Stuff to do This Weekend

The Big Day Art (geddit?) is on at the Auckland Art Gallery on Saturday. It's free and they've got a whole lot of stuff planned for the whole family. There will be stories under the flower chandelier, performances and workshops, lei making and an I-Spy Tour. If you still haven't been to the new art gallery then this is a great opportunity. It's a lot more kid-friendly than you might think.

Oh look at that, those guys from Sustainable Coastlines are organising mass coastal cleanups from Whangaparoa to Devonport on Saturday from 9am - 1pm. Check out the link to find the cleanup happening at a beach near you. To celebrate they're having a BBQ afterwards at the Torbay Sailing Club from 2pm. Fun!

The Mt Eden Village French Fete is on this Saturday. Street theatre, live music, lots of delicious French food and all the shops in Mt Eden will have tables outside their stores with lots of specials available.

The Titirangi Festival of Music is on this weekend. It's not free but there are lots of free events, like street performers going on. Check out this brochure for information. 

On Sunday Sustainable Coastlines are holding free art works down on the waterfront. They'll be showing kids how to make a piece of art out of rubbish they've taken from coastal clean ups this week. You do have to register though so click through and get your kids names signed up now!
Also, just as a reminder, if you know a teenager who loves music then make sure check out this really amazing (free!) workshop Base FM is running in the Easter school holidays. Limited places though so get them registered before it's too late.

Workshops on the Waterfront with Sustainable Coastlines

I ran into the very cool guys from Sustainable Coastlines at an art exhibition last week and got talking to them about the equally cool workshops they're running down in the Wynyard Quarter over the next few months. 


The first ones are coming up this Sunday and is free for all kids aged 5 - 12. You do have to register so hurry over to their website and get your names down. 


The theme this Sunday is "Trash to Art" so they'll be upcycling plastic rubbish they've collected from our coastlines (told you they were cool) and showing you how to make it into a piece of art to take home. 


The workshops are taking place in the pimped up shipping container below (have I mentioned how much I love upcycled shipping containers? I want to live in one! Or a collection of them - one might be a bit cosy) so they'll be going ahead even if the weather turns a bit dodgy.

Base FM Youth Workshops - Easter School Holidays

If you've got teenagers or know any teenagers who are interested in making music then this is the holiday programme to beat all holiday programmes.

For the third year running Base FM is putting on free youth workshops from April 10 - 12, aimed at providing teenagers with the opportunity to explore a range of musical ventures.

There will be 7 sessions over 3 days, covering:
• Origins of DJ culture
• New technologies (serato)
• Making Beats
• Lyrical Workshop
• Studio Production & Recording
• Broadcasting (radio)
The third day will be a live-to-air session on Base FM. 

This is a really amazing opportunity to not only do something more productive than sitting around watching TV all week but learn some really cool skills and have a lot of fun. Sure wish there was something like this when I was in high school!

The workshops are free for anyone aged 14 - 17 so if you know somebody who might be interested get them to send an email to info@basefm.co.nz with "Youth Workshops" in the subject line. Places are limited so get in quick! 

Stuff To Do This Weekend

Umm, I think my pick for the weekend is going to have to be the Rice and Beans Festival at Britomart Country Club! It all kicks off at a family-friendly 12pm, entry is free and it will feature a whole lot of Jamaican, Caribbean, Brazilian and Latin-American infused goodness. 
The line up for the afternoon looks amazing - Silva MC, Jah Red Lion, The Turnaround, Latinaotearoa, Sandy Bay DJs, Samba Maracan and Brazilian Divas Dancers.
Then there's the food - Jamaican and Caribbean food thanks to Jamaican Me Hungry, tacos and Mexican food from the Taco Truck and Brazilian food from Jafa Cafe Feijoada. 
Good lord, say no more! It all sounds pretty perfect, except for the fact that just looking at the poster is making me really, really hungry. It goes until midnight so yes, you could fit in both Silo Park and BCC!

