October has arrived with its long days and the promise of warmer weather, which means the season for languishing at home is over. There’s so much to do in Auckland this weekend and in the week ahead, from country music to a vintage market, old-fashioned board games to an old-fashioned
What to do in Auckland this weekend: Tours, vintage finds and free festivals
Zanna Gillespie
NZ Herald·
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A plethora of free or low-cost activities encouraging people to play will be held across the city throughout October. Photo / Auckland Council
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Where: Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets start at $99 + booking fees from plus1.co.nz or ticketmaster.co.nz.
2) Ye olde market at Alberton
Tomorrow is Alberton’s annual Vintage Market Day, and there really is no more authentic location for vintage rummaging and quasi-time travel than this historic estate. What this market lacks in size – it’s mini with just 11 specialist stalls – it makes up for in ambience. Among the wares on offer are fine china, clothing, textiles, Crown Lynn, crystal, silver, kitchen and tableware, decor, jewellery, accessories, retro knick-knacks and more. Coffee, gelato and homemade old-fashioned treats will also be available for purchase. Entry to the market is free; however, to maximise your vintage experience, we recommend paying for a look around the house as well.
When: Tomorrow, 11am-3pm.
Where: 100 Mt Albert Rd, Mt Albert.
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Price: Free entry to market; $10 per adult and free for children to look around the house.
3) Ceramic offerings
The excellently named Claybenders Group opened a new exhibition at Arthaus Contemporary in Ōrākei this week. Rituals and Offerings is a collection of works by the group’s 28 potters and sculptors that responds to that theme. Celebrated sculptor Toby Twiss features as a guest artist in the exhibit, alongside the group’s established and emerging clay artists. The Claybenders have also collaborated on an artwork that will be auctioned – silently – to raise funds for Auckland Studio Potters. All of the work in the exhibition is for sale and members of the Claybenders Group are on hand to explain how the pieces are made.
When: On now until October 19, Wednesdays to Sundays, 11am-3pm.
Where: Arthaus Contemporary, 228 Orakei Rd, Ōrākei, Auckland.
Price: Free.
4) Is it time to head south?
It’s the last weekend of the school holidays and if you’ve got the grandkids and are on the cusp of entering retirement living, then you can kill two birds with one stone today by taking them out to the Grand Day Out at Vivid Living Karaka. The retirement village is hosting a free event specifically for grandparents and their families with free coffee, sausage sizzle, ice creams, entertainment and activities. You’ll get to entertain the little people for free and poke your nose in at Vivid Living Karaka to see what it’s all about.
When: Today, 10am-2pm.
Where: Vivid Living Retirement Village, 241 Park Estate Rd, Karaka.
Price: Free.
5) It’s playtime in Tāmaki Makaurau
Auckland Council wants Aucklanders to get out and play this October with its month-long Celebrating Play initiative. Throughout October, there will be a plethora of free or low-cost activities taking place across the city. It complements Sport NZ’s annual Play Week (October 20-26) and this weekend overlaps with the final weekend of Auckland Heritage Festival, which this year has a theme of Auckland at Play. Among the events on the programme are Board Games on the Waterfront today; classic schoolyard games at Back in the Day Play tomorrow; a Bubble Soccer Tournament next weekend; and a Kids and Whānau Festival at Auckland Art Gallery next Saturday. When times are challenging, play is important. Go have some fun.
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When: On now until October 31. Visit ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for the full schedule of events.
6) Plan ahead: Taco Tuesdays and Margarita Wednesdays
The school holidays are coming to an end, which means weeknight chaos is back and dinner dilemmas ensue. If you’re out east, Despensa in Howick is offering two different solutions to this nightly struggle: Taco Tuesdays – forget cooking, take the family out and get two-for-one tacos. And Ladies Night on Wednesday – forget cooking, leave the family behind and get two margaritas and a taco for $35. Either way, forget cooking, eat tacos and the rest will fall into place.
When: Tuesdays and Wednesdays (open Tues-Sun).
Where: Despensa, 21 Picton St, Howick. Book at despensa.co.nz or phone 09 532 9337.
