Looking for something to do? Head to the cinema for must-watch New Zealand film Tinā.
It’s the official first weekend of autumn, and Tāmaki Makaurau is a hotbed of activity, with classic cars, movies, Pride and more.
If you want to get out and be among your fellow citizens, check out the Auckland Brit & Euro Classic Car Show in Pakuranga; Waimahara, the closing event of Auckland Pride Festival or head to the Movies in Parks screening of Dolittle in Royal Oak. If you want to feel pride in Aotearoa, turn on the television and watch the live stream of Te Matatini or head to the cinema and see the heartwarming must-watch New Zealand film, Tinā. For live music, there’s Six The Musical and Beethoven Quartets or explore Mars at the Stardome or flowers at Turua Gallery. This is our list of the top nine things to do in Auckland this weekend and beyond.
It’s not often that we include film releases in this weekend guide but Tinā deserves to be an exception. Written and directed by Miki Magasiva, Tinā is a beautifully moving film about grieving mother Marketa Percival (Anapela Polataivao) who starts a choir at an elite private school. In the face of opposition from the school and from some in her own Samoan community, Marketa takes this group of privileged (mostly) white kids and teaches them about the power of music and togetherness. Set in Christchurch, Tinā takes place in the years following the 2011 earthquake and that personal and collective grief plays out on screen in a story that is ultimately full of hope. It opened on Thursday nationwide and this weekend is the perfect time to see it in a full cinema. It’s a tear-jerker so pack your tissues and settle in for what is certain to become a standout in the Aotearoa New Zealand film canon.
Where: In cinemas nationwide now.
Price: Visit here for screening times.
Motor-heads and retro-romantics, this Sunday is the biggest classic car show in the Southern Hemisphere. Rolling into Lloyd Elsmore Park, this is your chance to get up close and personal with some glorious vestiges of vehicular history. There will be approximately 1000 exhibitors at this year’s event showing everything from Mini Coopers to Ferraris to Bentleys and beyond. Among the categories there are Hot Hatches, Red Roadsters, military vehicles, a few vintage motorcycles and more. You can look closely but be sure to ask the owner before putting your grubby mitts on their pride and joy. It’s family-friendly with food vendors on site to keep rumbling bellies and whiny children happy or pack a picnic to enjoy in the park. There’s plenty of public parking in Lloyd Elsmore and it’s a lovely place to spend a Sunday.
When: March 2, 10am - 3pm.
Where: Lloyd Elsmore Park, Pakuranga, Auckland.
Price: Free entry.
Thousands of New Zealanders descended on New Plymouth this week for Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga 2025, the largest kapa haka competition in the world. The biennial event is being held at Pukekura/Bowl of Brooklands this year and competition is fierce. Unless you’re in the vicinity right now, you’re not going to get to Saturday’s big showdown in person but you can watch it live on Whakaata Māori, Māori+, TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+. Fifty-five rōpu (groups) have qualified this year which is the most in the competition’s history. Watching these talented and hard-working performers put their hearts and souls into these performances is a beautiful display of cultural pride that’s truly moving to witness.
When: National Championship: March 1.
Where: Pukekura/Bowl of Brooklands; streaming live on Whakaata Māori, Māori+, TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
Price: Limited tickets available
Pride month draws to a close on Saturday with the final event of the Auckland Pride Festival, Waimahara. Cissy Rock and Dr Emmy Rākete will front a panel discussion moderated by Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, titled Ka Mua, Ka Muri: Pride and Protest 10 Years Later. This year marks 10 years since protests against Auckland Pride raised questions and sparked conversation and debate around the festival’s role as a community-led organisation. Alongside the panel discussion, the Waiora Hub hosts a plethora of Rainbow service providers and community organisations running workshops and providing a wealth of knowledge, support and opportunities for grassroots mobilisation. Held by the recently opened multi-sensory artwork Waimahara in Myers Park, attendees can bring a picnic or pick up some kai on the way in and come together with the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies to celebrate that queer people have always and will always be an important and valued part of Aotearoa.
When: March 1, 2.30pm.
Where: Myers Park, Auckland Central. Visit aucklandpride.org.nz for more information and to learn the lyrics to waiata Waimahara.
Price: Free.
If you haven’t yet perused the Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival programme then get yourself a cup of Joe and sit down with it this weekend. The festival proper kicks off on Thursday but one of the headlining shows already opened this week: Six The Musical. Not unlike Broadway sensation Hamilton, this is a history lesson that you will actually enjoy. Six tells the stories of the six wives of King Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr - told through some pop-rock bangers that’ll have you grooving in your seat and humming in the streets afterwards. It’s an Australasian production of the Tony Award-winning show and sits atop a programme full of wonderfully creative, moving, awe-inspiring, funny, thought-provoking and highly entertaining performances that Aucklanders have the privilege to see over the coming weeks.
