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 Heritage Festival Diary so you can check out some of the highlights for week two.
Gone troppo! The art of Charlie McPhee
When: Sun 13 October, 3pm - 5pm
Where: Lopdell House Theatre, 418 Titirangi Rd, Titirangi
Cost: Tickets $15, bookings are required.
Dick Frizzell, Bob Harvey and Heath Wilkes discuss the legacy of velvet painter Charles McPhee with filmmaker Sima Urale. A screening of Sima's 1997 documentary, Velvet Dreams, follows.
The film follows the quest to find a Polynesian princess. The narrative takes us on a journey across the Pacific, to the homelands of Western men and their visions of exotic maidens and scenes. It continues to the USA, where tiki lounge theme bars draw influence from the stereotypes of mid-century pop culture.
Are these soft-focus clichés, colonial constructs, retro kitsch, or an important part of our art history.
For more information, visit the Heritage Festival website.
Curator tour, Tākiri: An Unfurling
When: Saturday 12 October, 1pm - 2pm
Where: Edmiston Gallery, New Zealand Maritime Museum, Cnr Quay St and Hobson St, Viaduct Harbour
Cost: Free, bookings required
Join us to celebrate the opening week of Tākiri: An Unfurling, with this art programme.
Curators Linda Tyler and Bridget Reweti will talk you through how the artists have responded to themes, artefacts and taonga.
They will offer insight into the ongoing dialogue around early encounters between Māori and Europeans 250 years ago.
Free museum entry for Auckland residents with proof of address.
For more information, visit maritimemuseum.co.nz or the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
Pasifika walk and Siva Dancing
When: Sunday 13 October, 11am - 12.30pm
Where: Meet at Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
Cost: Free, bookings are required
Stroll along Ponsonby Road with Samoan Pasifika street historians the Pua Brothers.
Close family ties, employment, and population pressure led many Pacific people to migrate to Auckland.
Hear about Pacific urban migration, dawn raids on over-stayers, Polynesian Panthers, and Sione's Wedding (the movie).
This lively and fun guided walk will honour the Pacific urban history of Ponsonby with Pacific music and siva dancing. Yes, you will be dancing in the street.
For more information, visit the Heritage Festival website
Moana Currents: exhibition curator's tour
When: Saturday 12 October, 2pm - 3pm
Where: Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, 420 Titirangi Rd, Titirangi
Cost: Free, no booking required
Doris De Pont is co-curator of 'Moana Currents: Dressing Aotearoa Now'.
Join her on a journey through the history of what we wear and how we adorn ourselves in Aotearoa today.
During this floor-talk, Doris will unpick the backstory of these garments:
- A dress by Trelise Cooper that harks back to the missionaries.
- A glamourous gown by Tukua Turia and Karen Walker that has its origins in the sampler.
- A hei tiki by Neil Adcock that can dance.
- Steve Hall's urban lavalava.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
Horse and carriage rides up Onehunga Mall
When: Saturday 12 October, 10am - 12pm
Where: Onehunga Police Station, 126 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga
Cost: Free, bookings to be made on the day.
Onehunga is one of Auckland's oldest suburbs. It has great history including electing the first female mayor in the British Empire.
For this event, the Onehunga Business Association is offering free horse and carriage rides along Onehunga Mall. Meet outside the Onehunga Police Station to book your time slot.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
When: Sunday 13 October, 11am - 3.30pm
Where: Alberton, 100 Mt Albert Rd, Mt Albert
Cost:
- Market: free
- House admission: Adults $10, children and Heritage NZ members free.
- No bookings required
Join us in the Victorian ballroom and veranda of historic Alberton House for a vintage market.
Chat to collectors and rummage through antique treasures, including fine china, linens, clothing, jewellery and bric-a-brac. There'll be a coffee cart, a bakery stall, and old-fashioned games for kids.
Make a day of it and explore the grounds and the history of this grand homestead. Alberton was build in 1863 by influential landowner Allan Kerr Taylor, who was born in India, educated in Scotland, and came to Auckland in 1848.
For more information, visit the Auckland Heritage Festival website.