Te Tuhi Centre for The Arts in Pakuranga is throwing a carnival on Saturday. There will be a carnivalesque flea market, music and dance, art workshops and exhibitions and food.


The Onehunga Festival is on this Saturday from 11 - 4pm. There will be a water slide, a pirate ship, a rock wall and a whole heap of other free activities. Midnight Youth are playing as well as other performances, including a Cook Islands dance troupe. There will be a market too and food vendors. 


An Emerald City are playing a free gig at Silo Park on Saturday as part of the always cool Silo Sessions. Live music, a bar full of craft beers and local wine, food vendors, market stalls and lots of room for the kids to go crazy. 


There's a Soap Box Derby on this Saturday in Stanmore Bay! As well as the racing there will be a market, food vendors and carnival rides. 


Devonport Primary School has a fair on this weekend. As well as the classics - a photo booth, games zone, log joust, hot rod cars, obstacle course, face painting, bouncy castle, coconut shy, climbing wall and haunted house - there will be a food and wine tent for the adults. And Devonshire tea - so Devonport. 


Alright, I've never been to a Baby Loves Disco and it may be really cheeseball but the idea is pretty cool - DJs, a good bar (Sale St in this case), an open bar and lots of things set up to make it as kid-friendly as possible. Apparently the DJs spin everything from 70s disco (ok, sure) to today's pop. Hmm, suddenly it's starting to sound a little ZMesque. But like I said, I've never been so I should really go check it out sometime. If you're curious it's on this Saturday from 12:30 - 3:30 and that dude from Goodshirt is DJing. Please let me know in the comments if you've been to one of these and what you thought!


I couldn't find any events for Sunday but if you're wanting to get out of the house there's always lots of markets on in the morning and great DJs playing in outdoor bars in the afternoon. Just check out eventfinder for details there. 

L'Assiette - Britomart Place

Haeata and I stumbled upon this French cafe while looking for the Askew-One exhibition the other day. After drooling over sneakers at the Nike store and then smelling perfumes and looking and stuffed animals (not the cuddly variety) at the World Beauty store we were already exhausted and needing a break. 


You know you've found a good French cafe when not only the staff have French accents but so do the customers. The Hershey's Kisses on the sides of our drinks definitely made us feel better about life and the Mille Feuille was delicious (although apparently Tigger's aren't particularly keen on Mille Feuille - I'll get her one of the little $1 tarts they had on the counter next time). Haeata's fluffy was a perfect half/half ratio of fluff and liquid and was downed quickly.


I didn't spot any toys or things to occupy a little person but sitting outside meant Haeata could jump of her pink chair and run around. Plenty of room inside for a pushchair or two. L'Assiette is a good little spot for a breather while exploring downtown. 

Mille Feuille

Chocolate!

The menu looked pretty delicious - might have to go back for lunch sometime

An Emerald City at Silo Park

Ok so it's pretty damn gloomy weather right now but if the rain decides to give us a breather this Saturday (and it's looking like it won't be as bad) then Silo Park is the place to be. 


An Emerald City are performing live with Dictaphone Blues supporting from midday till 5pm. As usual the market will be set up along with a pop up bar so you can grab a beer, some wood fired pizza, sit back in the sun (please let there be sun) and enjoy the sounds while the kids do cartwheels on the grass. 


An Emerald City suit a dark smokey atmospheric club but I think their music would equally suit an outdoor setting. They've got this moody hippy kind of vibe that's just begging to be exposed to the elements. Apparently they recorded their album in a big cave on the west coast! Bad ass!  I'm still bummed I missed WOMAD this weekend so I think I might be using this gig to make up for it a little bit. 


Check out An Emerald City's bandcamp for a taste of the many layers of their eastern influenced post rock and Dictaphone Blues' bandcamp for some of their poppy guitar sounds.