Six The Musical
When: February 27 - March 23.
Where: Civic Theatre, cnr Wellesley and Queen Streets, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets start at $85 + booking fees from ticketmaster.co.nz
Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival
When: March 6 - 23.
Where: Various locations around Auckland.
Price: Visit aaf.co.nz for the full programme and tickets.
This weekend’s movie under the stars is Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr. which is being screened at Monte Cecilia Park in Royal Oak. There’s all the usual pre-movie entertainment, including activities for the kids and food vendors selling yummy treats. Rug up, it can get cold once the sun goes down and be prepared to carry sleepy children to the car because it will be a late night for little ones. Auckland Council also has a special movie announcement this weekend, Moana 2 is going to be screening on March 14 at Greenslade Reserve in Northcote. Put it in your diaries, they’ve got a roving Moana character, a photo booth, Tatau Manaia dancers and Rainbow Rascals crafts and face painting on site. It will definitely be a highlight of this year’s Movies in Parks series which only has a few more Fridays and Saturdays left.
Dolittle
When: March 1, 6.20pm - 10.15pm.
Where: Monte Cecilia Park, Hillsborough Rd, Royal Oak.
Moana 2
When: March 14, 6pm - 10pm.
Where: Te Kaitaka, Greenslade Reserve, Northcote.
See moviesinparks.co.nz for the full schedule of films.
This weekend, Stardome launches its latest Planetarium show, Mars: The Red Planet. The presenter-led show looks at humanity’s relationship with Mars and given Elon plans to have us settling there in the not too distant future, this is bound to be an intriguing show. Could humans be the Martians we’ve been fearing all this time? Next weekend, Stardome is hosting a Blocks in Space weekend with the All Blocks LEGO User Group showcasing an impressive display of space-themed brick creations. And lastly, to celebrate the arrival of the full-scale Opportunity Rover reproduction at Stardome (on display from March 12), throughout March there will be screenings of the documentary Good Night Oppy, which follows the 90-day-mission that became a 15-year journey of the Opportunity Mars Rover. March is Mars month at Stardome and there’s a lot to learn about our planetary neighbour.
When: Various times throughout March.
Where: Stardome, 670 Manukau Rd, One Tree Hill Domain, Epsom, Auckland.
Price: Visit stardome.org.nz for show times and tickets.
Some art is bleak and dark and some art is joyous and light and the latest exhibition at Turua Gallery in St Heliers is the latter. Bloom is a group show featuring pieces by nine artists who work with flowers in their practice including Alicia Beech, Abbey Merson, Carmel van der Hoeven, Frances Hanson, Harriet Millar, Jody Hope Gibbons, Rachael Mayne, Sam Leitch and Sarah Barton-Hills. Gallery owner Melissa Wallace says “We wanted to start the year with an exhibition that celebrates nature’s beauty and captures that uplifting essence [of flowers].” Pair a visit to the gallery with a walk along the St Heliers waterfront boardwalk and you’ve got a nature-fuelled dopamine hit that’ll make for a delightful weekend outing.
When: On now until March 5.
Where: Turua Gallery, 10A Turua St, St Heliers, Auckland, or online
In the coming weeks, depending on where you live, the Auckland Philharmonia might be coming to you. They’re kicking off their In Your Neighbourhood series next week with Beethoven Quartets concerts in St Heliers, Remuera and Devonport. Taking on Beethoven’s String Quartet No.6 and String Quartet No.10 is a talented ensemble of Auckland Philharmonia’s principal string players including Minglun Liu (Second Violin) Robert Ashworth (Viola) and Ashley Brown (Cello), led by acclaimed violinist and Concertmaster, Andrew Beer. They’re performing at St Heliers Church & Community Centre on Thursday, Devonport’s Holy Trinity on Friday and St Luke’s in Remuera on Monday, March 10. Look out for the In Your Neighbourhood Tuba Tones programme in Titirangi, Devonport and Remuera in August.
St Heliers
When: March 6, 6.30pm.
Where: St Heliers Church & Community Centre, St Heliers, Auckland.
Devonport
When: March 7, 6.30pm.
Where: Holy Trinity, 20 Church St, Devonport, Auckland.
Remuera
When: March 10, 6.30pm.
Where: St Luke’s Church, 130 Remuera Rd, Remuera, Auckland.
Tickets $30 adult/senior and $15 student/child
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