theaucklandguide: Christine went to New Zealand for a 3-week holiday in December 1999 to welcome the 21st century and returned in January 2002 to live for good when she realized that Peter Jackson's Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings) was the best destination not only to visit but also to live. Of course it also helped that Christine's husband is based in New Zealand :-) Let Christine be your Guide in exploring the hidden and magical delights of Auckland...New Zealand's biggest city. Follow her on Twitter @mrsgooding

Breathtaking Buskers to Behold

Featuring 14 performers from all over the world, Auckland is set to hold its 10th Annual Buskers Festival from 29 January to 1 February. In celebration of Auckland’s Anniversary Weekend, acrobats, magicians, jugglers, mimes, comedians, pavement artists, and more will come together and generate a vibrant atmosphere in the City Auckland. Among the highlights of the Buskers Fest are the Liqueur Flambe, a cabaret duo who will present a blend of circus stunts, violin virtuoso, and fire; Ben Zuddhist,...

January 21st, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

Succulent Strawberries for the Pickin’

For those who have just arrived in Auckland or just simply haven’t had the opportunity to yet, it’s high time to head off for some strawberry picking at Kumeu before January ends. Within 25 minutes north west of Auckland, off the North-Western Motorway, is the Kumeu Coast & Country Region, where strawberry farms abound and are easily accessible via the main road. Among the favoured farms are they Massey Gardens and Phil Grieg’s Strawberry Farm. Only $7.50 per adult, per kilo...

January 20th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

Shuffle, Surfcast, and Savour in a Seafood Fest

Auckland celebrates its Anniversary Weekend with the Auckland Seafood Festival this 30 January, 31 January, and 1 February 2010! Rain or shine, the festivities begin at noon till 7:00 in the evening. Lobsters, clams, shrimps, oysters, crabs, scallops, squid, mussels, and various types of fish all on the offer by more than twenty stalls at the three-day holiday event at Halsey Street Wharf, Viaduct Harbour. Plus, international wines and beers for sampling. For the kids and those who’d like to...

January 19th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

While Away at Wonderful Wenderholm

Certainly one of the most beautiful parks of Auckland, Wenderholm is a must for locals and tourists to see and spend a day this summer. Wenderholm was the first Auckland Regional park that first opened back in 1965, taking its name from the historic homestead located there that was formerly called “Wenderholm” (winter home). That same historic Couldrey House still sits in lovely tranquil grounds today. The park is cradled by the Waiwera and Puhoi Rivers, with a forested headland abounding...

January 17th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

Take a Night Out at the Auckland Night Market

It’s great to go out at night in Auckland, with the sun setting as late as 9:00 in the evening these days. And what better way to get some cool air than by going to the Night Market at the Central Business District? You can get a taste of heaps of free food samples, live music, and fabulous gourmet shopping, from a fish market that offers a whole lot more than just fresh catch of the day. Every week, beginning 7 January this year, a food and wine special is available for only $9.50 per person....

January 15th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

Awesome Al Green in Auckland

Aucklanders and tourists will get the chance of a lifetime to experience music from the peerless price of soul and unbelievable 12-piece band. Reverend Al Green will hold a concert on 21 January 2010 for the very first time in New Zealand. Al Green flies to the Land of the Long White Cloud after his stint in Australia for one night at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, up-close and personal. Among his timeless hits from the 1970s are “Let’s Stay Together”, “Tired of Being Alone”,...

January 14th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

Walk the Walks at Waiheke

Get fit and go nature tripping at the same time with Free Summer Guided Walks on Waiheke Island. Courtesy of the Auckland City Council, free guided walks on Waiheke Island are held every Wednesday since last December last year and will go on until the end of February. From downtown Auckland, simply ride the 10:00am Fullers Ferry to Waiheke Island. Return fares are at $32 per adult, $16 per child, and $80 per family of four (two adults and two children or one adult and three children). A professional...

January 13th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

Get Into Shakespeare in the Park

“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” So goes my favorite line from William Shakespeare’s Richard III. So much drama and controversy abound the play on King Richard III as written by the famed poet, and yet so seductive and engaging a royal vile character he portrays. Shakespeare was never more compelling , with Richard’s relatives an colleagues are murdered all due to king’s evil consuming passion with the Crown. A peak into the power and politics of England’s...

January 12th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

White Sand and Waves at Tawharanui

One of Auckland’s most beautiful beaches is found in a secluded peninsula past Matakana. It’s the Tawharanui Regional Park, a 588-hectare open sanctuary that also includes wetlands, pastures, and a coastal forest. There’s so much to do at Tawharanui (pronounced as tah-fah-noo-wee) in and out of the water. For landlubbers, options are bird watching, hiking, sightseeing, camping, mountain biking, viewing farm animals, having a picnic by the lake or by the beach. As for those...

January 10th, 2010 | Auckland | Read More

Be Amazed with Maths and Magic

Quick, what’s 750 x 5? Forget the traditional, complicated method you were taught in school and use this trick: Divide 750 by 2, and move the decimal point to the right. That’ll give you 15,000, the correct answer. Easy as! You can do this very fast in your head with any number, because dividing by two is simple and easy. Much more to move the decimal point to the right! Professor Persi Diaconis: Amazing Maths and Magic “The way that a magic trick works can be just as amazing...

