Auckland Heritage Festival 2019
The below events are part of Auckland Council’s Auckland Heritage Festival 2019, 5-28 October.
Book your place online now.
See heritagefestival.co.nz for the full list of Auckland-wide events.
Booklets will be available from Auckland Libraries and selected cafes.
GUIDED TOURS & WALKS
Guided Tour of Leys Institute Building and Photo Exhibition
The Leys Institute is an impressive building that has played a significant role in Ponsonby’s history.
It was opened in 1905 to promote technical education as well as the intellectual development and social welfare of the Ponsonby community.
The library has served a changing community from early European settlers, to working class during the depression, to immigrants from the Pacific Islands whose children flocked to the library to use the ‘Improvers Collection’.
This is an invitation to explore some of the gems from the past.
You can book your place online below, in-person at Leys Institute Library or phone Leys on 09 377 0209.
Dates: 9, 12, 16 and 19 Oct at 2pm.
Location: Leys Institute Library, 20 St Marys Road
Bookings essential.
Book online now – Click on a date below to instantly book your place.
Allendale House Guided Tour
Peter Reed from Salmond Reed Architects oversaw the major restoration of Allendale, which he completed in 2013.
Peter leads a guided tour of this magnificent villa and shares stories about the diverse people and cultures that once occupied it.
Built in the early 1890s for a prosperous saddler George Allen, this magnificent home had become a boarding house by the turn of the 20th century.
Over the years it has also been a doctor’s surgery, hostel for Māori girls, refuge for alcoholic men and an upmarket restaurant.
Today it is the home of Foundation North, the community trust for Auckland and Northland and remains a prominent landmark in Ponsonby Road.
The tour lasts for one hour. Stay an extra 30 minutes after the tour and learn about the architecture of Allendale house and how the new annexe relates to it.
Note that disability access and toilets are only available on the ground floor.
Dates: 8, 10, 15 Oct, 10am and 17 Oct, 11am
Allendale House, 50 Ponsonby Road
Bookings essential.
Book online now – Click on a date below to instantly book your place.
Guided Heritage Walk of Ponsonby
Join Architectural designer and historian Edward Bennett as he leads you through the streets of Ponsonby, recounting some of the stories associated with the European travellers that settled in Auckland and the impact of their migration on local architecture, culture and the growth of the Ponsonby suburb.
Dates: 5 and 26 Oct, 10am
Meet outside the old Ponsonby Post Office, 1-3 St Marys Road
Bookings essential.
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Pasifika Guided Walk with Siva Dancing
Date and Time: Sun 13 Oct, 11am-12.30pm
Meet inside Studio One Toi Tū , 1 Ponsonby Road
Bookings essential.
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Audio Walking Heritage Tour of Ponsonby Road
Wander the streets of Ponsonby while listening to a guided audio history with storyteller Melissa Fergusson.
The recording includes additional insights and contribution from Ponsonby historian Gerry Hill.
It’s a great way to gain some historical insight and cool snippets of information about the people, bygone businesses, stories and history of the buildings on Auckland’s famous Strip.
The walk starts at Bishop Pompallier Reserve in Redmond St and goes south along Ponsonby Road, branching out into residential streets on either side.
Get out and about and enjoy Ponsonby. Walk solo or with a group of friends.
You can download the audio walk as an MP3 file and play it on your mobile device.
Bishop’s Palace Guided Tour [FULLY BOOKED]
A rare opportunity to walk inside one of Auckland’s secret gems – the 1896 Bishop’s Palace, which has served as the home of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland for over 120 years.
This imposing residence is one of the country’s largest buildings intact from the Victorian era. It was one of Auckland’s first houses lit by electricity, and still has its original porcelain toilets.
The Bishop’s House is registered as a Category 1 historic building, identifying it as a place of outstanding heritage significance.
Date & Times: Wed 9 Oct, 11am and 2pm
Bookings essential (Venue address disclosed on booking).
Book online now – Click on your desired time below to instantly book your place.
HERITAGE TALKS
Pasifika galu wave
Date & Time: Sat 26 Oct, 12pm-1.30pm
Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road
Bookings essential.
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Going to the Flicks: Picture Palaces and Bughouses
Brian McDonnell’s illustrated talk will take you back to the days before television, when Auckland had more than 50 movie theatres, and we all grandly went into town for the latest films or attended the weekly Saturday matinee at our local suburban bughouse.
Learn about the diverse cultures that pioneered cinema in Auckland.
A feast of architectural images.
Date & Time: Thu 24 Oct, 6.30pm-8.00pm
Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road.
Bookings essential
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The Yanks are Coming!
During World War II Auckland received a welcome invasion – the mass arrival of American soldiers, sailors, marines and air crew in New Zealand to train for, or recuperate from fighting the Japanese.
At any one time in 1943-44 there were more than 30,000 US troops stationed in and around Auckland.
This influx of young Americans had a profound impact on the local people and on the built landscape through the many camps and hospitals hurriedly constructed for them.
This richly illustrated talk will vividly convey the scale and nature of the friendly invasion of our city, and help attendees to perhaps look at their part of Auckland in a new light.
Date & Time: Wed 9 Oct, 6.30pm-8.00pm
Studio One Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road
Bookings essential
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Ticket to the Furthest Place on Earth
An illustrated talk about the traveller’s journey from Europe to Ponsonby/Auckland during the 19th Century. Hear about the people who came, why they came, the vessels that carried them and the hazardous voyage on the long long journey to Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Date & Time: Thu 24 Oct, 6.00pm-.7.00pm
Ponsonby Community Centre,
Bookings essential
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Inside the Victorian Villa
European travellers introduced Victorian interior design into the New Zealand home. This fascinating lecture reveals the popular trends and styles they brought with them which influenced architectural design and interior decoration in New Zealand.
Thu 10 Oct, 6-7pm, Leys Institute Library
Bookings essential.
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Design of Victorian Houses
Architectural designer and historian Edward Bennett presents an illustrated talk on how the arrival of the Europeans settlers helped shape the style and design of New Zealand houses.
Tue 8 Oct, 6.00pm-7.00pm, Leys Institute Library, 20 St Marys Road.
Bookings essential
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Victorian Gardens
Early European travellers to New Zealand introduced public gardens and green spaces during the Victorian era. This illustrated talk discusses domestic gardens and how European and colonial styles are reflected in garden design.
Tue 15 Oct, 6-7pm, Leys Institute Library, 20 St Marys Road
Bookings essential
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20th-Century Gardens
Many different plants species were introduced by European travellers to New Zealand in the 20th Century. Learn more about these plants and the changing trends in post-Victorian garden design and landscaping.
Thu 17 Oct, 6-7pm, Leys Institute Library, 20 St Marys Road
Bookings essential
Book online now – Click on the below button to instantly book your place.