Te Hui Ahurei o Matariki – Matariki Festival Day aims to bring people of all ages together to celebrate Matariki. Te Hui Ahurei o Matariki will take place at Auckland Botanic Gardens.
Look forward to kapa haka, waiata, carving demonstrations, raranga activations, poi making and more. The day wraps around Matariki and includes mana whenua stories, live art, acrobats, theatre for tamariki and insight into special waterways at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. A wide range of exciting and fun activities and experiences for everyone!
Plan your visit: Use our free Matariki park & ride service
We're so excited for Te Hui Ahurei o Matariki (Matariki Festival Day) at the Botanic Gardens. To ensure everyone has a smooth and enjoyable experience, we're strongly encouraging all attendees to use our free park & ride bus service.
Why park & ride?
Parking within the Botanic Gardens is extremely limited, and during the event, it will be reserved for accessible parking and parents with prams only. The gardens will also be operating a one-way system for vehicles, and we expect the site to be very busy. Using the park & ride helps keep traffic flowing and makes your arrival stress-free.
Park & ride details:
- Main departure point: Buses will depart from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1185 Alfriston Road, Alfriston.
- Overflow parking: If the church car park reaches capacity, additional parking is available directly across the road at Alfriston College, 540 Porchester Road.
- Bus schedule: Buses will run continuously on a loop between 9:45am and 4:45pm.
- Last bus leaving the gardens: 4:45pm
- Gardens close: Gates will lock at 5:30pm
Important notes:
- Traffic management: There's a traffic management plan in place, with no stopping or parking permitted on Hill Road & no right turn out of the gardens. Please follow advisory signs & traffic staff.
- Neighbours: Please be considerate of our neighbours and park respectfully.
- Bus type: We'll be using 33-seater Pavlovich Coaches.
- Drop-off/pick-up at gardens: The bus stop at the gardens is bus stop ID6966 on Hill Road.
- No smoking/vaping: Please note, there is a strict no smoking/vaping policy at both park & ride locations.
We can't wait to celebrate Matariki with you. See you there!
Download a map of the shuttle bus options. [PDF 747kb]
