November 28, 2025 • 8 mins
"The great New Zealand summer calendar is generously sprinkled with some sure-fire seasonal hits to add a bucketload of fun to your family holiday. I’ve rounded up a selection of signature events and exhibitions, strung across the nation, that you may well want to thread into your domestic summer holiday plans."
Read Mike's full article here.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at be.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mike Hardley is our travel correspond and he's keeping things
close to home this weekend, which is great.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Mike, Good morning Jack. No way three twenties for me today.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
No for anyone? What a fac What do you think
of my mum's plan? Though?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Arms? Yeah, Lincoln High School will be so.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Proud, I think like it can can one recommend one's
own motherhood for a dame hood? Is that is that
mother for a damehood?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Well? Actually I think so, Jack.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I reckon the US Transportation Secretary mister Duffy could be
interested in missus Tame because he's been big on the
civility front, and part of his focus is trying to
do people from turning up to airports and pajamas, which
is a bit tragic.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I do think though, maybe maybe there's something for the
airport staff in this, Like maybe if if you have
one of those you know, you know what I mean,
Right when one counter's open, everyone queues up, and then
another counter opens, run across, and we're all tempted to run,
right if they said, if the person said we're going
to be opening counter two, if you can please move
(01:21):
across in the same order you're in now the way
no one feels no one feels ropped. You might be
a bit peeved that you're at the back of the line,
but you don't. You're not feeling like you've been served
a massive injustice.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Right, So yeah, I think exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Anyway, this morning you have a selection of summer holiday
hits across New Zealand. So what has whet your appetite
and Tarmachie Mikoto the O nine Auckland.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Yeah, well, it's interesting that over summer Jack, I think
it is the primetime summer sport that makes the city shine.
You're obviously the tennis in January, and if you're wondering
about sale GP, they've changed the date so it's actually
going to row back into town in February next year
for the Auckland GP. Something that I really want to
check out over summer in Auckland's at the Art Gallery
(02:09):
and I reckon you'd be into this too. Hop to
present American art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
It's a very well regarded museum and what they've done
is they've brought over to Auckland about fifty headline works
very much based around American pop art, which I love.
(02:30):
So you've got things like Jackson Pollock's iconic drip painting,
all sorts of luminary s feature like Annie Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein.
So I reckon a bit of that sounds pretty good?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah, nice, Oh that'd be great. Speaking of speaking of
good exhibitions and ones, I want to see, Wellington's got
that new Fat Freddy's exhibition and Fat Friddie Droppers marking
a notable anniversary.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Oh, this sounds like it do not miss, particularly if
you are capital bound. Wellington Museum is playing host of this.
I love Wellington Museum. It's full of so much local quirk,
really sort of celebrates the soul of the city. And
this is such a classic specimen, Fat Freddy's Drop based
on a true story, yes, twenty years.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Down the track.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
So they've done a tailor made exhibition which opened last
week and it explores the cultural impact of Fat Freddy's
landmark album, which of course went straight to number one.
It remains the longest charting album in New Zealand history,
clocking up over two years in the top forty.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I did not know that.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
So yeah, if you're going to Wellington, immerse yourself in
the music and the magic and the memories of a
true Wellington original.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah, yeah too, right, that's certainly something I'm going to
be doing. I'm there a few days after Christmas, so
I reckon I'll put that on the wall. When does
the Festival of Lights kick off in New Plymouth?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Oh, this is a big, big jack.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yes, three weeks tonight and it will be twinkling for
six weeks.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
This thing is so popular.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
About one hundred and fifty thousand people flock to the
summer spectacle like moths to the flame and New Plymouth
half of them are actually from out of town, so
it really is a big people attractor for the Naki.
I've been several times and it just seems to get
bigger and more in ventive every year. Absurdly gorgeous lighting installations.
(04:27):
It's kind of like a cross between Disneyland and Copenhagen's
Tivoli Gardens. And it's the globe boats on the lake
in Poki Kuda Park that is the best way to
soak up the surrounding splendor. So yes, if you're in Taranaki,
do not miss the lights.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
There are some really great beach carnivals as well, string
across the country. So what would you recommend?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Well, I have banged on to you for quite some
few years about the Caroline Bay Carnival. So that returns
into Mario on Boxing Day for its fortnight of frolics.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
One hundred and fifteen years it will be celebrated this time. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
But aside from the Timaru Classic, which is New Zealand's
Beggas Beech Carnival, there are actually quite a few on
the calendar so or Panaki Yhi Beach, Fitty Younger I
think at Cook's Beach and Fitty Younger and Katiraterri. They
all have beach carnivals in the first half of January
and impacton something that I actually checked out last January.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
It's actually really good.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
It runs for a couple of nights the annual Maritime Festival,
so they hold it on the foreshore and picked In
they have some really cool things like.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Raft races in the harbor. So yeah, that's on in
mid January and Pickton.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Okay, superb. But what about some quirky summer festivals?