Stuff To Do This Weekend

-The Kingsland Festival starts at 2pm on Saturday in the New North Rd car park in Kingsland village.There will be a Kids Zone set up where your little people can get their little faces painted (Haeata's most frequent request is "Princess Doggy Skull". Pretty)  and go cray-cray on the Bouncy Castle.  And if you feel like treating yourself to more than a sausage sizzle the monthly super cool Crafternoon Tea market will be on from 2-7pm in the Trinity Church Hall. There will be street performers and not sure who but bands will be on at the rail plaza main stage from 5-10pm.

-The Unitec Kids Day Out is on Saturday from 11am - 3pm at Henderson Primary School. The traveling Old McDonald's Farm will be there along with all the classics - bouncy castles, face painting and rides.

-After school care organisation skids is also throwing a Kids Day Out (or a "Huge Kids Day Out" just to be clear. I wonder who got in first there?) in Parrs Park, Oratia from 10am - 4pm on Saturday. As well as your classic rides they'll have a bungy trampoline. 

-Tim Finn is playing for free at Three Kings Reserve on Sunday from 2pm - 6pm!

-And of course Saturday is St Patrick's Day! While you might not be doing the pub crawl you were regretting  enjoying 5 years ago there are still fun things you can do with the kids to celebrate the day. There's a parade on Queen St at 11am followed by traditional Irish music and dance at the Viaduct from 12pm. There's also a family-friendly Irish Society Fair Day on from 11am - 5pm at Fowldes Park in Sandringham.

-Lastly Mums and Dads- if you've scored yourself a babysitter this weekend and you're looking for a cheap night out, the really cool documentary King Of Kong is playing at Silo Park at 9pm on Friday night. Or you could go get yourself some culture and see Birds, a really great play that is showing for free (a free play!) at Mangere Arts Centre on Friday night and Saturday night. 

Askew One Exhibition March 16 - March 22

http://basefm.co.nz/base09/community/1738-askew-one-smoke-signals-exhibition

Volvo Ocean Race Global Party

Get down to The Viaduct this week for some post race festivities. Today has a Spanish theme so there are Spanish artists performing all day, from flamenco guitar to dancers. There are also lots of free activities you can join in on - sailing from 10am and paddle boarding from 1pm. Check out the full programme here. All the boats are raised up in the harbour so you can get a good look at the hulls....and stuff. Alright, obviously not my thing but I know a few dads who'd be right into it - and some mums who'd be right into dad taking the kids to The Viaduct for a few hours. Who knows how many more sunny days we'll get like this so go out and enjoy it! 

Alphabet Street Mixtape

Alright, the weather is pretty horrible today so I think the only thing for it is to put some great music on and have an afternoon dancethon in the lounge. Legwarmers optional. 


For real though, go check out this mixtape put together by the wonderful people behind Alphabet Street and the Baby Steps blog - so cool! Some old school Herbs, some Lord Echo, a little Andre 3000 all the way through to Jackson 5. I love a good mixtape and this one is pretty much perfection. 

Shake and Bake

This is still a little while off but I'm giving you all the heads up now so you can plan your Easter weekend accordingly! On Saturday, April the 7th Silo Park will be infiltrated by the Base FM crew for a whole day of free music thanks to Che Fu, Julien Dyne, Team Dynamite and a host of Base DJs.  They're teaming up with Silo Sessions for the day which means all the great Silo Park market stalls will be there plus a licensed bar stocked full with New Zealand artisan beers (like Stoke - YUM) and other delicious refreshments. 


As if all that wasn't enough Cut Collective is going to be exhibiting their work inside one of the silos.


Silo Park is right next to the great Wynyard Quarter playground so definitely a perfect day out for the whole whanau. 


My personal recommendation is to drop by the fish market just before 12, pick up some smoked salmon, some marinated mussels and a raw fish salad then get yourself some Hungarian Fried Bread in the markets at Silo Park, a few beers, fluffies for the kids and then find yourself a patch of grass and kick back and enjoy the music. Happy Easter!

Pasifika Festival

The Pacifika Festival is on this weekend at Western Springs, Friday night from 7- 9pm and all day Saturday from 10am - 5pm. 


