Check out the Auckland Heritage Festival Programme, with events running from 5 to 28 October.
To help you pick out a few events to attend, we've put together the Auckland Heritage Festival Diary so you can take a look at some of the events for film and music lovers.
My devoted piano
When: Wednesday 23 October, 12pm-1pm
Where: Whare Wānanga, Level 2, Central City Library, 44-46 Lorne St, Auckland Central
Cost: Free, bookings preferred
Sarah Mathew, wife of surveyor Felton Mathew arrived on the Waitematā Harbour in 1840 to help her husband select a site for the capital of New Zealand.
Sarah brought with her what she refers to in her diary as "my devoted piano".
The family of the Missionary Henry Williams knew the Matthews and had a collection of hand-copied music. This is now held by Auckland Libraries and contains fine examples of the sort of music played.
Dr Polly Sussex discussed the musical skills expected of women pioneers in early Auckland. She covers how live music played a large part in this new life and the piano was indispensable in the home.
A concert on a square piano of 1835 will be held at the Central City Library on Thursday 7 November. Dr Sussex will perform music from the Williams scrapbooks.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
Birkenhead Village presents: brass, bands & fruit bowls
When: Friday 11 to Sunday 13 October, 11am-1pm and 6pm-8pm
Where: Norfolk Pine Stage, Cnr Hinemoa St, Mokoia Rd and Birkhenhead Ave, 1 Birkenhead Ave, Birkenhead
Cost: Free, no booking required
New settlers brought their fruit harvesting skills to Aotearoa - these became part of the fabric of their new lives.
Under European settlement, the Fruit Growers Association formed, and Birkenhead became famous for its strawberries, plums and peaches.
At the end of the successful harvests, brass bands serenaded the workers at social dances and balls.
Come and enjoy the brass band sounds of a successful harvest in 1908.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
New songs and old slides of Auckland's distant past
When: Wednesday 16 October, 7pm-10pm
Where: Cafe One2one, 121 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
Cost: Koha (donation), no bookings required
Chris Priestley, Cameron Bennett, Nigel Gavin, Sonia Wilson, Emily Roughton and Claire Robertson bring you a night of songs from Auckland's past.
This will include Cyrus Haley, the arsonist of the 1870s; Don Buck and Tiger Lil from the gum-diggers camp in Swanson; Von Tempsky, the soldier, artist and guitarist; and Ponsonby-born balloonist Captain Charles Lorraine.
There will be a slideshow of Auckland photos from the 1850s-1950s, as well as cakes, coffee and wine.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
Ponsonby presents: Pasifika galu wave
When: Saturday 26 October, 12pm-1.30pm
Where: Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
Cost: Free, bookings required
The charismatic Pua brothers take you on a heartwarming family journey. They tell their stories through poetry, live music and media.
Hear about the Pua family's journey to Tāmaki Makaurau.
Learn about growing up and living in Ponsonby, dawn raids, and the Polynesian Panthers.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
Up close with the mighty Auckland Town Hall organ
When: Sunday 20 October, hourly from 10am-5pm
Where: Great Hall stage door, Auckland Town Hall, Grey's Avenue, Auckland Central
Cost: Free, no bookings required
Learn about the magnificent Town Hall Organ, one of the world's greatest concert instruments.
It is New Zealand's largest organ, made up of more than 5000 pipes shipped to New Zealand from Britain and Germany. Every year, it attracts international musicians and large audiences.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
Auckland City Centenary 1971: Film and panel discussion
When: Friday 18 October, 4pm-5.30pm
Where: OId Government House Lecture Theatre, Cnr Princes St and Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland Central
Cost: Free, bookings required
The documentary 'Auckland City Centenary - Last, Loneliest, Loveliest' celebrates Auckland City which was established in 1871.
This thought-provoking documentary will be screened and followed by a discussion led by a panel of historians from the University of Auckland.
Our collective identity will be one of many questions explored in this panel, along with ideas related to Auckland's cultural diversity and relationship with the environment.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
