WEATHER
* Looks likely to be another weekend indoors for most. Rain or light showers likely for most of the North Island, more persistent on the east coast. On Sunday, showers continue but Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa will get heavier rain.
SPORT
* Rugby: The All Blacks face the Wallabies in
Christchurch in the opening game of this year's Tri-Nations series tomorrow. This crucial match for John Mitchell's side screens on Sky Sport live at 7.30pm, on TV3 at 8.30pm and will be replayed on Sunday at 8am on Sky Sport.
* League: Australia and Great Britain go head to head in this one-off test. Sky Sport screens it live at 9.30pm, and replays at 1.30pm tomorrow.
* The Warriors have a week off to regroup after their loss to the Sharks last week. The Melbourne Storm take on the Roosters tomorrow. The game is on Sky Sport at 10.30pm and replayed on Sunday at 1pm.
* League fans can watch back-to-back matches on Sunday afternoon with Sky Sport showing North Queensland v Northern Eagles, Paramatta v Sharks, and Canberra v Newcastle, starting at 3pm.
* Basketball: The Tall Blacks are flying high after taking an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-test series against Hungary in Nelson on Wednesday. The fifth test is played in Christchurch and screens on TV One at 9.55pm.
* Motorsport: TV3 has nightly highlights of the Safari Rally of Kenya, part of the World Rally Championship. Ones to watch: Brit Colin McRae of Ford and France's Gilles Panizzi for Peugeot who are battling it out for third place. Just one point separates them from Richard Burns, also for Peugeot.
* New Zealander Scott Dixon competes in the Cart Fedex Series Grand Prix of Cleveland on Monday. It screens on Sky Sport 2 live at 5.25am, and Sky Sport at 11.30am and 11pm.
* Soccer: New Zealand play Vanuatu, and Australia clash with Tahiti in the Oceania Nations Cup final tomorrow. With any luck the New Zealanders will get the chance to meet Australia in the final, screened Sunday on TV One live at 3pm.
TODAY
* Film buffs will be in heaven as the 34th International Film Festival kicks off tonight. Several feted foreign films, including The Piano Teacher (Austria/France), and Y tu mama tambien - And Your Mother Too (Mexico) start the festival in style. Films out of the USA, Austria, France, Mexico, and Morocco feature on day one at The Civic Theatre, Sky City Theatre, Village Force Hoyts Cinemas, and The Academy Cinema. Get a programme from Ticketek, the Civic, Real Groovy, or the central library and immerse yourself in foreign films.
* Epsom Girls Grammar School and Peter Webb Galleries are holding an auction of authentic Persian rugs and collectable Australasian wines. Viewing today from 10am-3pm, and tomorrow from 9-11am. The auction is at 11am tomorrow at the school hall, on Silver Rd in Epsom.
* North Shore poets will read their work on New Zealand's 5th National Poetry Day, which will be celebrated at the Takapuna Library at 2pm. Stu Bagby, and Sonja Yelich live in Auckland and will read some of their work. Other local poets, as well as Dunedin's Dianne Brown, will also read. All welcome, and members of the public are encouraged to bring their own poetry or poems by favourite poets. A $2 cover charge will include refreshments.
* Montana New Zealand Book Awards finalist Anna Jackson, West Auckland poet Janet Charman and Yelich will also read from their work at the Women's Bookshop, Ponsonby Rd at 5.30pm. Entry by donation.
* Earlybird registrations for the Romance Writers of New Zealand's annual conference close today. The conference runs from August 16-18, and features international and local authors and publishers. Bookings on 09-522-4272.
* The Auckland Museum's school holiday programme winds up today with poi making from 10-11am. Children aged 6-12 years can learn to plait and make their own dancing poi.
* Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice will be performed at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, tonight and tomorrow at 7.30pm. The play is a production of the trustees of the RJP Theatre Charitable Trust and directed by David and Lynn Berresford. During the next school term it will be taken to many Auckland high schools. Admission tonight by donation.
* The New Zealand Orchid Society is holding its 54th annual Winter Show at the Freemans Bay Community Hall, 52 Hepburn St today, tomorrow and Sunday. The show runs from 1-5pm today, 10-5pm tomorrow, and 10-4pm on its final day. Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for senior citizens.
* The annual Millennium Craft Show hits town this weekend. The show will be held at the ASB Stadium, Kohimarama Rd from 10am-5pm through until Sunday. Adults $5 admission, under 14-year-olds free.
* The Marine Education and Recreation Centre has organised a series of winter lectures, starting tonight. Tonight's Sea Around Us lecture will be given by diver Dave Moran, who will speak about the sunken Chinese junk Tek Sing, and the treasures it held. The lecture starts at 7.30pm at the MERC Centre, 1045 Beach Rd, Long Bay.
* The Auckland Vintage Jazz Band is playing at the Nixon Park Centre in Howick at 7.30pm.
TOMORROW
* Extreme Stunts and International Motor Stunts have joined forces for a huge monster truck and stunt show. The show includes some never before seen stunts, including a 5-tonne monster truck that can stand on its back wheels and is one of only two of its type in the world. Spent the afternoon watching these giant boys toys at Alexandra Park Raceway, from 3pm-6pm.
* Titirangi Painters are holding their 10th annual art exhibition at the War Memorial Hall, South Titirangi Rd from 10am-5pm today and tomorrow. Admission is free.
* Pianist Henry Wong Doe performs at the Music Theatre, Symonds St tonight at 8pm. He will perform pieces by Mozart, Chopin, and Brahms among others. Admission is $30.
* The Whangarei Racing Club Gallops take place at the Ruakaka Racecourse, "where the turf meets the surf". Contact the Whangarei Information Centre for more details on 09-438-1079.
SUNDAY
* The Auckland Regional Council is holding a planting day. Join other tree-planting enthusiasts at the Duder Regional Park, North Road, Clevedon from 10am-3pm. Refreshments and barbecue provided.
Or head out to Muriwai at 10am. Meet at the Muriwai Regional Park, Muriwai Beach for more tree-planting
* Parents: rejoice. Commuters: despair. Secondary and Primary school kids go back to school tomorrow after just over two weeks' holiday. Watch out for children on the roads.
* Personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force base will be conducting night military exercises from tonight through until Thursday at Hobsonville Airfield.
The exercises are to prepare Air Force personnel for postings in East Timor. Pyrotechnics, simulated gunfire, and flares will be used.
To have information included in this column:
Email: info@nzherald.co.nz
WEATHER
* Looks likely to be another weekend indoors for most. Rain or light showers likely for most of the North Island, more persistent on the east coast. On Sunday, showers continue but Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa will get heavier rain.
SPORT
* Rugby: The All Blacks face the Wallabies in
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