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Yes, well, I was struck by your chat earlier this
morning Jack about avocado as a dessert producing Katti Catties
Evo fest. So this is right in the nation's at
Pocado Capital set down for January ten. There will be
lots of cooking demos with celebrity chefs, delectable drinks, and
tasty food, including avocado ice cream.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Okay, look, I I for some reason, I if I
logically step it out, I like avocados. Avocado is nutty
and rich and creamy. Like I can see you know
what I mean. I can see how it does work
as a dessert. But for some reason, I still hear
avocado dessert and I think, I think it's trying to
(06:33):
make dessert healthy and that's not the purpose.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
It needs.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
It needs georging up, It needs something else, doesn't.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
It needs sugar? Yes, yes, yeah, yeah yeah yeah? No,
very good? Right, So that's in Katti Cutti Yeah yeah nice.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Well, by the way, a couple of things on the
West Coast, if you are on the West Coast in January,
they've got two really good gigs and once again a
little bit quirky Driftwood and Sand. This is the annual
multi day bash at Hulkotika Beach. So they have all
this drift toward continually washing in from the Tesmand Sea,
and from January twenty one, for about three or four days,
(07:08):
the most extravagant competition. We are all sorts of crazy
people construct the most whimsical, grand scale sculptural.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Artworks on the beach. It is absolutely.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Superb And on January tenth on the West Coast big
day for the horse eas the legendary Kummata Gold Nuggets
race Day. If you want to go to a summer
horse race day, you cannot beat this. It is just
frothing with West Coast spirit, white bait, fritters galore. It's
really family friendly. My father's horse actually won the feature
(07:43):
racy year ago, so I think Trey Bond is heading
back to try and defend his title. And they actually
win gold nuggets with the Commata, so they actually do
get real nuggets.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I know. Oh how good? Yeah, ask how many gold nuggets?
I mean, not enough for you to have to relinquish
Saturday mornings with us.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
No, Well, my father's part of a syndicate, so there
was a bit of a sort of casting of the
cake which got rather complicated cutting of.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
The nuggets by the time he got it it was
just sort of a fine dust exactly. Yeah. You know,
I've never done it. I've always wanted to in Kamata.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
You know, it's such a it's a crack day.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yeah, yeah. And there'll be people choppering down.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
There's all these toppers that sort of land around Kamata
from the North Island.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
It's like, oh my goodness, hello, welcome.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Yeah, oh fantastic. That sounds great.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
So anything else to mention now, that's all good Jack.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, very good. Okay, well it sounds like a great
little lineup for summer. Thank you, Mike. What we will
do is we'll go and put all of those up
on the news talks he'db website. So depending on what
you're doing this summer, depending on where you are planning
to go, maybe you can try and get one of
Mike's summer highlights into your summer.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Itinery For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Team, listen
live to news Talks that'd be from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at be.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mike Hardley is our travel correspond and he's keeping things
close to home this weekend, which is great.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Mike, Good morning Jack. No way three twenties for me today.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
No for anyone? What a fac What do you think
of my mum's plan? Though?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Arms? Yeah, Lincoln High School will be so.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Proud, I think like it can can one recommend one's
own motherhood for a dame hood? Is that is that
mother for a damehood?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Well? Actually I think so, Jack.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I reckon the US Transportation Secretary mister Duffy could be
interested in missus Tame because he's been big on the
civility front, and part of his focus is trying to
do people from turning up to airports and pajamas, which
is a bit tragic.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I do think though, maybe maybe there's something for the
airport staff in this, Like maybe if if you have
one of those you know, you know what I mean,
Right when one counter's open, everyone queues up, and then
another counter opens, run across, and we're all tempted to run,
right if they said, if the person said we're going
to be opening counter two, if you can please move
(01:21):
across in the same order you're in now the way
no one feels no one feels ropped. You might be
a bit peeved that you're at the back of the line,
but you don't. You're not feeling like you've been served
a massive injustice.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Right, So yeah, I think exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Anyway, this morning you have a selection of summer holiday
hits across New Zealand. So what has whet your appetite
and Tarmachie Mikoto the O nine Auckland.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Yeah, well, it's interesting that over summer Jack, I think
it is the primetime summer sport that makes the city shine.
You're obviously the tennis in January, and if you're wondering
about sale GP, they've changed the date so it's actually
going to row back into town in February next year
for the Auckland GP. Something that I really want to
check out over summer in Auckland's at the Art Gallery
(02:09):
and I reckon you'd be into this too. Hop to
present American art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
It's a very well regarded museum and what they've done
is they've brought over to Auckland about fifty headline works
very much based around American pop art, which I love.
(02:30):
So you've got things like Jackson Pollock's iconic drip painting,
all sorts of luminary s feature like Annie Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein.
So I reckon a bit of that sounds pretty good?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah, nice, Oh that'd be great. Speaking of speaking of
good exhibitions and ones, I want to see, Wellington's got
that new Fat Freddy's exhibition and Fat Friddie Droppers marking
a notable anniversary.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Oh, this sounds like it do not miss, particularly if
you are capital bound. Wellington Museum is playing host of this.
