The Slater family out fishing in Murray's Bay on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Chris Loufte
Music jams, history lessons, making new friends — the best things in life can be enjoyed for nix in Auckland, Diana Clement discovers.
Money tight? Looking for something to do without spending money today? Auckland is just the place for you.
To do all the free things in our city you'd need a lifetime of weekends. So open your door, get out and try something new now.
If you need inspiration, start up your computer, tablet or smartphone and get lost in Eventfinda. The events website lists thousands of events every week ranging from mainstream music to really obscure activities.
Today, for example, there's an open day at Waitakere Alpacas, where your children (and you) can feed, pat and learn about alpacas for free.
Or, for some East-West classical and contemporary music, take a trip to the East Coast Bays Library at 1pm for the Music of the Heart concert.
If you're interested in free talks, mind and body events - or a whole range of non-mainstream activities - check out the Workshops, Conferences and Classes Events section of Eventfinda.
The Tours section of the same website collates theme-related events, such as Remembering World War I at the War Memorial Museum and the Auckland Festival of Photography, which is on all over the city, starting this week.
Another increasingly popular way to find group activities in Auckland is Meetup.com.
The Auckland Social Dog Walking group, which has 445 members, is meeting today at 10am at Barry Curtis Park in Flatbush. Or, if you're in your 20s, you might want to join the Auckland 20s Hiking & Socialising group, which has a Duder Regional Park walk today.
Of course, having fun for free on a Sunday doesn't always mean attending an organised event or joining a group. DIY entertainment is all around us. Grab a fishing rod and head down to your nearest wharf. Or use one of the free barbecues in parks such as Narrow Neck beach for some al fresco cooking.
Another great source of inspiration is the STQRY website and app. The app recognises where you are and serves up information about exhibitions and local attractions such as the Auckland Museum or DoC sites like North Head.
Another useful location-based app for those looking for free activities is My Parx. It has interactive maps and personal guided tours to help you find and explore parks in Auckland.
Whatever your interest, there is something to do for nothing in Auckland this weekend.
Children are expensive beasts. But with some imagination, it's possible to keep them entertained all day without spending a bean.
• Visit a library. Auckland's libraries have many free weekend events. The Central City library has Sunday sessions for kids aged 5-13. Today, it's a lei-making workshop for children and their accompanying parents.
• Go on a playground crawl. Pack a picnic and check out four or five playgrounds in one day. Your children will remember this day for life.
Try some of Auckland's newest playgrounds, such as the Daldy St playground in the Wynyard Quarter and Tui Glen Park in Henderson. Other popular playgrounds are Olympic Park, New Lynn; Snakes & Ladders Park, Farm Cove; Onepoto Domain, Northcote; Coyle Park, Pt Chevalier; Rocket Park, Mt Albert; Barry Curtis Park, Flatbush; One Tree Hill Domain and Totara Park in Manurewa.
• Go swimming. Since 2013, our public swimming pools have been free for children. If the adults want to swim rather than spectate, they'll have to pay. However, it's still a cheap day out and the heated indoor pools are included, which is a great rainy day activity.
• Get up close and personal with animals - children love them and at least once a month there's a show/competition on somewhere. It could be parrots, tropical fish, guinea pigs or rabbits. For cat shows, go to NZCF.com and for dogs, visit NZKC.org.nz.
• Get your bigger kids out. Te Oro is the newly opened creative arts centre in Glen Innes for youths aged 16-20. All this term it's offering free sessions in classes such as dance, music and film editing.
• Go tramping. Auckland is surrounded with great bush for a day tramp. Drive to the Waitakere or Hunua ranges where you'll find plenty of short and long tramps. Or if you prefer, find a walking or cycling trail near to your home. Auckland is resplendent with wide open green spaces such as Cornwall Park, volcanoes and beaches. For official walking routes visit: tinyurl.com/aucklandtrails, or check out MapMyWalk. Groups such as Feet First have regular tramps around Auckland. It's not entirely free as you need to pay your share of petrol.
• Join a group cycle ride. Perhaps you've been meaning to get out and go biking. An easy way to do it is join up for a pack ride. Most are free. Hot Cycles, for example, has a 7am Sunday ride starting from the shop at 46 Long Drive, St Heliers.