December 27th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Catch the Ferry, Sights, and Openair Cinema at Waiheke

Take a short 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland to the beautiful island of Waiheke, located at the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, where you can spend a weekend sightseeing, mountain biking, sea kayaking, vineyard & winery tours, and watching a film in the open air. Fuller Ferries make the most number of trips to and fro Waiheke, with roundtrip fares of $35/adult, $13/child 5-15 years old (with student I.D.), and $80 for a family pass (2 adults & up to 4 children or 1 adult and up...

December 27th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Kids Will Get a Kick at the Kite Festival in Avondale

What better way to spend the day with your family and friends on a windy, summer day, than by hanging out together with music, food, and a view of the sky filled with colourful kites flitting about? So come to the Kite Festival at the Avondale Racecourse, on 9 January. Fun begins at 11:00am. Best of all, entry is free for all. If you don’t have a kite, no worries. You can just buy kites and threads on site. Kite flying, like all past times, does require a bit of planning and common sense in...

December 27th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Six Ways to Get High in Auckland This New Year

With 2010 just a few winks away, resolutions are being made and firmed up. For both visitors and locals, here’s a list of things that will help start the New Year in Auckland with a bang and do things you never have before: SkyJump at the Sky Tower in Auckland 1) SkyWalk – Suspended high up at 192 metres is the 1.2-metre wide ledge that encircles the widest part of Sky Tower, corner Victoria and Federal Streets in Auckland City Central. Just step out on the ledge and walk the perimeter...

December 26th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Dance to the Sinulog Beat This January

Drums beat and chanting of “Pit Senyor,” fill the Auckland air. This is the way devotees honour the miraculous Santo Niño, the Holy Child Jesus every third Sunday of January. It is a pageantry of faith, a celebration of the origin of the island of Cebu that is found south of the Philippines. It is Sinulog, the most illustrious and most resplendent festival in the Philippines that has also been celebrated in New Zealand for the past 15 years. Sinulog is the biggest gathering of Filipinos...

December 21st, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Make Music with Dub Conspiracy Matakana New Year’s Eve Party

Greet 2010 by dancing to the groove of Dub Conspiracy at the New Year’s Eve Party of Music Mountain Matakana. Salmonella Dub, Ladi 6, Cornerstone Roots, and Whirimako Black are some of the artists in the awesome line up of the 12-hour festival of Auckland’s finest Dub, Roots, and Electronica that will be held on 31st December. Dub Conspiracy at the Matakana New Year's Eve Party The much-looked forward to event will be held at Music Mountain Matakana, a natural amphitheatre laid out...

December 20th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Count Down for the Christmas Carnival

One of the time-honored traditions in Auckland’s social calendar is the New Zealand Herald Christmas Carnival on Boxing Day, where thoroughbreds are met by high couture at the race tracks. NZ Herald Christmas Carnival - Boxing Day Races The gates officially open on 26 December, at 10:30am, with the glamour of VIVA Fashions in the Field, followed by Hospitality options open at 11:30am and free children’s entertainment at the Classic Hits Infield. The first race is set at 12:55pm with...

December 19th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Drive Thru a Christmas Celebration

There may be no snow or minimal lights and lanterns hanging outside homes and stores, but Christmas is surely in Auckland, most specially in Greenlane, where tourists and locals get an annual treat with the Christmas Drive Thru of the Habitat for Humanity. Christmas Drive Thru Auckland’s Christmas Drive Thru is a free, 30-minute, outdoor Christmas musical with a few other surprises. The Drive Thru is located at 17 Marewa Road in Greenlane (behind Countdown), where a walking, talking, and life-size...

December 19th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Twinkling of the Telecom Christmas Tree

It’s back! The Telecom Tree is back in Auckland this Christmas. It’s a 27 metre-high (that’s equivalent to seven storeys) light structure is found in Auckland’s Western Park in Ponsonby. Telecom Christmas Tree 2009 According to the official Telecom Tree site, “The Telecom Tree is home to dedicated Santa Line phone boxes for children to ring Santa direct. When children leave their wish in the phone boxes at the base of the tree, their voices will magically activate the lights...

December 13th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Getting a Handle on Handel’s Messiah

For most Aucklanders, the Christmas season doesn’t truly begin until Auckland Choral’s annual Messiah performance. A tradition that began more than 150 years ago. Handel’s ever popular oratorio is, after all, the greatest musical tale of all time. Auckland Choir and Handel's Messiah This divine musical production will be in the conducted by Uwe Grodd. Back in the 1960s, Grodd was a choirboy in the small German town of Calw, content to sing the weekly Bach Cantata. His voice, however,...

December 13th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More

Family Fishing Fun

The sun is out, well, mostly out these days, making perfect weather for fishing. No need to be out on sea or to have expensive gear to go fishing in New Zealand. For those who need a fishing fix as often as possible, fishing has to be sustainable, after all. First Catch According to my friend who also happens to be a lawyer, in New Zealand, salt water fishing does not reqire a licence. Just the responsibility to release non-keepers (small fish) and not to catch an inordinate amount of fish. Salt...

December 12th, 2009 | Auckland | Read More