I love Wellington Museum. It's full of so much local quirk,
really sort of celebrates the soul of the city. And
this is such a classic specimen, Fat Freddy's Drop based
on a true story, yes, twenty years.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Down the track.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
So they've done a tailor made exhibition which opened last
week and it explores the cultural impact of Fat Freddy's
landmark album, which of course went straight to number one.
It remains the longest charting album in New Zealand history,
clocking up over two years in the top forty.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I did not know that.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
So yeah, if you're going to Wellington, immerse yourself in
the music and the magic and the memories of a
true Wellington original.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah, yeah too, right, that's certainly something I'm going to
be doing. I'm there a few days after Christmas, so
I reckon I'll put that on the wall. When does
the Festival of Lights kick off in New Plymouth?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Oh, this is a big, big jack.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yes, three weeks tonight and it will be twinkling for
six weeks.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
This thing is so popular.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
About one hundred and fifty thousand people flock to the
summer spectacle like moths to the flame and New Plymouth
half of them are actually from out of town, so
it really is a big people attractor for the Naki.
I've been several times and it just seems to get
bigger and more in ventive every year. Absurdly gorgeous lighting installations.
(04:27):
It's kind of like a cross between Disneyland and Copenhagen's
Tivoli Gardens. And it's the globe boats on the lake
in Poki Kuda Park that is the best way to
soak up the surrounding splendor. So yes, if you're in Taranaki,
do not miss the lights.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
There are some really great beach carnivals as well, string
across the country. So what would you recommend?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Well, I have banged on to you for quite some
few years about the Caroline Bay Carnival. So that returns
into Mario on Boxing Day for its fortnight of frolics.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
One hundred and fifteen years it will be celebrated this time. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
But aside from the Timaru Classic, which is New Zealand's
Beggas Beech Carnival, there are actually quite a few on
the calendar so or Panaki Yhi Beach, Fitty Younger I
think at Cook's Beach and Fitty Younger and Katiraterri. They
all have beach carnivals in the first half of January
and impacton something that I actually checked out last January.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
It's actually really good.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
It runs for a couple of nights the annual Maritime Festival,
so they hold it on the foreshore and picked In
they have some really cool things like.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Raft races in the harbor. So yeah, that's on in
mid January and Pickton.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Okay, superb. But what about some quirky summer festivals?
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Yes, well, I was struck by your chat earlier this
morning Jack about avocado as a dessert producing Katti Catties
Evo fest. So this is right in the nation's at
Pocado Capital set down for January ten. There will be
lots of cooking demos with celebrity chefs, delectable drinks, and
tasty food, including avocado ice cream.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Okay, look, I I for some reason, I if I
logically step it out, I like avocados. Avocado is nutty
and rich and creamy. Like I can see you know
what I mean. I can see how it does work
as a dessert. But for some reason, I still hear
avocado dessert and I think, I think it's trying to
(06:33):
make dessert healthy and that's not the purpose.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
It needs.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
It needs georging up, It needs something else, doesn't.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
It needs sugar? Yes, yes, yeah, yeah yeah yeah? No,
very good? Right, So that's in Katti Cutti Yeah yeah nice.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Well, by the way, a couple of things on the
West Coast, if you are on the West Coast in January,
they've got two really good gigs and once again a
little bit quirky Driftwood and Sand. This is the annual
multi day bash at Hulkotika Beach. So they have all
this drift toward continually washing in from the Tesmand Sea,
and from January twenty one, for about three or four days,
(07:08):
the most extravagant competition. We are all sorts of crazy
people construct the most whimsical, grand scale sculptural.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Artworks on the beach. It is absolutely.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Superb And on January tenth on the West Coast big
day for the horse eas the legendary Kummata Gold Nuggets
race Day. If you want to go to a summer
horse race day, you cannot beat this. It is just
frothing with West Coast spirit, white bait, fritters galore. It's
really family friendly. My father's horse actually won the feature
(07:43):
racy year ago, so I think Trey Bond is heading
back to try and defend his title. And they actually
win gold nuggets with the Commata, so they actually do
get real nuggets.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I know. Oh how good? Yeah, ask how many gold nuggets?
I mean, not enough for you to have to relinquish
Saturday mornings with us.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
No, Well, my father's part of a syndicate, so there
was a bit of a sort of casting of the
cake which got rather complicated cutting of.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
The nuggets by the time he got it it was
just sort of a fine dust exactly. Yeah. You know,
I've never done it. I've always wanted to in Kamata.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
You know, it's such a it's a crack day.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yeah, yeah. And there'll be people choppering down.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
There's all these toppers that sort of land around Kamata
from the North Island.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
It's like, oh my goodness, hello, welcome.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Yeah, oh fantastic. That sounds great.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
So anything else to mention now, that's all good Jack.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, very good. Okay, well it sounds like a great
little lineup for summer. Thank you, Mike. What we will
do is we'll go and put all of those up
on the news talks he'db website. So depending on what
you're doing this summer, depending on where you are planning
to go, maybe you can try and get one of
Mike's summer highlights into your summer.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Itinery For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Team, listen
live to news Talks that'd be from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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