How to keep the kids entertained these school holidays

Wētā Workshop is holding movie screenings at SkyCity over the next three months, beginning with Jurassic Park on July 6.

If you’ve got children to entertain over the next two weeks, here’s our round-up of some of our favourite school holiday activities happening around Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this July.
There’s theatre, art, museums, movies and more and they’re fun for adults too.
If you haven’t taken your kids to a Glow Show yet, you’re in for a real treat. The glow-in-the-dark puppet spectacular is taking on the classic Spike Milligan story Badjelly the Witch these school holidays and it is sure to be a highlight for tamariki. It’s touring the country, starting in Tāmaki Makaurau before travelling to Kerikeri, Whangārei, Takapuna, Hamilton, Rotorua, Tauranga, Gisborne, Waipawa, Palmerston North, Carterton and Lower Hutt. In other words, if you’re in the North Island, it’s coming to a town near you (South Island, they’ll see you in the October holidays). This innovative adaptation of a story nearly every parent will remember from their own childhood is certain to have the kids cackling with laughter in between oohs and aahs at the glowing puppetry. For the full experience, book in to go behind the scenes after the show to meet the creator and see the puppets up close. Full disclaimer, your children will almost certainly be exclaiming “Stinky poo to all of you!” for the remainder of the holidays.
When: July 5 – 21.
Where: Various locations throughout the North Island. Additional locations throughout the country September 25-October 13.
Price: Visit glowshow.co.nz for more information and tickets.
Not your average trip to the movies, this Saturday you can take your kids to experience a Hollywood classic, Jurassic Park, at Wētā Workshop Unleashed at SkyCity. If you want to give them a real education in the films of your childhood, book in to see all three movies in this three-part monthly series: Jurassic Park (July 6), Beetlejuice (August 10) and Back to the Future (September 7). Movie-goers are encouraged to wear costumes to the screenings which will be set against the backdrop of the Unleashed film set. Share the classic blockbusters of your youth with the next generation and get excited about the world of movie-making together. As fun for parents as it is for kids, maybe more.
When: July 6, August 10 and September 7, 6.30pm.
Where: Wētā Workshop Unleashed, SkyCity precinct, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets $40 + booking fees from ticketek.co.nz
Take the kids along to see their peers performing their little hearts out this weekend in Howick Children’s and Youth Theatre shows Hansel and Gretel and In Search of Kiwi Magic. The classic fairytale Hansel and Gretel is being performed by HCYT members aged 8-10 and is a one-hour show suitable for children aged 4 and over. In Search of Kiwi Magic is a musical written by late New Zealand playwright and Howick local Diane Francis that takes the audience on a journey back into Aotearoa’s past where they meet Iwi the Kiwi, a baby moa and some fierce moa hunters. That show is performed by children aged 10-14 and is suitable for children 5 and over. It’s a fun way to support community arts and might just ignite a passion for theatre in your own little people.
Where: Harlequin Theatre, 563 Pakuranga Rd, Howick.
Hansel & Gretel
When: July 6, 10am & 11.30am. July 7, 11am.
Price: Tickets $8. Email [email protected] or ph 537 4943 for tickets, or on the door until sold out.
In Search of Kiwi Magic
When: July 6 & 7, 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
Price: Tickets $10. Email [email protected] or ph 537 4943 for tickets, or on the door until sold out.
Aotearoa embraces Matariki, Mātauranga Māori and the Māori New Year more and more each year, and with that our attention turns to the stars and the winter night sky. Take your budding astronomers and star gazers along to Stardome Observatory & Planetarium these holidays where they can learn all about the matariki cluster (also known as Pleiades) in the Matariki – Ngā Whetū o te Tau Hou (The Stars of the New Year) Planetarium show and about other stars of the winter skies in Ngā Wāhanga o te Tau: Takurua (Seasons of the Year: Winter). During the week, they can have a go at the Space Race scavenger hunt, search the gallery for unwelcome visitors and go in the draw to win a Stardome school holiday survival pack. Holidays are also the perfect time for a late-night adventure: if you head to the stardome on Friday and Saturday nights, you can use the Zeiss telescope to look into deep space and contemplate the meaning of your existence. There are also telescopes set up in the courtyard nightly that are free to use if you’re seeing a Planetarium show or otherwise $5.
When: On now throughout the school holidays (Matariki and Takurua Planetarium shows screen until July 31).
Where: Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Rd, Royal Oak, Auckland.
Price: Visit stardome.org.nz for more information and tickets.
A trip into the city should be on everybody’s school holiday bingo card and not just to go to the Art Gallery, Aotea Ice Rink or Maritime Museum – Myers Park is now a destination all on its own. Forget all your preconceived ideas about the park you may have frequented in the wee small hours of a weekend night out, Myers Park has had a major transformation recently, which has included the opening of a new public artwork, Waimahara, by Graham Tipene, IION and a team of composers. The light and audio artwork in the Mayoral Drive underpass honours the Waihorotiu stream that runs beneath the city. It originally opened at the end of last year, but now the piece has become interactive. Visitors can learn and sing the commissioned waiata into one of the sensors on the boardwalk and the artwork will respond visually. It’s truly unique and visually mesmerising. Along with lots of new planting and the award-winning playground, Waimahara is part of a concerted effort by the Waitematā Local Board, Auckland Council and the Auckland City Centre Advisory Panel to make Myers Park a welcoming public space for whānau, locals and visitors to enjoy.
