Summer in New Zealand 2018-19 event highlights
Food, festivals and fun: New Zealanders celebrate the bounty
of the warmer months in the great outdoors
The
months of December to March bring the full flush of summer to the
islands of New Zealand and you could be excused for thinking
that the thoughts of Kiwis (the informal name for New Zealanders)
revolve entirely around food and drink. In every corner of the country,
from big events with celebrity chefs to weekend markets to community
gatherings in parks and village halls, there are
celebrations of local food specialities and the tastes of summer.
Christmas
in New Zealand is often celebrated with backyard barbecues and the
holiday season, when many New Zealanders take their
annual break, is a further spur for enjoying the great outdoors. At
this time of year too the rugby-obsessed nation switches its attention
to cricket and tennis and national and international tournaments draw
big crowds. For the athletically inclined, New
Zealand's magnificent landscapes provide multi-sports challenges
including some of the most gruelling endurance events in the world.
Kiwis
of course like music and the arts – and they like nothing better than
adding them to the other ingredients of summer in
outdoor festivals. If you are travelling in New Zealand between
December and March, visiting seasonal festivals and celebrations is a
wonderful way to connect with Kiwi culture. The listing of events below
is just a sample of what's going on.
December 2018
South Island Wine & Food Festival – Christchurch
1 December, 2018
Travellers,
like armies, march on their stomachs and if you are journeying around
the South Island this annual outdoor food event
in Christchurch's Hagley Park is an excellent way to sample local fare
and taste wines from the regions of Marlborough, North and Central
Canterbury and Central Otago. The festival programme includes wine
seminars, food trucks, a cooking theatre and live music.
Wanaka Beerfest – Wanaka, Otago
1 December, 2018
After
a sold-out success in 2017, Wanaka's celebration of fine New Zealand
craft beer is back for the third time, bigger than
ever and showcasing the offerings of six local producers in Otago and
six guest breweries from as far afield as Blenheim and Auckland. The
family-friendly event (for anyone over 18) also serves up barbecue food
and live music.
Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality – Wellington
15 December 2018 - 22 April 2019
New
Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, is hosting a touring
exhibition from China that gives locals and international
visitors the chance for a close-up look at some of the world-famous
terracotta warriors who guarded the hidden tomb of China’s First Emperor
for more than 2,000 years. The show features eight warriors and two
full-sized terracotta horses as well as two half-size
replica bronze horse-drawn chariots, accompanied by extravagant
treasures from imperial tombs in China’s ancient capital of Xi’an.
TSB Bank Festival of Lights – New Plymouth, Taranaki
16 December, 2018 - 3 February, 2019
For
six weeks every year, New Zealand's leading light festival transforms
52-ha Pukekura Park in the city of New Plymouth on
the west coast of North Island into a night-time wonderland. The free
event attracts over 100,000 visitors to its programme of daytime
activities, evening entertainments and innovative lighting designs by
New Zealand artists.
TSB Festival of Lights
Top of the South Brick Show - Nelson
17 - 18 December, 2018
The
first annual Lego Exhibition to be held in the South Island city of
Nelson brings together Lego fans and builders of all
ages for an exhibition of 23 constructions and collections, with
proceeds from the $2 entrance fee going to the St Joseph's School fund.
The event is expected to grow; remember you read about it here first!
Rhythm and Vines Music Festival - Gisborne, Eastland
28 December - 1 January, 2019
The
largest music and camping festival in the southern hemisphere takes
place every new year in the Waiohika Valley near Gisborne
on the east coast of North Island. The first new year destination in
the world to see the sunrise, Rhythm and Vines offers its 30,000
attendees 100-plus acts on five stages during three days of
performances. The event has a South Island counterpart, Rhythm
and Alps, held in the Cardrona Valley near Wanaka from 29 December 2018
to 3 January 2019.
Whare Flat Folk Festival – Dunedin
30 December, 2018 - 3 January, 2019
If
you like your music festivals more boutique-sized, Whare Flat attracts
national and international folk music performers and
fans to the picturesque surroundings of the Waiora Valley near Dunedin.
The relaxed, family-friendly event includes workshops and performances
and dance and jamming sessions.
Cromwell Cherry Festival – Central Otago
30 December, 2018
Held in the home of New Zealand's best stone fruit, the Cromwell Cherry Festival celebrates the first delicious offerings of
the season. It is also a unique event where contestants compete to spit a cherry stone the furtherest.
ASB Classic – Auckland
31 December 2018 - 12 January, 2019
The ASB Classic is New Zealand's premier tennis event, attracting world-class competition and some of the sport’s biggest names.
Off-court, the venue near downtown Auckland offers a range of sophisticated cafes, restaurants, lounges and entertainment.
