it’s a great place to spend a lazy day or three watching other people work hard.
January 1-13. ASB Tennis Arena, Stanley St, Tāmaki Makaurau. Tickets $14-$69 for day and night sessions, tournament passes start at $475 from asbclassic.flicket.co.nz
At the height of summer, the CBD isn’t always the first destination that comes to mind for a family day out but it has more on offer than you might think. Start at the bottom at Wynyard Quarter where, aside from great eateries, there’s plenty for the kids to explore including the Sounds of Sea silver funnels along North Wharf, the play space at Silo Park, the Auckland Dockline Tram that runs weekends during the holidays and the Silo Park basketball court. If the younger members of your party can handle a bit of a hike, work your way up through the city - possibly stopping in for some light summer sales shopping - finishing up with a cool-off at the Myers Park splash pad and a run around the playground. A city adventure can be cheap as chips or throw in some high-end eats and treats and you’ve got yourself a chic urban extravaganza.
Any time. Auckland CBD.
Here’s an idea for a New Year’s resolution that might not fail by February with all the others. Walk1200km is Aotearoa’s largest “walking group” in which members aim to walk 100km a month, every month for a year - that’s about 3.3km a day. Now in its third year, Walk1200km is hoping to get 10,000 people to join the group in 2024. Registration is free and walking is free so the barriers to entry are few. Members of the group have cited grief, mental health and physical wellbeing as their motivations for signing up. When your willpower is waning, there’s strong camaraderie, regular micro-challenges and a support network available through the Facebook group. Last year, Walk1200km doubled its membership, this year they aim to double it again and you could help.
January 1 - December 31. Wherever you feel like walking. Visit wildernessmag.co.nz/walk1200km/ to register. Free.
“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”... if they don’t get tickets to the Auckland institution that is Shoreside Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park. It launches in mid-January with A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Measure for Measure at the delightful outdoor amphitheatre at The Pumphouse in Takapuna. This year’s rain debacle put a literal dampener on the 2023 season but 2024 is set to be a cracker. Shoreside has gone with two comedies for its 28th season, with Grae Burton directing romantic farce Midsummer and James Bell taking on the problem play Measure for Measure. Plan a picnic by the lake or a meal at the lakeside cafe beforehand and you’ve got yourselves a magical summer’s evening of entertainment.
January 20-February 17. The Pumphouse Theatre (Outdoor Amphitheatre), Killarney Park, Takapuna. Tickets $24-$28 from pumphouse.co.nz Children under 12 free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Always a highlight of Tāmaki Makaurau’s summer calendar, Music in Parks starts on January 13 at Maraetai with The RVMES, MOHI and Levi Lights On, followed by Jazz at the Rotunda on January 14. The concerts are free at different locations every weekend. Throughout summer you get to see a broad range of up-and-coming and established New Zealand artists do their thing while lapping up the summer sun in local parks. Check the schedule to see when it’s coming to a park near you.
January 13 - March 23. Various locations in Tāmaki Makaurau. Visit musicinparks.co.nz or the Music in Parks Facebook page for the full schedule.
Kids don’t have to be the only ones who get to explore their passions at school holiday programmes; anyone who has ever fancied themselves a wee bit creative, should consider signing up for the Corban Estate Arts Centre Summer School. For a week in mid-January, CEAC hosts a collection of adult art workshops led by skilled practising artists in a range of mediums from physical theatre to off-loom weaving to ceramics and more. Whether you’re an experienced artist or haven’t picked up a paintbrush since high school, so much joy can be derived from an intensive week of art exploration. Give yourself, or someone else, the gift of creative immersion this Christmas and sign up.
January 15-19. Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson, Auckland. Workshops $405-$550. Visit ceac.org.nz/events/summer-school/summer-school-2024 for more information and to register.
Seven weeks or more without school can feel like an eternity, especially when you’re greeted each morning with the phrase “what are we doing today?” followed in quick succession by “I’m bored”. One way to keep young people entertained this summer is by taking them to Kelly Tarlton’s where they can participate in the summer Junior Penguin Keeper programme. There are keeper talks, an interactive trail and a “Penguin Hospital” where Junior Penguin Keepers can do penguin check-ups on plushies guided by the education staff. This isn’t a drop-off situation, you’ll need to stay with your kids but at least you’ll learn a thing or two about the plight of penguins yourself.
On now until January 31. Kelly Tarlton’s, 23 Tamaki Drive, Orakei, Auckland. $45 per adult and $32 per child (free for under 3). Book at visitsealife.com/auckland/plan-your-day/information/school-holidays-activities/junior-penguin-keeper
It might not be the Coromandel or the Bay of Islands but Tāmaki Makaurau isn’t short of beaches and throughout the summer you can find the Waterworld inflatable obstacle course popping up all around the isthmus. From next week and throughout January it’ll be touring Browns Bay, Mairangi Bay, Takapuna Beach, Little Bucklands Beach, Big Manly and Stanmore Bay. You have to be able to swim to participate and anyone aged 5-9 has to be accompanied by a paying, participating adult. It gets booked out so get in quick for a super-fun way to get a little bit more excitement out of our urban beaches.
December 18-February 9. Various locations in Tāmaki Makaurau. Tickets $22 for a one-hour session from wipeout.co.nz
Avoid the post-New Year’s Eve party blues by getting tickets to Auckland’s first big music festival of 2024, Golden Lights. The two-day festival is being held in the Fields of Trusts Arena on January 4 and 5, and has a varied lineup of artists from drum ‘n’ bass heavy hitters Becky Hill, Wilkinson and Sub Focus to indie rock musicians Foals, Peggy Gou and Park Rd. There are single-day and two-day passes available. Don’t forget your music festy checklist: Eftpos card (it’s cashless), hydration (empty drink bottles only on entry), sun protection and good vibes for your fellow festival buddies.
January 4-5. Fields of Trusts Arena, 65-67 Central Park Drive, Henderson, Auckland. Tickets start at $99 + booking fee from goldenlights.co.nz
Debut dishes include an halal pepperoni pizza, raw ramen, honey toast - and four pies.