Pukapuka Adventures

Packed free days for families to share magical moments and ignite imaginations!
 

ACTION STATIONS
10AM-1PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Auckland Writers Festival will have activities galore on their family floor of the Aotea Centre! Come get your creativity and craft on, all weekend.

• Colour in a giant mural by Giselle Clarkson
• Grab a magnifying glass and go bug hunting in The Observologist Hunt
• Snuggle up with a book in our reading caves
• Get curious at the activity table and write a letter to your older self, untangle a knotty problem with Selina Tusitala Marsh’s Mophead cards and learn how to draw some fascinating critters and more!

 

SCHEUDLE | SATURDAY 18 MAY

BURSTING WITH THE RAZZLE: A DAZZLEHANDS DISCO
10.45-11.15AM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Liberate those Dazzlehands! Join Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata) for a reading of their uproariously funny Dazzlehands followed by original songs and a very mini rave.

PIPI AND POU AND THE FORGOTTEN STREAM: A WALKING ADVENTURE
10AM-4PM

Something magical is lurking beneath the streets of Auckland. Horotiu, the taniwha, lives deep underground and he is unhappy, as the stream in his care has been forgotten. Can you help our superheroes, Pipi and Pou, calm him before it’s too late? 

Jump into the world of Tim Tipene’s award-winning book series through this digital adventure trail! Pipi and Pou and the Forgotten Stream is an app guided experience starting in Aotea Square and leading families on a short walk down Queen Street

Find out more, here.

MAKE A MEAN ZINE
10AM-4PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Get amongst the zine scene! All Saturday we will have a making station for you and your whānau to make your very own zine, get creative and enjoy an array of one-of-a-kind zines from the 2023 Best of the Fest Awards collection.

Hosted by Auckland Zinefest.

DREAMING OF AFRICA
11.30AM-12PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Let the stories of Africa fill your imagination. Zimbabwean author and storyteller Tsitsi Mapepa will take you on an epic adventure as she shares tales from her home country. You’ll also learn some words in Shona along the way. Told in English and in Shona.

TAKE THE MIC
12.15-12.45PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Now is your time to take to the stage in this open mic session. Children of all ages are welcome to step up to the mic, test their latest material and share their best story, joke, poem or song. We’re all ears.

ILLUSTRATOR SHOWDOWN
1.30-2PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Sharpen your pencils: two of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most skilled illustrators are ready to battle and we need your help! Tell Giselle Clarkson (The Observologist) and Toby Morris (The Spinoff) what to draw and each will sketch a whole creature and world in front of your eyes against a ticking clock. Have your pencils and paper ready so you can doodle along with them.

DANCE LIKE THE ATUA
2.15-2.45 | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Join dancers Abbie Rogers and Madi Tumataroa from Atamira Dance Company and move your way through Gavin Bishop’s best-selling and award-winning book,ATUA: Māori Gods and Heroes. You will transform into atua and experience storytelling through dance and music to bring this magical book to life.

TAPA NAVIGATORS
3-4.30PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Listen, craft and join in the talanoa. In this interactive session, audiences of all ages will learn about the magic of story while making tapa. This unique event is led by FotuoSamoa Jody Jackson, a multidisciplinary artist from Savai’i, well known worldwide for her expertise in tuiga, siapo and fagogo– the art of Samoan storytelling.

Original concept and curation by Dahlia Malaeulu. 2024 Tapa Navigators curated by Sisilia Eteuati.

 

SCHEDULE | SUNDAY 19 MAY

FOUND POEM BADGES
10AM-12PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Join our mates from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki to create a poetic badge. Craft a unique poem from recycled magazines. There will be a badgemaker at the ready so you can wear your poetry with pride! Head up to the Gallery to keep experimenting and add extra flare – you’ll find gems, felt and all sorts of fun materials to play with.

BURSTING WITH THE RAZZLE: A DAZZLEHANDS DISCO
10-10.30AM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Liberate those Dazzlehands! Join Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata) for a reading of their uproariously funny Dazzlehands followed by original songs and a very mini rave.

DON’T SCARE THE DENTIST!
10.30AM-12PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

CALLING ALL KIDS: Do you know a dentist’s biggest fear? Children! Listen to a tale by comedian and former dentist Sam Smith about Dr Charlie facing the howls, screams, burps and farts that haunt his dreams. Then help us create a song all about teeth, so you can sing the tune every time you brush.

UNLEASH YOUR INNER SUPERHERO!
10.45AM-11.15AM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

Kapow! Ever wanted to bring your own superhero to life? Ever wished you were a superhero? Come along to this mini-workshop with comic book artist and Disney animator Michel Mulipola, where he’ll teach you the basic techniques of sketching superheroes. Once you have these tools you will be able to put your own superpowers into your artwork and show the world what makes you special!

KIA PIKI TE ORA!
12.15-1PM | Aotea Centre, 5th Floor - Activities Galore

If you are looking for a space of calm among the festival events join Hira Nathan and Jessie Eyre as they lead games and activities to explore and connect with the different parts of our hauora (wellbeing). Learn some skills to still the mind and warm your heart. Take a moment to focus on you and look after all the unique and different parts of yourself that make you who you are. If you want to keep the journey going, stick around and join our two authors as they release their new book Piki te Ora: Your Wellbeing Journal, into the big wide world.