Say farewell to winter and warm up at these Auckland events

Auckland Museum is running a pop-up 3D cinema throughout August and September.
Do you have time to fill in the final week of August? Here are five great reasons to get out and about in Auckland before the month ends.
The Olympics are over, the All Blacks aren’t playing; there are no good excuses to stay couch-bound this weekend, but there are five very good reasons to go out: Auckland Restaurant Month, a vintage market, a live classical concert, a new art exhibition and 3D movies at the Auckland Museum. Check out our round-up of this weekend’s hot tickets, along with a Tuesday night special that’ll expand your mind and two quirky television-inspired events to plan for in the coming weeks.
We’re on the home stretch of Auckland Restaurant Month, and if you haven’t enjoyed a meal out in the city this August, you’re missing out on some spectacularly good feasts. There are over 100 menus being offered in three price categories: $30, $45 or $55-plus. We’ve got our eye on Somm at Princes Wharf, which has a $30 set lunch, including a charcuterie entree and their artisan pizza selection, and a $45 two-course dinner. Of course, Somm is a wine bar, so it’ll be pretty hard to resist the wine pairings while there. On a moody winter afternoon in Tāmaki Makaurau, looking out at the choppy Viaduct Harbour from the comfort of Somm is hard to beat.
When: Until August 31 (Lunch Thursday-Sunday, 12pm-3pm; Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday, from 5pm).
Where: Somm, Shed 22, Princes Wharf, Auckland CBD.
Price: Book at sommcellardoor.co.nz.
Visit heartofthecity.co.nz for full details about Auckland Restaurant Month.
A new exhibition by South African-born Aotearoa-based artist Sean Beldon opened on Thursday and gives a cheeky nod to the influence of two of New Zealand’s most famous musicians and its similarly well-known rain, fog, storms and occasional sun. Growing up during turbulent times in South Africa, Beldon says the music of Crowded House and Split Enz made a big impression on him: “I always say I heard New Zealand a long time before I saw it, and that was through the music of the Finn brothers.” The 30 paintings in the exhibition centre on the landscapes of this country, to which he moved in 2011, having already made a name for himself in South Africa, where he won a national award in 1990 and held his first solo show in 1994. The works in this exhibition are landscapes, but he says they also carry echoes of sound: “I enjoy how things sound different in different weather, too. There’s a quietness when it snows, for instance, coupled with an echo. The Weather, With You explores a lot of that.”
When: August 22 – September 7.
Where: Frame Workshop & Gallery, 182 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay.
Price: Free.
On Sunday, classical music fans should get along to support the newest orchestra on the block, the New Classics Sinfonia, when they perform their fourth concert programme, Portraits of Europe. The orchestra is full of young musical talents and led by conductor Robert Liu, who has studied under some of Europe’s most highly regarded conductors and has conducted orchestras in the Czech Republic, Berlin and Portugal. Portraits of Europe is a selection of works by European composers, including Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Faure’s Pavani. A highlight of the performance is Rodrigo’s guitar concerto Fantasia para un gentilhombre, which features classical guitar soloist Lora Kurusa, a Hungarian-Australian who is currently completing her Bachelor of Classical Guitar Performance at Auckland School of Music. The NCS is making its Concert Chamber debut with this performance, and we think it’s definitely an orchestra to watch.
When: August 25, 6pm.
Where: Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets $25-$30, plus booking fees from aucklandlive.co.nz.
You’re not going to find your weekly produce at this market, but you can certainly get yourself a good feed. Urbanaut Brewery in Kingsland is hosting a vintage market on Sunday afternoon and the vibe is definitely leaning towards PM, not AM. They’ll be serving up beers and burgers all afternoon, including veggie and vegan options, alongside a market with “vintage gear, pre-loved apparel, cool stuff and random treasures!” It’s the perfect hang-out for a Sunday session with some friends, and a bit of ethical retail therapy to boot. It’s dog-friendly as long as they’re good boys and girls.
When: August 25, 12pm-4pm.
Where: Urbanaut Brewery, 597 New North Rd, Kingsland, Auckland.