• Explore North Head's tunnels by torchlight (take your own torch), or visit the Hotcity.co.nz website to download PDF maps for six Auckland City Heritage Walks.
In summer, the council runs free movies and music programmes. In the meantime, many bars offer free music on Sundays - although all but a total tightwad will buy a drink! Check out Eventfinda for the latest events.
Auckland Art Gallery always has free exhibitions on, including the ambitious screen-based project In Pursuit of Venus by Lisa Reihana, which is running currently. The gallery is a great place to go any Sunday. There are also many private and public galleries worth a visit. Some of the best galleries include: Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery (formerly Lopdell House) in Titirangi, Gow Langsford in the CBD, Artspace in K Rd, Te Tuhi in Pakuranga, Pah Homestead in Hillsborough, Mangere Arts Centre, Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson and Northart in Northcote.
Auckland War Memorial Museum is free to residents and lots of other local interest museums will also keep you busy for a few hours. Try the National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy in Torpedo Bay, Devonport.
Real cheapskates who are a little bit cheeky can try one of these, although we don't officially condone them ...
• Get a free makeover. Posh department stores such as Smith & Caughey and Farmers will give you a free makeover. You might need to book.
• Indulge in free food. Check out the stalls at one of the foodie markets in Auckland, such as the Matakana Village Farmers' Market, La Cigale French Style Farmers' Market, the Grey Lynn Market or Clevedon Village Farmers' Market.
• Taste a free tipple. Visit any one of Auckland's wineries for some free tasting.
• Cruise open homes. Get yourself over to one of Auckland's posher suburbs and see how the other half live. Or, if open homes aren't your thing, try some tyre-kicking in a luxury car yard.
Don some exercise clothing and do free exercise such as running, walking, cycling or yoga.
• Take free classes. Many exercise classes will give you a free trial lesson. For example, the bootcamp Fit2Play Training, on Sundays at 9.30am-10.30am in Francis Reserve, Grey Lynn, offers the first session free.
• Create your own circuit. Find a park with exercise equipment aimed at adults. They're in every corner of the city. Try Shepherds Park, Beach Haven; Rosedale Park, Albany; War Memorial Park, Mt Roskill; and Walter Massey Park, Mangere East. For more, go to: tinyurl.com/ExerciseEquipment
Somewhere near you today will be an event for a sport you have never watched. You might discover darts, snooker, lacrosse, water polo or even just soccer. Find venues such as the Manukau Tennis Centre, Auckland Table Tennis Stadium, Snooker World and the Millennium Centre and ask what's on (or do an online search). When you get there, sit next to someone who knows what they're talking about and get learning.
• Go to the dogs. Auckland Greyhound Racing Club has meets most Sundays at the Manukau Sports Bowl. There is also free entry to Alexandra Park trotting events - but rarely on Sundays.
Volunteering can be fun. You'll meet lots of people and do and see interesting things. Sometimes you even get fed or have your transport costs reimbursed.
Big events such as the Rugby and Cricket World Cups and the Fifa U20 World Cup use lots of volunteers. You might be at the airport answering questions or in the stadium seating people. It's not just the big international events. Smaller events need volunteers. At Eden Park, for example, you can volunteer to greet fans for ITM and cricket matches and answer questions on match days. The bonus is that you get to see the match, although that's not the main reason for being there.
Likewise, the Auckland International Film Festival needs volunteer ushers for its film showings and you get to watch extraordinary films in return.
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, the SPCA, Auckland Council and the ConservationVolunteers.co.nz website are places to look for one-off and ongoing conservation work.
You could even volunteer in the local hospice shop - many are now open on Sundays. Other options include the Coastguard New Zealand service, St John New Zealand, or your local Surf Lifesaving association.
Local churches have services both morning and evening on Sundays that you can just turn up to. If that doesn't appeal, then admire the architecture and art in your local church or at one of Auckland's grand churches such as St-Matthew-in-the-City, St Patrick's Cathedral or St Mary's Cathedral Church.
Don't limit yourself to Western religions.
The Bharatiya Mandir (Hindu) in Balmoral Rd is very impressive, as is the Baitul Muqeet mosque in Wiri.
If nothing else appeals, consider doing some people-watching. Take a book or your tablet and sit in one of the comfortable reception areas of a city hotel. Or head down to the ferry terminal or Shed 10 and watch people and boats come and go.
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