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Yeppp, they're so damn sexy and they're almost here.
My secret and illicit love square, AKA me, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, is right around the corner, so I'm making some serious plans.
From waking up before you go to bed, to shakin', feastin' and getting a Monopoly board wrapped around my head: here are 16 extra sweet ways I'm getting down to it, in Auckland on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and all weekend.
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Friday 13 June
Join A Run Club
4.45am | Akarana Eatery, Ōrākei | Free
Image credit: 445 Run Club | Instagram
According to my Editor, run clubs are being touted as the new Tinder. So why not start the weekend the right way (and admittedly, the right way this week is rather early) by stretching out the pins with a new crew. 445 Run Club secure the worm every Friday with a “no excuses” vibe that I've been looking for from my friends for the last two decades. They meet at Akarana Eatery for a 40-minute run, walk or jog chased by coffee, ocean swims, gratitude and real chats. Love that. But if you're not a fan of worms, then here are 10 other run clubs you might wanna check out.
Make A Wee Matariki Mug
10-11.45am | Akarana Eatery, Ōrākei | $$
Image credit: Falcon Grey Ceramics | Instagram
Another weekend means a few more friendly and fun pottery workshops with Falcon Grey Ceramics. Only, this Saturday is a bit different, as Sirirporn teaches all of us noobs how to fashion a wee Matariki themed mug. All the sticky ins and outs of the hand-building/slab technique will be taught, and, given my infamous lack of dexterity, the ‘slab technique’ sounds like something I might actually be able to do.
Become A Semi-Professional Ponger
3-11.30pm | Muddy Farmer, Auckland Central | Free
I simply luvva game of pong. But now, in my more advanced years, I can't quite handle the hangover. Luckily for me (and everyone else north of 25), the Muddy Farmer's nightly "Beer" Pong Bash lets you shoot nothin' but buckets, without regret. Mocktails, mates, and major bragging rights from 3-11:30pm. Just watch those elbows, eh.
Join A Food Fight
5-8pm | Aickin Reserve, Torbay | Free Entry
Image Credit: Food Truck Collective | Facebook
Got any after-work dinner plans yet? Well, put the diary away ‘cause I have it sussed. The quiet coastal peace of Torbay is about to be shattered by a juicy, crispy, oily battleground of deliciousness this Friday evening from 5-8pm. The Food Truck Collective is unleashing a fleet of Auckland's finest food trucks, primed and ready to get your belly stuck in no-man’s land.
Get Deep, Dark & Spooky
10pm-Late | Neck of The Woods, Karangahape Road | $$
Image credit: Paige Julia | Instagram
I've only once met God, and it was when I was privileged enough to share the same room as the Queen of bass and drums: Paige Julia. She took me on a journey, a transcendent journey all the way to meet my maker and back, and this Friday the 13th (spooky), Electric Panther has partnered with Ghost Soundsystem (extra spooky) and decided she should do the same again. Expect heavy-duty firepower, and be mindful of the Parental Advisory: Explicit Bass.
Saturday 14 June
Get A Double Dose Of Beauty
8am-4.30pm | Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa | Free
Plants are stunning. But paintings of plants? That’s like the artistic equivalent of… well, I couldn’t think of anything there, so feel free to email us with your well-justified complaints. Anyway, all day this Saturday, you can pop down to the Botans to appreciate over 40 gorgeous works celebrating our native flora, plus a peek at what artists worldwide are creating—they're most certainly better with the brush than I am with the pen. Free entry, beautiful setting, perfect excuse to touch some grass.
Kiss Kmart Goodbye
10am-4pm | The ReCreators Green Space, 135 Chamberlain Rd, Massey | $$
Image credit: The ReCreators | Facebook
Are you tired of sacrificing hour after hour to the undeserving algorithmic gods of Facebook Marketplace? Do you feel shame at night, considering the countless ‘Is this still available?’ messages you’ve dispatched to the void? Do you wince in agony when feeling the call of the giant red K? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. I share an insatiable thirst for cost-effective decor, which is why, for a second week running, I could not look past The ReCreators and their workshops. This Saturday? Storage towers that will blow your last Kmart run out of the water.