7) Plan ahead: Matchmaking at the museum
Believe it or not, the apps aren’t the only places to find romance in the 2020s. Auckland Museum is hosting its uber-popular Mingle at the Museum next week and it’s the perfect opportunity for you to meet someone the old-fashioned way: in the wild. There are drinks and nibbles available for purchase, a DJ spinning tunes, a charismatic MC and a cast of helpers ready to swoop in with games, quizzes and activities wherever they see some ice in need of breaking – participation optional, of course. There are two events – Wednesday and Thursday – with Thursday being Mingle at the Museum Pride Edition. Gather some gumption and put yourself out there to meet some new friends or maybe lovers – you won’t know if you don’t go.
When: October 8 and 9, 7pm-11pm.
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Where: Auckland Museum, Auckland Domain, Parnell.
Price: Tickets $45 (10% discount for museum members) from aucklandmuseum.com.
8) Plan ahead: The case of the travelling plants
Auckland-based botanical artist Felicity Jones and photographer Mark Smith have a shared interest in the concept of botanical globalisation, which has resulted in ongoing creative collaborations – the most recent of which will be launched next week. The duo have travelled Aotearoa and Britain making images that “juxtapose the botanical with the cultural, native with exotic”. These will be on display in a new exhibition, Here There Now, opening on Thursday evening at Silo 6 in Wynyard Quarter. The exhibition coincides with the launch of their new book, Case Studies: A Story of Plant Travel, which explores the history and impact of botanical globalisation and hopes to open the door for more discussions around sustainable futures.
When: Opening October 9, 5.30pm-7.30pm; thereafter daily until October 16, 11am-6pm.
Where: Silo 6, Wynyard Quarter, corner of Beaumont and Jellicoe Sts, Auckland Central.
9) Plan ahead: Take a breath for your mental health
On Monday, Aotearoa New Zealand’s Mental Health Awareness Week begins, and throughout the week, the Art of Living Foundation is offering free online group breath and meditation sessions called Breathe Well Together. The group sessions tie into this year’s MHAW theme Top Up Together, which is all about social connection and the benefits of shared, community-based approaches to wellbeing. Every New Zealander is affected by mental health, whether through their own struggles or those of their friends or loved ones. Breathwork and meditation can help with stress and anxiety, and next week you can join daily free online sessions at noon and 7pm to give your brain and body some designated time to relax.
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When: October 6-10, noon and 7pm. Visit artofliving.org to register.
Coming up
- Faulty Towers The Dining Experience: October 8-26, Christchurch, Wellington, Whanganui, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Tauranga, Auckland.
- Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones: October 9-18, Artworks Theatre, Waiheke.
- BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival: October 11-12, Auckland Central.
- The NZ Highwaymen tour: October 15-19, Tauranga, Putaruru, Auckland, Whangarei, Orewa.
- Trent Dalton’s Love Stories: October 16-19, The Civic, Auckland.
- Raybonanza Comedy Tour: October 17, Vic Cinema, Auckland.
- Captain Morrow and the Sands of Time: October 21-November 8, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- Nelson Arts Festival: October 23-November 2, Nelson.
- Titirangi Festival of Music: October 25-26, Titirangi, Auckland.
- Bill Bailey – Vaudevillean: nationwide tour from October 29-November 23.
- Dungeon of the Damned: October 31-November 2, Birkenhead, Auckland.
- Auckland Festival of Quilts: October 31-November 2, Auckland Netball Centre.
- Analogue Aotearoa: November 1-2, Te Aroha.
- Tofiga Fepulea’i, Shuuush Your Mouf: November 1-8, Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga.
- The Dry House: November 4-15, Basement Theatre, Auckland.
- Kowhai Art & Craft Club Sale and Exhibition: November 7-9, Matakana Hall.
- NZ Sculpture OnShore: November 7-23, Devonport, Auckland.
- All Together Now Choir, Mixtape for the Mission: November 9, Auckland Town Hall.
- An Evening with Priscilla Presley, Life after Elvis: November 20, Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland.
- Eddie Izzard – The Remix Tour Live: November 21-26, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland.
- H.R. The Musical #2: November 25-December 6, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- Kirk Franklin, The World Tour: December 10-13, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland.
- Dynamotion & Q Theatre present A Christmas Crisis: December 10-20, Q Theatre, Auckland.
- Oprah In Conversation: December 14, Spark Arena, Auckland.
- The ASB Classic: January 5-17, Auckland.
- Jimmy Carr – Laughs Funny Tour: Nationwide January 7-28, 2026.
Email canvas@nzherald.co.nz with brief details of your upcoming event, including dates/times, location and website.