Above and Beyond presented by Boeing and developed in collaboration with NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum brings the wonder of flight to life.   Design your own virtual jet and race against other players in a high-speed flying competition, be transformed into virtual birds through motion-sensing technology and ascend to Earth’s orbit in a simulated space elevator.

The exhibition has been extended and is now on until 28 April 2019.

Go to Waiuku – Glenbrook – Pukekohe – Hamilton – Te Kuiti.

Ride in  GVR’s set of six mainline certified carriages, three of which have open platform viewing, behind KiwiRail provided diesel locomotives. GVR owned diesel operates the train between Waiuku and Glenbrook.

Three attractive and must do activities to choose from: Te Kuiti Muster with the running of the sheep & all the fun of the Carnival, Fish & Chips at Raglan with a visit to the spectacular Bridal Veil Falls or visit the World Famous Waitomo Glow worm Caves.

Te Kuiti Muster Special

Te Kuiti Muster

Enjoy a great day out at the unique Te Kuiti Muster. What better way to travel to the show than by relaxing train. Held in conjunction with the New Zealand Shearing Championships, Te Kuiti, the shearing capital of the World, transforms itself to celebrate its sheep farming heritage. Attracting all New Zealand’s top shearing contestants, enjoy the celebration of the rural lifestyle. Spectate at the “Running of the Sheep” down the main street (always the highlight!), see sheep dog displays, visit arts and crafts displays, market street stalls, side shows, street vendors, buskers and much more. Enjoy live music and bands, spectate at the Shearing Championship and marvel at the skills of our shearers. View the Colin Meads statue, rub shoulders with our rural friends, enjoy the passion and friendliness of our provincial cousins and enjoy a great day out in the country. Plenty to keep young and old alike, interested.

Raglan Explorer

Alight at Hamilton Station and board one of our chartered buses to head west to the black sand of Raglan!
Enjoy the scenic drive to the laidback lifestyle township that is Raglan. During our time out west we will visit the spectacular and magnificent 55 metre high “Bridal Veil Falls” on the Pakoka River in the tawa dominated Waireinga Scenic Reserve. You will walk for 10 minutes on a good flat track though heavy bush to reach the top of the falls where there are excellent viewing platforms! We then continue on to Raglan where we will drive around the town to explore before stopping at a suitable location to purchase lunch (at own expense). Time permitting we will continue our exploration tour before returning to Hamilton Station to catch the train.

Waitomo Caves

Travel in style by train to visit the unique and stunning Waitomo Glowworm Caves. On arrival in Te Kuiti you will transfer by bus to the Waitomo Caves – an approximate 20 minute journey. Your prepaid entry and viewing timeslot will ensure minimal waiting time before you are escorted underground into the magical world of the glow worm grotto. Initially walk through part of the cave complex before boarding a boat to glide silently through the grotto. Be informed by the Cave Tour Guides of the wonderful sights you see and the stories of the caves. The cave tour will last approximately one hour. On exiting you will be transferred back to Te Kuiti to enjoy the Muster activities until it is time to board the train for the return journey.

The Trusts Toddler Day Out & Great Parenting Fair (TDO) is a huge family-fun event that offers early childhood education (ECE), social and health services an opportunity to promote their services to hundreds of West Auckland families with young children in a
fun and supportive setting. 

The event gives families of under-five’s links to services, resources and advice around their children’s developmental stages.

This enables their children to flourish, as well as affirming what to do as parents and where to get help that sustains them as parents. 

ECE offers a secure base for growing children, connects families to community and creates resilience, contributing to violence-free communities. 

Only on this day we are granted access over private property to enjoy the Waitākere River and the unique Te Henga Wetland from kayak, with refreshments afterwards.  Suggested minimum age 12 years.

A fundraiser for Matuku Link which aims to protect wildlife, replant the wetland and convert the old barn to a Wetland Education Centre.

All equipment, gear and training provided.

Four 2 hour sessions on the day, Choose from start times of  9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

Bookings required: matukulink@gmail.com or 021 2207136. Please let Matuku Link know which session you’re interested in when booking, and for how many people you would like to book.

Weekly Saturday Code Club at Albany Village Library to help Kiwi kids get a jump-start into modern IT and the new Digital Technologies curriculum.  Code Club is offering free basic software training to children in years 5 to 8 years old.

This course will cover the core concepts of computer programming, software design and small-scale Internet of Things projects using Netduino and external sensors.

Kiwi kids now have a chance to create web and mobile apps quickly and offer them to a global market instantly. With a basic understanding of programming, design and a big imagination, the world can be your oyster.

Note: This event does not run on public holidays or during school holidays.

During this seminar you will learn about worm farming, Bokashi fermentation and cold composting, and receive a $40 discount coupon for your attendance. A tour of compost systems in the garden will follow.

Brought to you by Compost Collective.

Accessible by bus.  Whānau friendly.

This event is part of EcoWest Festival 2019, a month-long celebration of our stunning environment.

The Royal Oak Primary Carnival is back! It’s shaping up to be another outstanding, not-to-be-missed day out with the family. Come along and join in the magic of the Royal Oak Primary Carnival!

With such a multicultural community, our Carnival is renowned for its mouth-watering food, with over 20 international food stalls

Pre-loved Sale bargains including clothing, toys, books, homeware and much more.

Lots of Family Fun for all ages. Nerf Combat

• Vertical Bungy
• Bouncy Castles for little ones
• Dunk Machine for the brave enough to give it a go
• Facepainting
• All those stalls you know and love from when you were young
• GIANT Auctions and Raffles with hundreds of goodies to be won

South Auckland’s BIGGEST environmental event, Eye on Nature is back for 2019!

Join hundreds of Auckland families at this eco educational event offering fun games and activities for all ages.

Eye on Nature is an outdoor expo held at the Auckland Botanic Gardens event site with over 30 environmental partners showcasing the work they do in line with our event theme; Healthy Trees, Healthy Me, Hauora Rākau, Hauora Ahau.

This year, Eye on Nature takes children and their families on an experiential journey through our native New Zealand forest, learning how the health of the forest and all its inhabitants impacts the health of us all.

Activities:
Navigate the bush with Maori storyteller and environmentalist, Park Ranger Riki Bennett and discover how to identify native trees and the special uses for them in navigation, construction, food and medicine. Plus learn how to build your own pest tracking system to discover what pests animals are threatening the forest in your community; receive the tools to make a pledge to become sustainable in one area of your life; learn how be a part of Predator Free 2020; come along and learn how to up cycle with T-shirts and tyres; watch cooking demonstrations; support cultural and local performances; and learn all about how a healthy tree means a healthy you.

Get together with your family and friends for a night of fun! It’s magical at night under the stars with all the rides covered in lights.

Spin through the night on the Invader and hold on tight as your feet kick into the starry sky on the Stratosfear.  Make sure you bring a friend to share the scream as you plunge into darkness from the top of the Fearfall!

With all the rides plus the JGeeks and DJ on Centre Stage these are nights you definitely don’t want to miss!