Get Yo Stuff Fixed For Free
11am-2pm | Repair Café, Auckland Unitarian Church, Ponsonby | Free/Koha
Image credit: Repair Café | Instagram
I'm bringing my broken stuff to Grey Lynn Repair Café this Saturday, because remember what I was saying about dexterity? Free fixes from actual legends who know what they're doing while I pretend I'm not completely hopeless with anything that’s more than one cable or two batteries. Join me 11am-2pm at the Auckland Unitarian Church, where these fixit folks will offer much more than a simple “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Donation/koha welcome.
Bang Heads To Britrock’s Best
7pm-Late | The Tuning Fork, Parnell | $$
Image credit: The Underground | Facebook
I’ve always envied those who share music tastes with their folks. And although I don’t dislike Celtic Highland tunes on wax, or low-fi ex-USSR state anthems on YouTube, I sometimes wish my old man would queue up a few more, well… bangers. I guess I’ll just have to drag him down to The Tuning Fork this Saturday night for The Underground’s Britrock night instead. It’s an all-ages affair, after all.
Sunday 15 June
Get Movin’ In The Mornin’
9am-12pm | HUB MATAKANA (formerly Zen Den), Matakana | $-$$
Move. Chill. Connect. How’s that sound for a Sunday morning? Out at sunny Matakana, it’s just the way they do it, with MATAKANA MORNING MOVES, going down from 9am-12pm with the sonic assistance of DJ Deej Barclay. He's offering a morning brew of groovy beats as you switch between a hot stone sauna, an ice-cold plunge, and coffee, coca, & smoothie stations. Amaranto has the post-boogie snacks on lock, and after three wholesome hours of shaking it, you’ll need it.
Get Your Fondue Fix
7am-9.30pm | Le Chef Restaurant, Auckland Central | Free
I'm about to dip everything and slip into molten cheese heaven at Le Chef, and #sorrynotsorry. Their famous fondue is back, and it couldn’t be more welcome. Rich, creamy, imported French sorely-missed deliciousness with fresh bread to boot? Add a couple vinos and suddenly I'm sophisticated…. I'd better reserve a table.
Feast For Filipino Independence
7.30pm-late | Rothko Restaurant | $$$
Melbourne’s modern Filipino restaurant Serai is coming across the ditch to collaborate with Rothko for one night only on this Sunday. With over 10 dishes celebrating modern Filipino fare in ‘Fire and Feast’ style, expect tangy kingfish kilaw, humbà glazed eel, wallaby and koji leche flan with purple kūmara ice cream. Tickets include access to the Sculptureum galleries and a glass of champagne on arrival. Drooling? Book now.
All Weekend
Embrace The Misfit Or Menace Within
Various Show Times | Basement Theatre | Various Pricing
Basement Theatre’s chokka Winter/Matariki Season featuring 16 shows across two festivals continues through the weekend with F.O.L.A: a haven for misfits, punks and menaces of the art world. Taking over from 'til Sunday, it’s a buffet of new and unique performers offering something mighty fun to do now that the depths of winter creep over the horizon. Wanna know more?
Change The World, One Dot At A Time
All Day | Ponsonby Central | Free/Donation
When it comes to feel-good things that are put on by good humans for the sake of, well, humans themselves, then I never hesitate to show some love. In the newest case of joy to come across my desk, Ponsonby Central has partnered with Kindness Collective and dedicated an entire wall to positivity. Grab a coloured dot, write one word that makes you smile, stick it on the wall, and donate to families in need.
Win A Game, Lose Your Family
Library Specific Opening Hours | For The Next Year | Free
Auckland Council Libraries are now trialling board game lending, in the hope that they’ll ruin family dynamics and long-term relationships across the city. No late fees, no worries about the occasional missing piece, and the trial runs for a year. So show your support, and it could be rolled out to more libraries and with more board games in the future.
Set Your Weekend To Steamy
Various Show Times | The Civic, Auckland CBD | $$
Image credit: Auckland Live | supplied
Winter may be coming, but it's set to be bedazzled. And hella steamy. The hugely anticipated return of the Auckland Live Cabaret Festival is finally here, once again filling The Civic with a packed lineup that's sure to enchant. From a sexy-dangerous global cabaret/circus sensation, La Clique, to the supernatural pop concert-meets-dungeon nightclub Monster Songs, an interactive Disco Inferno and a whole lot more, including a secret champagne lounge (if you can find it).
All that weekend planning left you hangry? Check out The Feed.
Main image credit: Auckland Live | supplied.
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