Sky-high yakitori? Here’s how you should spend your weekend in Auckland

HI-SO, the rooftop bar of SO/Auckland Hotel has recently launched Yakitori Sundays.
Tāmaki Makaurau’s event calendar is getting more abundant with every passing week as things ramp up for the silly season.
This first weekend of November has a couple of Christmas-themed events already including two excellent ways to get into the spirit of giving. Here are our top picks for things to do in the big smoke this weekend and a couple to plan for in the weeks ahead.
It may seem terrifyingly early but carols are playing in malls, seasonally inappropriate snowflakes are dangling in town centres and your social feeds are flooded with “great gift ideas,” which means Christmas is indeed coming. This Sunday, you can get into the festive spirit while dodging mall mayhem by heading down to the General Collective Lifestyle & Design Market – Christmas Edition at the Auckland Showgrounds. There’ll be over 200 designers, creatives and makers of all kinds selling their locally produced wares. It’s a great way to choose to shop ethically this Christmas, support small businesses, and connect with the talented creative entrepreneurs behind some truly unique products from jewellery to fashion to food to homewares and more. General Collective knows how to make a whanau-friendly event that’ll keep the little people entertained as well, including face painting and kids’ activity stations, plus plenty of delicious kai, Christmas-themed and otherwise.
When: November 3, 9am-3pm.
Where: Auckland Showgrounds, 217 Green Lane West, Epsom, Auckland.
Price: Entry fee $5 from iticket.co.nz or on the door, children under 12 are free.
As we start to get into the festive spirit, many of us find ourselves wanting to spread some joy to those less fortunate. One way you can do that this coming week is by checking out the very first Art for Good Auction hosted by Gow Langsford Gallery. Artists like Dick Frizzell and Max Gimblett have pieces that you can bid on, with all the proceeds from the auction going to the Kindness Collective’s Christmas Joy Store. The Christmas Joy Store is a physical toy shop in which invited families in need can do some Christmas shopping without having to pay a cent. It’s a way to give these struggling families the dignity of choice with their Christmas shopping. The Art for Good Auction online viewing and bidding is live now and the in-gallery auction is on Thursday. Get yourself or a loved one a piece of art this month and you’ll be spreading the love much further than your own walls.
Online now at artandobject.co.nz
Gallery auction
When: November 7, 6.30pm.
Where: Gow Langsford Gallery, 4 Princes St, Onehunga, Auckland.
If you know you’re going to have the pleasure of dining out any time from now until Christmas, then get into the spirit of giving and choose to eat at one of the many restaurants that are supporting DineAid this year. DineAid is a campaign to raise money for City Missions by either having diners add $2 to their bill or by restaurants adding $2 to the price of a popular dish. It’s now in its 12th year, and last year’s campaign raised $60,000 for people and families in need. There are too many participating restaurants to list them all here but when deciding where to eat out this month and next, the generous, ethical and festive way to do that is by visiting the DineAid website and selecting from their list. Don’t worry, it’s long and includes many of our absolute favourite Auckland eateries, as well as others throughout the country.
When: November 1 – December 31.
Where: Visit dineaid.org.nz for the full list of participating restaurants throughout the country.
This weekend Te Uru Gallery in Titirangi is celebrating its 10th birthday by opening a new survey exhibition featuring the work of iconic New Zealand artist Gretchen Albrecht. Liquid States is a collection of Albrecht’s paintings primarily from the 1970s and ‘80s: a time when the artist was particularly interested in water, its movement and changeability. There are some stunning large-scale pieces from both decades, evoking liquidity, using different techniques and mediums including stain, thinned acrylics, gouache and watercolours. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication Gretchen Albrecht : Liquid States which features essays by, among others, Te Uru curator James Gatt. Some signed copies will be available for purchase at the opening on Saturday evening.
When: November 2 – February 2; opening event November 2, 4pm-6pm.
Where: Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Rd, Titirangi, Auckland.
Price: Free.