When: Open now.
Where: Myers Park, Auckland Central.
Price: Free.
Okay, so technically this isn’t a kid-specific event but it is on the first weekend of the holidays and just think what fun you could have explaining to the Generation Alphas in your life what all these funny-looking old things used to be used for. Also, sometimes kids just have to be dragged to things that interest their parents or grandparents and dealing with that is an important life skill. The Quota Papakura Inc Antique Fair is one of Aotearoa’s longest-running antique fairs. It’s being held over two days in the Drury School hall with an onsite cafe and raffle prizes up for grabs. There’s a wonderful community vibe and Quota is a worthy volunteer organisation to get behind. Plus, you might find that little piece of nostalgia you’ve always dreamed of owning.
When: July 6-7, 9.30am-4pm.
Where: Drury School Hall, Young Crescent, Drury 2113.
Price: Entry $8 on the door.
There’s a bounty of choral singing taking place these holidays because the World Choir Games is descending on Tāmaki Makaurau with more than 11,000 singers from more than 30 countries set to participate. Alongside local and international choirs, the newly formed Aotearoa Academy Choir is our only national choir involved in the games, competing between July 10 and 13, so seek them out in the dense programme of events. On July 15 and 16, Matariki He Kāhui Reo, featuring eight choirs including the NZ Youth Choir and Voices NZ, is New Zealand’s main contribution to the World Choir Games. It’s a world premiere, sung entirely in te reo Māori and featuring a kapa haka rōpū. Taking place at Holy Trinity, it’s certain to be a phenomenal display of the unique culture and musical talent of Aotearoa, and something we can all be proud to share with the thousands of visiting choir enthusiasts. And since we’re shouting out our local choirs, look out for the NZ Youth Choir performing the anthems at the All Blacks v England game at Eden Park next weekend too.
Matariki He Kāhui Reo
When: July 15 & 16, 7.30pm.
Where: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets from $49 + booking fees from ticketmaster.co.nz
World Choir Games
When: July 10-20.
Where: Various locations in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Price: Visit wcg2024.co.nz for more information and tickets.
Another school holiday staple, Auckland Museum, can help swallow a day with children – and it’s a great option for the grandparents too. Throughout the holidays, the pop-up 3D cinema has multiple daily sessions of T.Rex, narrated by Sam Neil. Take your baby palaeontologists into a world where dinosaurs are still roaming the earth and looking more realistic than ever. Or, for the Lego-lovers, there’s Relics: A New World Rises, an impressive exhibition by Aussie Lego Masters Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler. Relics imagines a world in which humans no longer exist but Lego civilisations have been built within the relics of our existence like a vintage refrigerator or a retro arcade. It’s a brilliantly creative exhibition that’ll have the kids eager to break out the Lego and build their own post-apocalyptic Lego worlds when they get home.
When: July 6-21 (Relics on until October 13).
Where: Auckland Museum, Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland.
Price: 3D Cinema: $6 child (5-13); $12 adult; $9 concession; $34 family pass (2 adults, 2 children), 10% discount for museum members (excluding family pass). Relics: $11 child (5-15); $21 adult; $19 concession; $58 family pass (2 adults, 2 children), free for museum members.
Plan a day at Motat, the Museum of Transport and Technology, these holidays where the Solar Tsunamis – Parawhenua Kōmaru exhibition is knowledge wrapped up in a bundle of fun. Located in the museum’s discovery dome, it’s an interactive exhibition where kids can play with magnets, a plasma ball and generate their own electricity. They can also create an aurora and get a lesson in electro-magnetism and geomagnetic storms while they’re at it. If the weather’s nice, pair your visit to Motat with a picnic in Western Springs – just mind those pesky geese. The solar tsunamis exhibit is on throughout the holidays, though if you leave it until the last Sunday, you can experience a Motat Live Day with live entertainment, food and beverages, the chance to feed the energy machine and lots of extra activities.
When: July 6-21.
Where: Motat, 805 Great North Rd, Western Springs, Auckland.
Price: Usual Motat entry fees apply.
An exhibition showcasing the finalists in New Zealand’s most prestigious art prize, The Walters Prize 2024, opens at The Auckland Art Gallery on Saturday, and while that may not have your little people fizzing with excitement, a trip to the Art Gallery is truly family-friendly. Start with a whānau drop-in workshop, which runs every day of the school holidays, 11am-3pm, where you and your children can get your creative juices flowing and make some art together. Then take them in to see the four finalists featured in The Walters Prize 2024 – Juliet Carpenter, Owen Connors, Brett Graham and Ana Iti – and introduce them to the work of some of Aotearoa’s most outstanding contemporary artists. Of course, every trip to the gallery with kids has to include a treat at the cafe, and if they need to blow off some steam afterwards, take them for a run around the newly upgraded Myers Park as well.
When: Open daily, 10am-5pm (The Walters Prize 2024, July 6-October 20. Artists kōrero, July 6, 2pm).
Where: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, cnr Kitchener and Wellesley Sts, Auckland Central.
Price: Free.