From unique art exhibitions to mid-winter Christmas celebrations, a light festival, a deep-dive into ancient Egypt and New Zealand's premier fashion event, we've picked some of the best things to see and do around Aotearoa this winter.
Greytown Festival of Christmas
The forecast for Wairarapa this winter is snow!
Immerse yourself in the spirit of the season in Wairarapa’s charming country village as the Greytown Festival of Christmas rolls back into town for 2023.
Think twinkling fairy lights, candlelight carols, mulled wine and mittens and actual, guaranteed flurries of snow!
Get into the seasonal spirit at the Greytown Festival of Christmas. Photo by Jet Productions.
The annual Festival of Christmas runs for the month of July with workshops, lighting displays, food trucks, night markets and special dining events held each weekend. From wreath-making classes to stand up comedy evenings, movie nights held in rural woolsheds and scheduled snowfall outside the town hall every Friday and Saturday night, Greytown is getting into the Christmas spirit.
Of course, the Wairarapa region is renowned food and wine country, so you can tempt your tastebuds with special festive foods, from freshly shucked oysters to spiced gin, eggnog or gourmet chocolates.
The Greytown Festival of Christmas runs each weekend throughout July.
Wharenui Harikoa
The idea of Wharenui Harikoa – a crocheted meeting house – is to embody a refracting prism of tūpuna (ancestral)-inspired light that shines across the sky like a rainbow, manifesting inter-generational healing and connecting communities globally – one loop of thread at a time.
And while each intricately crafted tukutuku panel of the wharenui, woven in neon-hued yarn (5,000 balls of it to be exact) is undoubtedly a rainbow of joy and aroha, it’s also a powerful nod to Matariki.
The wharenui has been hand-woven by husband and wife artists, Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole, along with a selection of international talents including LA-based crochet artist London Kaye, whose joyful work inspired Lissy to get into ‘yarn bombing’, a type of street art using colourful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn rather than paint.
Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole. Photo by Hohua.
Constructed using thousands of balls of wool which, unravelled, would roughly cover the distance from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland to Taupō, the wharenui measures 9.5-metres long, 6m high and 5.5m wide. Its woven designs are based around the stories and values of cultural astronomy academic and Massey University professor Dr Rangi Mātāmua, who has revolutionised understandings of Māori astronomy, in particular of Matariki.
A meeting house in its traditional sense, the pair hope Wharenui Harikoa will become a beacon radiating aroha internationally, continuing its historic tradition of bringing together communities and whānau from all corners of the world and working alongside different indigenous groups.
“We can see ourselves working with first nations in aboriginal communities and throughout the Islands where every different story can be incorporated into the wharenui. We believe this is a living wharenui; it’s not going to stay the same,” Rudi says.
Lissy says while sharing the stories that are unique to Māori in Aotearoa is powerful, the underlying message of the wharenui will resound universally. “Every person on this planet looks up to the stars and many cultures and countries around the globe have a relationship to that particular star cluster; we are all connected through Matariki.”
How do Lissy and Rudi personally acknowledge Matariki? Rudi finds parallels between Wharenui Harikoa and a whakataukī , a type of speechmaking using symbolism and metaphor to convey key messages.
The incredible hues of the Wharenui Harikoa. Photo by Nick Taylor.
Lissy connects deeply with two of the nine stars in the Matariki cluster – Pōhutukawa, which recognises and celebrates those who have passed away and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, the wishing star to send hopes and dreams to.
“Pōhutukawa means a lot to me as a space to remember, cherish, speak to, and recognise my loved ones who have died, and Hiwa resonates with me being that we are the biggest dreamers that ever were. To have a space to send our dreams to is very important,” she says.
“Matariki is a time for slowing down, for gathering, for rest, to be with whānau, to remember our dead, and to dream – it’s a really important time of the year.”
Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage has been secured to display Wharenui Harikoa in different locations across the country, the first stop being Hamilton’s Waikato Museum, open for public viewing on November 30, 2023.
Ship Nails and Tail Feathers at Christchurch Art Gallery
Fabulous feathers, intricately-carved scrimshaw, exotic shadow puppets and huia nests feature in a collaborative exhibition from the collections of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and Canterbury Museum.
The exhibition, called Ship Nails and Tail Feathers, combines functional objects, art and adornments, ideas and history from both collections, creating a rare and rich experience for curious visitors.
Royal Doulton (Edward J. Raby) Lidded vase with roses c. 1906. Glazed porcelain with gilded matt celadon cover. Collection of Canterbury Museum.
“We’re showcasing items from Canterbury Museum, as well as familiar and lesser-known historical items from the Gallery’s own collection,” says Blair Jackson, Director of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. “When brought together, they tell fascinating stories about how people lived and what they valued, provoking thought and discussion about what that might mean to us in the here and now.”
Canterbury Museum Acting Director Sarah Murray says the Museum is thrilled to be collaborating with the Gallery. “From navigational instruments, whaling-era relics and Chinese shadow puppets to extraordinary plumage, delicate watercolours and Edwardian showstoppers, this is a wonderful and surprising collection of taonga thoughtfully displayed in a series of themes,” she says.
