Looking for fun activities for the children these school holidays? Auckland Council’s Auckland Heritage Festival has you covered. We’ve picked out a few family-friendly activities from more than 200 free or low-cost events happening all over the region. Head out with the whānau and discover something new about your city.
Get hands-on with heritage at the historic Pah Homestead. Enjoy musical performances, peruse fascinating exhibitions, get your face painted and try your hand at traditional art techniques. Finish off by tucking into lunch at the Homestead Café or set out a picnic spread at Monte Cecilia Park.
Experience heritage the best way – through food! Discover baking secrets from master baker Chris Ott, who is descended from a generation of bakers and holds recipes going back to his great-grandfather. Learn how to make shortbread and other time-honoured treats – then, of course, eat them.
Uncover the stories of those left at home when the ‘boys’ went off to war. Explore this touching exhibition sharing the words, pictures and objects of Papakura’s men, women and children during WWI.
Discover the history of Crown Lynn Potteries over an afternoon tea, with live demonstrations and mesmerising stories. Afterwards, get all in with a pottery painting workshop recreating some of the Crown Lynn Māori designs.
Eruptions, lava and earthquakes – the day we all looked forward to science class at school. Get your kids fired up about science, with a chance to launch their own volcano-related experiments, explore the different styles of explosions and oozing eruptions and talk to real volcanologists. Then see if you can resist having a go at the activities yourself!
Head to the true outdoors and check out the historic Taylors Farm. Reminisce over the old-fashioned rural life of yesteryear, and meet farm animals including pigs, goats, sheep and the original Clydesdale horse – able to tow its own weight behind it.
Check out more family friendly heritage events in your area here!