Price: Free entry.
Anyone who’s missing the NZ International Film Festival already and wants a film experience that’s a little out of the ordinary this weekend should head along to the Auckland Museum for their pop-up 3D cinema. This weekend they’ve got two wild adventures you can go on: T. Rex and Hidden Pacific. If you thought Jurassic World was realistic, wait until you’re dropped inside the prehistoric era, surrounded by battling T. Rexes. The film’s narrated by Sam Neill and is a collaboration between leading scientists and VFX specialists, making it the most realistic depiction of life on earth millions of years ago we’re currently capable of creating. It’s at times violent, so possibly not suitable for the youngest museum visitors. The second film, Hidden Pacific, takes viewers under the sea to explore the depths of the Pacific Ocean and the fragile ecosystem we can’t see from up here but are obligated to protect for the benefit of all earth’s living creatures, ourselves included. It’s a serene deep-dive adventure that doesn’t require any training or specialist breathing apparatuses to experience.
When: Multiple sessions daily throughout August and September.
Where: Auckland Museum, Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland.
Price: Tickets $12 adult; $9 concession; $6 child (5-15); $34 family (two adults, two children) from aucklandmuseum.com.
When there are no exams to sit, no essays to write and no all-nighters to pull, lectures can be truly enjoyable, riveting even. The 20 talks a range of academics from the University of Auckland are presenting for the Raising the Bar event this Tuesday are both of those things. It’s learning for learning’s sake that might also up your dinner party conversation game. With questions like “Can your immune system cure cancer?” and “Are schools killing our children’s imagination?”, we’re pretty sure you’ll find a topic that piques your interest and/or revs your gears which you’ll want to sit in on. The talks are to be held at 10 bars across Wynyard Quarter, Victoria Park and the City Works Depot, with each bar hosting two talks, the first at 6pm and the second at 8pm. Some of the highlights include Dr Gavin Ellis’ “The day the news dies”; Dr Alexandra Allen-Franks’ “When police evidence and human rights interact” and Dr Kathryn Bradbury’s “Are ultra-processed foods really that bad for us?” There are limited tickets, so make sure to book this weekend. Go to one or do the double and unleash your inner scholar.
When: Tuesday, August 27.
Where: Various bars in the Auckland CBD. Visit www.rtbevent.com/auckland-24 to reserve your spot.
Price: Free.
Since its opening show in 1997, Faulty Towers The Original Dining Experience has been performed for more than one million guests in 43 countries, including a 12-year unbroken run in the West End in London. Based on John Cleese and Connie Booth’s legendary comic characters from the famed television show Fawlty Towers, The Original Dining Experience offers customers a “delicious 70s-style three-course meal”, which apparently is not an oxymoron, and slapstick comedy from three gifted actors portraying the show’s most famous characters, Basil, Sybil and Manuel, with you their customers. The tour is a homecoming for the show’s creator Kiwi Alison Pollard-Mansergh, who is also its artistic director and writer.
When: September 24-29.
Where: Auckland Irish Club, Rocky Nook Avenue, Mt Albert, Auckland.
Price: Tickets start at $103, plus booking fees from eventfinda.co.nz
For information on shows in Wellington, Palmerston North, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and Tauranga, visit www.interactivetheatre.com.au/faulty-towers-the-dining-experience/.
The blockbuster TV hit is probably best known for its raunch, but its clever use of modern music reimagined for the regency-era setting is arguably its defining feature. Next weekend, Bridgerton By Candlelight sees the renowned New Zealand String Quartet – Te Rōpu Tūrū O Aotearoa – and Ben McDonald performing some of the show’s greatest hits, including Pitbull’s orchestral rendition of Give Me Everything, Ariana Grande’s Thank u, Next, and Madonna’s Material Girl. Let the music transport you back to regency-era London. It’s the diamond of the season. If next weekend’s out and you happen to be venturing south next month, all is not lost – you can catch the show in Christchurch on September 15.
When: August 31, 7.30pm.
Where: Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, Auckland.
Price: Tickets start at $65, plus booking fees from ticketmaster.co.nz