January 2019
Interislander Tauherenikau Races – Tauherenikau, Wairarapa
2 January, 2019
Pack
a picnic or hire a mini marquee and get set for a day of thrilling
harness and thoroughbred racing, with free kids’ entertainment
and live music. The racing club at Tauherenikau is 150 years young and a
complimentary bus service takes visitors to and from Featherston train
station on race days. It’s a true piece of New Zealand rural life.
Bread and Circus - World Buskers Festival – Christchurch
10 January - 3 February, 2019
Reimagined
and revitalised for 2019, the Bread & Circus - World Buskers
Festival amplifies Christchurch’s much-loved buskers’
festival with a programme of top-of-the-line local and international
street performers, comedians, fringe artists, musicians and visual
artists. With performers like Daredevil Chicken Club, The Miss Behave
Gameshow and Mother’s Ruin, audiences should expect
the unexpected.
The Revenant – Garston, Southland
18 - 20 January, 2019
Definitely
not for the unfit or the faint-hearted, The Revenant is New Zealand’s
first Ultra Adventure Run where not finishing
is a likely outcome for almost all competitors. Set in iconic New
Zealand high country terrain with alpine tussock lands, beech forests
and everything in between, the 190km-plus course with over 32,000 feet
of vertical changes must be navigated only by compass
and map. The local and international competitors include army and
police personnel and US Navy Seals.
Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert – Queenstown
19 January, 2019
Gibbston
Valley Winery’s ninth annual summer concert brings the past to the
present in 2019 with performances from Supertramp’s
Roger Hodgson, James Reyne (Australian Crawl) and Mark Seymour (Hunters
& Collectors), and Toni Childs. There’s also VIP packages including
helicopter transfers to the outdoor venue next to the winery, stalls by
food producers from around the district, and
of course Gibbston Valley Wines.
Picton Maritime Festival – Marlborough Sounds
19 January, 2019
A
free, fun family event with food stalls and boat races, the Picton
Maritime Festival is an annual celebration of the unique
maritime heritage of Picton and the Marlborough Sounds. The town at the
head of Queen Charlotte Sound has an iconic place in New Zealand life
as South Island’s interisland ferry port. The glorious watery maze of
the sounds was Captain Cook’s favourite place
in New Zealand, and perhaps the world.
Soundsplash Festival – Raglan, Waikato
19 - 21 January, 2019
Set
in a rural reserve with an adjacent ocean beach, Soundsplash is an
eco-conscious, family-friendly music festival run by music
lovers for music lovers. Covering all bases when it comes to genres,
Soundsplash attracts well-known international performers and Kiwi
artists who are making their mark.
Driftwood & Sand Beach Sculpture Festival – Hokitika, West Coast
23 - 27 January, 2019
Driftwood
& Sand is a community art celebration in which artists and novices
of all ages express themselves using any materials
they find on a driftwood-strewn ocean beach. The nearby town of
Hokitika (made famous in Eleanor Catton's Man Booker Prize-winning
novel, The Luminaries) on the South Island's West Coast has a rich
history dating back to the gold-mining era of the 19th century
and as a traditional source of pounamu (New Zealand jade) for Māori.
The Hot Spring T20 Christchurch Black Clash – Christchurch
25 January, 2019
For
followers of New Zealand's world-champion rugby and cricket sides, 25
January will be a day to remember as All Blacks and
Blackcaps players take part in a friendly T20 cricket match at Hagley
Oval. The teams are packed with sporting superstars keen to show off
their talents with bat and ball and lifetime bragging rights on the line
for the victors.
Rotorua Noir – Rotorua
26 - 27 January 2019
The
first-ever crime writing festival held in New Zealand takes place in
the suitably atmospheric setting of a city with hot
geothermal springs and pools of boiling mud. Authors from Australia,
Iceland, Finland and Scotland and New Zealand will participate in public
panel discussions, interviews and creative workshops.
HSBC New Zealand Sevens – Hamilton
26 - 27 January, 2019
After
a stellar start in 2018, the Waikato city of Hamilton will again host
the New Zealand leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens
Series in 2019. A major highlight on the summer sporting calendar, the
Sevens games are typically colourful and vibrant with rugby fans
flocking in fancy dress for a carnival-like weekend of partying and fun.
Tickets sell out quickly.
Tamaki Herenga Waka Festival – Auckland
26 - 28 January, 2019
Auckland's
waterfront is the setting for a three-day experience of Māori culture.
The festival includes performances by Māori
musicians, kapa haka (song and dance) groups, and waka (canoe) sailings
on the water. You can also enjoy typical Māori dishes (kai) and visit
stalls selling authentic Māori arts and crafts.
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