[As published in March/April BayBuzz.]

Summer’s officially finished. Art Deco, the wine festivals, the winery concerts and the holiday festivities completed and boxed up and tucked away for another year. But that doesn’t mean the fun is done and doesn’t mean it’s time to start hibernating. The next few months offer some fantastic events. So get out your diary and read on for our suggestions …

BLACK CAPS VS PAKISTAN, ODI
March 29 at McLean Park

What’s better than a day at the cricket?! We don’t get a good One Dayer too often in Napier, so make the most of it and take the day off work to sit in the sun and back the Black Caps. Match starts at 11am and tickets are at tickets.nzc.nz

BRIDGE PA SCULPTURE TRAIL 
March 14 – April 11 at Paritua Winery 

Presented by Arts Inc Heretaunga and Paritua Winery, and timed to slot in with FAWC, the inaugural Bridge Pa Sculpture Trail brings outdoor art back to the west side of Hastings. 

The trail will feature 25 curated installations from 15 of New Zealand’s leading sculptors, including local artists Asaki Kajima, Ben Pearce, and Ricks Terstappen. Works by Jane Downes, Oriah Rapley and Metal Metcalfe will travel from celebrated Auckland event Sculpture in the Gardens. 

Picture strolling through sculptural installations, visiting the Paritua cellar door, perhaps enjoying a platter by Havelock North favourite Deliciosa, all under the big skies of the Bridge Pa Triangle. 

We suggest planning your visit to take in a few tastings at neighbouring wineries too, and if you’re there on a weekend day, check out the Cellar Door Collective at Radburnd Cellars (in the stables on Ngatarawa Road). If you’re looking to entertain kids, the Sculpture Trail is having Sunday family days each weekend, where children can engage in scavenger hunts and kid-friendly art stations, ensuring an enjoyable outing for all ages. 

All funds raised will support Arts Inc. Heretaunga, a registered charity dedicated to delivering inspiring creative experiences to Hawke’s Bay communities. Tickets at Eventfinda 

HAUS OF YOLO
May 30 at Toitoi 

We’re in for a treat at Toitoi – Party cabaret. Live sewing. World class circus.

For one night only, head designer of renowned fashion label HAUS of YOLO (and part-time conman) Welt Couture will create their ‘Hastings’ collection live on stage. 

Brought to you by Aotearoa’s most daring circus theatre company The Dust Palace, and coming off sell-out seasons across the country, this ridiculously fun and silly show promises to burst open at the seams with stunning acrobatics and banging party tunes.

Tickets at toitoivenues.co.nz

PECHA KUCHA – DEMENTIA UNCOVERED: STORIES, SCIENCE AND NEW PERSPECTIVES
April 1 at Toitoi

The first of three or four Pecha Kucha Nights for 2025 promises something unique. Different from the usual offering of 7-10 speakers on varied and random topics, this one is themed around dementia and will be run in collaboration with Toitoi. The Tuesday PK event leads nicely into the Friday evening production of In Other Words (see right).

With dementia and memory loss touching more lives than ever, the idea here is to shine a light on dementia from every angle—the personal, the clinical, the spiritual, and beyond.

Details at facebook.com/pechakuchahb

REB FOUNTAIN – ‘HOW LOVE BENDS’
April 12 at MTG Century Theatre

To celebrate the release of the new album How Love Bends, Reb Fountain and her full band – Dave Khan (guitar/keys), Karin Canzek (bass), and Earl Robertson (drums) – is on tour. Their Hawke’s Bay stop in the beautiful MTG Century Theatre will be a typically spellbinding experience. We love Reb in the Bay, mostly thanks to the numerous invitations and special evenings we’ve had through Jamie Macphail and the Small Hall Sessions over the years, and it sounds like we’re going to love this album too. 

IN OTHER WORDS
April 4 at Toitoi

Here’s an opportunity to see a poignant and powerful piece of theatre showcasing two of New Zealand’s finest dramatic talents, as acclaimed real-life couple Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst share the stage in a two-hander for the first time.

In Other Words tells the story of Arthur and Jane, whose lifelong love is threatened by the gradual onset of Alzheimer’s. 

Written by award-winning UK playwright Matthew Seager, the play has won four Moliere awards for its writing and its sensitive and respectful portrayal of Alzheimer’s. 

Tickets at toitoivenues.co.nz

HIGHLIGHTS AT TE WHARE TOI O HERETAUNGA
HASTINGS CITY ART GALLERY
Two exhibitions are running in conjunction until May 17th:

Wā We Can’t Afford: Heidi Brickell

Heidi Brickell was Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings Art Gallery’s inaugural visiting artist, spending six weeks in residence during late 2024 and this exhibition has grown out of that experience. Her installation features whakairo and kōwhaiwhai, sculpture and painting, and responds to the unique geometry of the gallery’s architecture, and the significance of the climate and bodies of water in orienting herself in Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay. 

Photographing the Pacific Sisters: Vivienne Haldane

The Pacific Sisters, a groundbreaking art and fashion collective of Pasifika and Māori creatives, have been photographed by Vivienne Haldane over decades. This exhibition focuses on her close work with Nephi Tupaea, Suzanne Tamaki, and Rosanna Raymond. The exhibition bridges three distinct moments – the striking black-and-white photographs of the group shot around Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, the vivid colour images from their participation in the 1994 World of Wearable Art (WOW) event in Whakatū Nelson, and the more recent 2022 series, shot in the Pekapeka Wetlands, featuring the Heretaunga-based artist and longtime member of the Pacific Sisters Nephi Tupaea.

ASICS RUNAWAY HAWKE’S BAY MARATHON 
May 17 

Choose your own adventure – if you’re not up to the big one, there’s also the La Roche Posay Half Marathon and a 10km option, plus a 3km fun run for kids. It’s known as a scenic route, taking in a unique mix of running terrain, with a combination of on-road and hard-packed limestone through orchards and past vineyards. The full marathon starts at Anderson Park, while the others leave from Clive, and all distances finish up at the coast, with Elephant Hill hospitality and those gorgeous sea views as a reward. 

Sign up if you haven’t already, or check details so you can support energetic loved ones at hawkesbaymarathon.co.nz 

HIGHLIGHTS AT MTG HAWKE’S BAY

We reckon the exhibitions to see at MTG Hawke’s Bay over the autumn months, whether on your own for some quiet contemplation, or with a bunch of visitors to town, are these: 

The Light Shone Clear: History. Perspectives. Art. 

Check out some of our collective treasures from the permanent collection, curated to make sense of times and events that have shaped our region and the country as a whole. On until April 27. 

Pūrākau o Te Whenua It’s only on until the end of March and it’s an exploration of the legends and tales of Te Matau-a-Māui, Hawke’s Bay. Learn the stories behind the special names of our hills, mountains, rivers, and streams. 

Kuru Taonga: Voices of Kahungunu Also finishing at the end of March, here’s a chance to learn about the people and places of Ngāti Kahungunu, and Kahungunu himself – the peaceful man, a producer, provider, protector and diplomat.