Stuff To Do This Weekend

Photo Source - Best Felt Friends 

Personally, I don't know if I'm going to be hitting up the ice rink in Aotea Square any time soon. But if, unlike me, you actually have some kind of co-ordination you should definitely check it out!


Celebrate Matariki by checking out some of the free performances at the Auckland Museum.


And while you're there go make a pinhole camera, go scrambling through a giant larger than life camera and learn how to draw big, glossy animal eyes. 


But make sure if you're there around 2pm on Saturday you don't miss 3D Great White Sharks gliding around the museum!


There is a really great looking world music festival happening down at Silo Park on Saturday. Live music and all the usual wonderful market stands and food stalls.


Wishing you all a lovely weekend! (Thanks to Babysteps for posting this video this week. We LOVE Jill Scott!)

Mimosa Cafe - Takapuna

Mimosa is a relatively new cafe and one of our favourite places in Takapuna. They have Kokako coffee, Hakanoa Ginger Lattes, Tea Lady tea (that's another post to come one day soon!) and some pretty mean scrambled eggs. Plus, a vintage filing cabinet with toys in the draws, preschool friendly seating, a communal table, piles of magazines and just an all round cool vibe. The latter not being something to be found in abundance in North Shore cafes! 

World Music Festival at Silo Park this weekend

FREE this Saturday, midday - 6pm at Silo Park


 Featuring Weird Together (Live) with Nick D & Dick Johnson, Yaw Boateng (Ghana), Karima Madut (Sudan), Mavs Adegbite (Nigeria), The ‘Not-So-Trini’ Steel Pan Allstars (Trinidad, Italy, Manchester) and The Balkan Brass-Master Boris Kalashnikov, The Burundian Drummers (Live), Mhara Marimba (Live) and Boycrush (Live)


Silo markets, food stalls and bar will all be open and you can climb the Silos!

12pm – 2.00 – Around The World in 80 Tunes World Music Jukebox

2.00 – 2.15 – Mhara Marimba

2.15 – 3.00 – DJ Hopepa

3.00 – 4.15 – Weird Together Live

4.15 – 5.00 – Uncle Barnie

5.00 – 5.30 – Boycrush

5.30 – 6.00 – Uncle Barnie

Acid Raindrops

I like to compensate for all the black I wear in Winter by dressing Haeata in as many colours as possible. I feel like I couldn't carry off this outfit nearly as well as she does.

Raincoat - Pumpkin Patch (I know! And yes, on sale of course)

Jersey - Vintage. For real vintage. My Gran knitted it for my youngest brother so it's been strutting it out on the streets for over 20 years now. 

Pink corduroys - Cotton On. $17 on sale just last week. Go get some! 

Yo Gabba Gabba Vans - (close up here) Qubic but I don't know if they still have them in stock. It's going to be a very sad day when she grows out of them. 

Matariki

Matariki, the Maaori New Year starts tomorrow and celebrations will continue till July 21. 


If you and your family are early rises anyway then why not celebrate the new year by heading up to Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) tomorrow morning for a dawn ceremony. There will be a procession and then a karakia starting at 6am. The stars are still shining brightly at that time so you'll have a great view of Pleiades or the Seven Sisters - Waitā, Tupu-a-nuku, Tupu-a-rangi, Waipuna-a-rangi, Ururangi and Matariki.


The above book is a great resource for explaining Matariki to children.


I've included a couple of other books that are really good too. Most of them are available in Auckland libraries or you can get your own copy on Fishpond or Penguin Books, They all have really beautiful illustrations so a great thing to own!

Stories From Our Night Sky

Matariki

The Seven Stars of Matariki

Make Your Own Parachute at the Wynyard Quarter

Learn how to design, create and then launch parachutes at the Wynyard Quarter from 11 - 2pm this Sunday. The workshop is open to all kids aged 4 - 12 and once the parachutes are finished they'll be able to test them by throwing them off the Gantry (that big steel look-out thing next to Silo Park). And yes, I imagine the parachutes will be made out of paper and stuff. Not cats.

Free Open Day at Stardome

Tomorrow the Stardome has a free open day for this whole very cool sounding Transit Of Venus thing. Even if it's cloudy they recommend heading along as they'll have astronomers on hand to answer questions and will have a live feed open with NASA and other parts of the world with clearer skies.
The Stardome will be open from 10am - 5pm and they've bought a new solar telescope especially for tomorrow so fingers crossed for good weather!

Stuff To Do This Weekend

                                                          Helloooooooo Queen!


Alright everyone, long weekend! Some of you are probably hugely looking forward to the day off, some of you are probably all oh dear god, I have to entertain them a whole extra day?!
But it's all good, there are some great things going on this weekend - Monday included!


First up, if you've got older kids take them along to Silo Park on Friday night for the free Silo Cinema outdoor movie. This week it's the classic Life Of Brian! 


Then head back to the waterfront on Saturday for all the very British and queenly activities they have going on. Munch down on Devonshire Tea while the kids play lawn bowls and badminton in The Cloud, go on a scavenger hunt for the crown jewels and buy British food all along the wharf.


On Sunday Silo Cinemas is showing Alice In Wonderland at the nice and early time of 5:30pm. The bar and food stalls will be open from 5 and they're planning an actual Mad Hatter's Tea Party!


And then on Monday they'll be doing the crown jewels and badminton and tea and everything again! 


It's Samoan Language Week and there are some great events going on all around the city. Performance, story telling, crafts and more. 


The annual Waiheke Festival Of Story is on this weekend too. Storytelling all weekend all over the island! The festival is for everyone but especially dedicated to children. 


And while you're over there make sure you go check out the 2 Buck Book Fair. Everything $2!


I don't know if you've heard the news yet but MOTAT is free for the whole of June! 


If you're in the Gisborne area for the weekend, make sure you go check out the Wairoa Maaori Film Festival at Kahungunu Marae. 




Have a fantastic weekend everyone. I'm dropping Haeata off at her dad's in Whakatane tomorrow and then I've got the whole weekend off till Monday. I probably won't make it to any of the above activities.