As well as a huge variety of cultural groups performing there will be some seriously great musicians and bands playing - David Dallas, Iva Lamkum, Bella Kalolo, Tomorrow People as well as some great dance crews doing there thing. 


You can download the full programme right here. The whole thing is free and always a whole lot of fun. 

Outer Base photos

Yesterday was this summer's final* Base FM Outer Base session up at the beautiful Leigh Sawmill. This wonderful cafe/bar is on Pakiri Rd, just north of Auckland and so worth the trip. Sunday saw a great turn out of both Leigh locals and the extended Base FM family. The sun was streaming down in the courtyard and Base DJs Dylan C, Dan Paine and ReggieD all took turns spinning tunes to add to the atmosphere. 

I was talking to a friend who has two kids and she saying how much she loved the day. She could kick back in the sun with a beer and catch up with friends but at the same time spend time with her (adorable) little boys and not have to worry about rushing back to a babysitter. I kept hearing the same story from different parents there all day yesterday. You're constantly walking the tightrope between being a good mum or dad and still being your own person as a parent. It's nice when you don't have to even worry about that balance and just do it all at the same time. 

A lot of the Base FM DJs have got kids so there were a pile of them running all over the place yesterday. They all made friends instantly and then went running off to the playground leaving the parents to relax and maybe just order another beer. Nice, lazy afternoon - just how I like my Sundays. 

*I say final but I heard some rumours that since yesterday was such a huge success they might just try and squeeze in another Outer Base before autumn really sets in. Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted!

Stuff To Do This Weekend

Alright, so apparently we've got one of those awesome weather bombs headed our way on Saturday but the good news is it's supposed to be all clear again by Sunday.


With that in mind I'm still going to include Saturday's activities (always an optimist, even regarding Auckland and rain!) but I've added my favourite rainy day things to do too. 


-So, if this whole massive storm thing doesn't end up happening then you might want to take your more fashion forward little people down to Britomart and Silo Park for the free Fashion Festival shows.Otherwise, Frocks on Bikes could be very interesting with high winds down in Silo Park!


-If we do have crazy, horrible weather tomorrow and staying locked up inside with the kids is driving you even more crazy and horrible then I would definitely recommend the Auckland Art Gallery or the Auckland Museum. As well as the great areas dedicated to children and the cool activities in the North Atrium from 1 - 3 on Saturdays, the Art Gallery has got the amazing looking Degas to Dali exhibiton starting tomorrow. The Art Gallery has free entry and I take Haeata there all the time. The Degas to Dali exhibition is $20 for adults, $10 for kids under 14 and FREE for under 4s! I definitely need to take advantage of all things free under 4 for the rest of this year.


On Sunday the weather is supposed to be a whole different story which is good because there's a whole lot of good times scheduled for that end of the weekend.


-Motat is throwing a Children's Day on Sunday. Free entry for all kids under 16! There will be horse and cart rides, rides in military vehicles and the steam train, lolly making, a blacksmith in action and facepainting. And just to make the day even cheaper, Grabone has got 50% off tickets on offer right now! Get in quick! 


-The weather slightly up north in Leigh is supposed to be even better on Sunday so head up to the Leigh Sawmill for Outer Base from 3pm. This is Base FM's last Outer Base afternoon for the summer and always it will be well worth the trip out of town. Get a pizza and some beer and listen to some beautiful music care of the Base DJs while the kids tear up the very kid-friendly courtyard - they have swings, a boat and a maypole. Fun! 


-Later in the day The Mamaku Project are playing for free in the Auckland Domain on Sunday from 6 - 7:30. Expect a fusion of French and Pacifica roots in a dub/reggae/live electro style. They have Simon Sweetman's thumbs up so definitely worth checking out.


Have a great weekend everyone - I'm off to get as much work done outside as possible until this weather bomb hits and we are forced to take shelter in the lounge with popcorn and DVDs. Such a hard life.  

Leigh Sawmill Playground