If you’ve got a spare 30 minutes this weekend and want to be profoundly moved by something, Native Nations: Tracing Indigenous Footsteps is that thing. The half-hour online documentary, which launched earlier this week, explores the experiences of three indigenous rangatahi groups: Māori, Tangata Momoea (Dream People) and the indigenous people of British Columbia, as they are given the opportunity to travel to each other’s homelands and connect over shared experiences. Native Nations aims to provide young people, many of whom experience feelings of disconnection and wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to travel, the chance to hop on a plane and visit other indigenous communities around the world, simultaneously working to build a thriving indigenous tourism industry. The launch of the documentary coincides with Native Nations’ search for the next intake of 16 to 23-year-olds who would like to participate in an all-expenses paid cultural exchange program next year. It’s all in the name of empowering young people and indigenous communities and promoting the power of regenerative tourism. Check it out.
Available online now on the Native Nations: Tracing Indigenous Footsteps Facebook page.
You could do your laundry and batch cook some meals for the week ahead on Sunday afternoon, or you could live a life that you actually enjoy and venture into the city for some Yakitori fun at HI-SO. The rooftop bar of SO/Auckland Hotel has just launched Yakitori Sundays, where you can enjoy delicious Japanese street food along with sake-infused cocktails while taking in the view of Tāmaki Makaurau from 16 floors up. The Yakitori station will be serving up drool-worthy skewers like wagyu bavette, confit pork belly, kransky sausage, Mt Cook Alpine salmon, miso-glazed eggplant, grilled peppers and corn on the cob. If raw is more your speed, there’s also a sashimi bar and oysters to boot.
When: Sundays, 11.30am-3pm.
Where: HI-SO Rooftop Bar, SO/ Auckland Hotel, Corner of Customs St E & Gore St, Auckland CBD.
Price: Book at hiso-rooftopbar.co.nz or walk in.
It’s the first Saturday of the month, which means Grey Lynn wine bar Freida Margolis is interrupting its regular programming to become a morning market for a few hours. They’ve been doing the monthly transformation for quite some time now and have got this wee vintage market thing down to a fine art. You never know what unique treasures you’ll uncover at Freida’s, they’ve got vintage clothes, freshly baked goods, seasonal plants, vinyl, ceramics, handmade jewellery and more. There are always good sounds being spun on the decks and good vibes being spread among market-goers and vendors alike.
When: November 2, 10am-1pm.
Where: Freida Margolis, 440 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland.
Price: Free.
If the extreme lolly consumption of this past week and the looming chocolate fest that is the holiday season has you thinking about the health and wellbeing of your children, the Weet-bix Kids TRYathlon might be just the balancing force you need. This side of Christmas there are three TRYathlons in the calendar: South Auckland on November 20, Mount Maunganui on December 1 and Hamilton on December 8. The purpose of the event is to encourage kids to get active and give it a go. There are no time keepers and no winners or losers at the Weet-bix Kids TRYathlon, just hundreds of kids swimming, biking and running together in the name of health, wellbeing, confidence and fun. In 2024/25, the organisers anticipate hitting a big milestone: 500,000 Kiwi kids participating since the event’s inception in 1992. With prizes up for grabs and a great community atmosphere, it’s an excellent way to take a little break from the over-consumerism of Christmas for a few hours.
When: November 20, December 1 and 8.
Where: Visit tryathlon.co.nz for more information and to register.
If you’re not crossing the ditch for this year’s Melbourne Cup Day, here’s a good excuse to play hooky from work on Tuesday and put your glad rags on anyway. Ellerslie Racecourse is hosting a Melbourne Cup Day event complete with live horse racing and top-tier people-watching. They’ll be broadcasting the main event from Flemington alongside races on their own recently upgraded track. If you pick the Melbourne Cup winner, you could also win yourself a trip to Hawaii. And even if you lose, you can have yourself a darn good time at the after-party where bubbles will be flowing and a live band and DJ will be jamming. Giddy up!
When: November 5, gates open 11.30am (first race 12.20pm).
Where: Ellerslie Racecourse, 100 Ascot Ave, Remuera, Auckland.
Price: General admission free; hospitality tickets start at $109 from ellerslie.co.nz