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18 Epic Things To Do In Auckland This Easter Long Weekend

By Alice Rich
28th Mar 2024

There’s nothing we love more than a luxuriously long weekend. 

And with Easter mere hours away, it makes sense to make this weekend the most traditional one yet, exploring classic themes like how many hot cross buns are too many hot cross buns (answer: the limit does not exist), and scoping John Lennon & Yoko Ono's film that was the scandal of the Cannes Film Festival? The possibilities. Hunt for eggs or get one delivered to your door—we’ve just discovered a new side of Easter that’s quite the treat indeed. All this and more.

Here are 18 epic things to do in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and all weekend.

Friday 29 March

Revel In A Sweaty Sunrise

Chuck on your runners and make for Silo Park to get the mahi done early this Friday morning. The Fitness Altogether (a.k.a. FAT) crew will be taking everyone through an all-levels ‘FAT FRIDAY’ HIIT workout from 6.40am, with treats from Coffee Supreme, Drink Almighty and Ārepa to follow, plus the chance to win a $200 Lululemon voucher. Tickets are a steal at just 10 bucks.

Leave

It isn’t too late to shake things up and get out of Auckland this Easter. We’ve got you covered with the best last-minute escapes for a long weekend roadie. Head north to marvel at nature and history, and roam along windswept beaches. Raise a glass to the good life out east, tackle the Aotea Track on Great Barrier Island, or warm up in some hot pools in Rotorua. All this and more.

Hit The Trails

Flex those mountain bike skills (or flaunt your lack thereof) at Fourforty Mountain Bike Park in Ōrere Point which is open from 12-8pm. Keen but don’t have a ride? Social adventure group, Got To Get Out, has arranged a carpool crew to whisk you from The Cloud in Auckland CBD, straight to the two-wheeled good times. RSVP here

Watch People Wolf Down Some Snags

Sometimes the world feels too serious, too intense, too… human. But Empire’s reminding us all that sometimes ‘too human’ just means aspiring to be the person in the room who can scarf 15 hot dogs the fastest. Enter: Empire’s Hot Dog Eating Finale, the ultimate hot dog-eating showdown.

Saturday 30 March

Soundbathe In The Jungle

Usually punters head to Nanny’s Eatery for fiery Jamaican jerk chicken and pork belly, jalapeño poppers, and golden waffle fries but this Saturday, they’ll be serving the freshest drum and bass, dubstep, funk, and garage too. Swing by to get your fill of Jungle Is Massive! featuring skOpus, Maniacts x DJ Bunker x Oddless, and MC Tree. 

Get Unholy At Academy Cinemas

Fresh from the vault for Holy Saturday is a double feature straight from the fiery pits of Hell. The first flick, The Holy Mountain, was funded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1973 and was quickly dubbed the ‘scandal of the Cannes Film Festival’. This masterpiece will be chased by the most publicly available uncut version of The Devils, a 1971 film that unfolds when a sexually repressed nun accuses a religious icon of witchcraft. 

Strap On Your Skates And Get Ready To Boogie

Round up the troops and get your body moving and grooving, skating to the rhythm of Venice Beach with a Flashjams Roller Disco. Don’t have your own set of wheels? No worries. You can hire a pair for free. Lace-up and get your roll on, jetting around Silo Park. It’s going to be wheelie groovy, baby. 

Dance It Out

If you’ve ever had the good fortune of attending a group fitness class led by Ella Kumar you’ll know you’re in for an absolute treat with this free afternoon Bollyrobix session. Bringing a joyful energy to Te Atatū Peninsula Community Centre’s Mātātā Room as part of World of Cultures 2024, dance and groove—Bollywood-style—from 1.30-2.30pm. Bookings essential. 

Explore Some Gritty Truths Through Art

This Saturday’s your last chance to get a glimpse of Our Story is One, a showcase of nine artists’ work around gender equality, human rights, resilience, and solidarity using painting, printmaking, tapestry, tapa cloth, sculpture, and photomontage. This zesty lil’ collab is taking place at Studio One Toi Tū and is made possible by the Iranian Women of New Zealand and the New Zealand Baha’i Office of Public Affairs. Entry is free.

Sunday 31 March

Hunt All The Chocolate Eggs

If you awaken this Sunday morning in the mood for stalking down eggs of the chocolate variety, jump in your car and take a roadie up to The Big Matakana Easter Market. From 8.30am-2pm Matakana township will be humming with festivities and things to shop including an Easter egg hunt, a meet-and-greet with the Easter bunny, top tier eats, plants and homewares, clothing and crafts, water zorbs, a bouncy castle, face painting, and live music. Hop to it. 

Salsa Over The Sands

A free beginners’ dance class has just dropped and it’s taking place on Mission Bay Beach this weekend. The four-hour Sun-kissed Rhythms workshop will cover elements of salsa, bachata, and merengue, and runs from 3-7pm. Meet by the water fountain, ready to move. 

Find The Artistry In Your Yoga Practice

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki’s yoga and art immersion is running from now through to the end of the year. Surrounded by an ever-changing array of historic and modern artwork this is a yoga class like no other.

Taking place every Sunday (and now Saturday, too) from 9-10am and led by qualified yoga teacher, Penny Hacking, you’ll be stretching, strengthening and expanding your understanding of self and life in a stunning setting. Namasté to that.

Monday 1 April

Sip On A Martini With An Easter Twist

We’ll definitely be eating our fill of hot cross buns this Easter but another essential treat to wrap your mouth around is Dr Rudi’s Frozen Eggspresso Martini. That’s an espresso martini—frozen—served in a chocolate egg floating on a bed of chocolate mousse. Hot damn. Better still? It’s just twenty bucks which, if you’ve had a cocktail in town recently, you’ll know that’s an outright steal. Book a table, stat. 

Deeply Contemplate Ascension

Easter Monday is all about new heights and sweet treats so we think it’s fitting to do a deep dive into the festivities by treating yourself to chocolate, eggs, and rabbits… of the vibrating variety, that is. Yes, we just made a parallel between Easter and sex toys and, no, we’re not sorry. Delight in the hunt for your new somethin’ somethin’ with our pick of the best sex toys in Aotearoa.

All Weekend

Bounce Merrily Along To The Easter Show

Nothing says ‘Easter’ more than contemplating your own mortality while hurtling through the air on a carnival ride and then grounding yourself via comfort-eating your way through a (whole lot of) chocolate. And that’s exactly what you can do at the Auckland Easter Show, along with witnessing a BMX demo, strongman competition, and Medieval combat. 

Feast On All The Best Eats In Tāmaki

If you’re spending the long weekend in Auckland, you best be fueled appropriately. And by that we mean, crank up the brunch game, treat yourself to a tipple, and down that tiramisu. While some great spots are closing their doors to give their teams a well-deserved break, others will be slingin’ the good eats all weekend long. Here are some of the best places to eat and drink, and when.

Learn A Thing

The temptation to hibernate is strong with the changing of seasons ushering in some dreary days but just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the fun stuff. Enter: Tāmaki Makaurau’s inimitable workshops. No matter what the weather gods have in store, you can still have one helluva weekend whipping up all manner of cakes, candles, cocktails, and more.

Get Those Steps In

Spending some time in nature can be exactly what you’re in the mood for as the seasons begin to change and whether you’re after a coastal stroll, a slog up a never-ending staircase, a forest-bathe or an urban jaunt, we’ve got it all. Check out the best the city has to offer or, if you’ve got a pooch in tow, you might like to explore the top dog-friendly walks.

All this weekend planning got you feeling a bit peckish? Treat your taste buds to the latest food news. 

Main image credit:  Annie Spratt | Unsplash. 

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