Ship Nails and Tail Feathers is on now at the Christchurch Art Gallery and runs until 23 October 2023.
TSB Festival of Lights, New Plymouth
Catch the glow up of New Plymouth over Matariki as the famous TSB Festival of Lights pops up in the CBD.
In addition to the luminous summer festival, held in Pukekura Park, the Winter Festival of Lights is a short but sweet treat for the Matariki long weekend from July 13-16.
Admire the luminous installations at the TSB Festival of Lights Winter Pop-Up in New Plymouth
Magical, colourful light installations and whānau-friendly entertainment will be spread across spaces near Huatoki Plaza, Puke Ariki Landing, Ariki Street and the Coastal Walkway.
Expect nine new lighting installations and a few fan favourites from previous years, too.
Dress up warmly to enjoy four nights of entertainment with funk, reggae and DJs alongside kapa haka performances, astronomy talks and mesmerising displays of fire poi and LED hula hoops.
TSB Festival of Lights: Winter Pop-Up will run over the Matariki long weekend, from Thursday 13 July – Sunday 16 July for four evenings of light installations and entertainment. Lights are on each night between 5pm and 10pm.
Egypt: In the Time of Pharaohs at Auckland War Memorial Museum
For thousands of years, ancient Egypt’s powerful pharaohs, awe-inspiring pyramids and extraordinary art have captured imaginations around the world.
Now New Zealanders are getting close to one the most influential and fascinating cultures in human history, as the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts ever to tour to Aotearoa is on show at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
An ancient coffin on display at the Egypt: In the Time of Pharaohs at Auckland Museum.
Egypt: In the Time of Pharaohs explores the wonders of ancient Egyptian culture through more than 350 artefacts including the mummified remains of Ta-Khar, a wealthy Egyptian woman who lived during the 25th Dynasty; a 2,000-year-old papyrus from The Book of the Dead showing a human heart weighed against justice by the god Osiris; intricate jewellery and adornments worn by ancient Egyptians; stunning carved reliefs and statues of animals, deities, pharaohs and more. Many of the artefacts date as far back as 4,500 years.
Auckland Museum Chief Executive David Gaimster says Ancient Egypt was a foundational civilisation that inspired many societies around the world and continues to do so. He describes the exhibition as a “once in a generation experience”.
“Ancient Egyptians created symbols of power that we still recognise today and had sophisticated spiritual beliefs. They demonstrated humanity’s ingenuity in architecture, engineering and construction, and used the river Nile landscape to support a rich and complex culture,” he says.
Over 5,000 years ago, Egypt became a state that unified the many cities and towns along the river Nile. The exhibition delves into the ancient Egyptian culture and how it flourished along the riverbanks, revealing the economic, political, religious and cultural life of the pharaohs and the ruling classes, as well as the day-to-day experience of the population as a whole.
Egypt: In the Time of Pharaohs is on now exclusively at Auckland Museum and runs until 12 November 2023.
New Zealand Fashion Week 2023
New Zealand Fashion Week was always a special calendar event for both discerning fashionistas and Aotearoa’s designers who delighted in showcasing their talents on the catwalk.
But the event is extra special in 2023, as the spotlights shine bright and models take to stage for the first time since 2019.
Under new ownership and leadership, NZFW promises to be bigger and better, emerging as a re-designed and re-imagined event that gives fashion lovers the chance to attend more shows than ever before.
NZFW General Manager Yasmin Farry is excited about the commitment and support from some of New Zealand’s emerging and top designers to participate in this year’s event.
Models will take to the catwalk for the first time since 2019 in NZFW 2023.
“It’s been three long years since our designers, models, make-up artists, stylists and photographers have had the opportunity to showcase their talents to the world, so we are very excited that New Zealand Fashion Week is back on the agenda for 2023,” she says.
Central to the mission of NZFW is the collaboration between the wider industry and mana whenua. This year an association has been cemented with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Kiri Nathan will be the first Māori designer to open the show.
“The development of a partnership built on reciprocity presents an opportunity for New Zealand Fashion Week to evolve our cultural identity, to build our cultural competency and ensure the indigenous Māori voice is amplified throughout New Zealand Fashion Week,” Yasmin says.
NZFW is also committed to supporting the evolving circular fashion ecosystem in Aotearoa, and encouraging an increased focus on digital technologies and connectivity.
Other leading fashion designers taking part are Kate Sylvester (celebrating a 30-year milestone as part of NZFW), Kathryn Wilson, Campbell Luke, Juliette Hogan and NOM*d.
New Zealand Fashion Week runs from 29 August 29 to 2 September at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre.
Explore more from AA Directions magazine while you're here:
- World champion boxer Mea Motu shares her favourite things about living in New Zealand
- We share budgeting advice for anyone feeling the sting of rising costs
- What happens when small towns are bypassed by new highways?
