While known for its stunning natural landscapes, New Zealand also offers beauty of a different kind: one found in art.
While most people usually see New Zealand as the capital of extreme sport, the country also offers respite from everyday buzz, through its signature cultural attractions that make for a unique Kiwi experience.
Fast becoming a major artistic hub in the region, New Zealand offers Filipino culture vultures plenty of attractions in 2017. In particular, the country is hosting a number of art and culture-based events that feature and celebrate a national aesthetic that’s innovative, independent and celebrates diversity.
1.The Auckland Arts Festival
From March 8 – 26, New Zealand’s largest city will be buzzing with a huge range of performances during The Auckland Arts Festival (aaf.co.nz). From dance and poetry to visual arts and circus acts, the Festival performances draw audiences from around the world. It is festival director Carla van Zon’s last year after six years at the helm, so it is sure to be one of the biggest arts festivals in the southern hemisphere will go off with a bang.
2.Dunedin Street Art Trail
Famous for its Scottish heritage, student culture and bracing climate at the head of the Otago Harbour, Dunedin is also home to New Zealand‘s first public art gallery and art society. Artistic millennials will be wowed by the impressive wall murals all over the city. The Dunedin Street Art Trail (dunedinstreetart.com) alone has 25 murals and includes everything from the ferocious (now extinct) Haast’s eagle, the aforementioned tuatara and a painted pipe organ that sends native birds into the sky. Helping to preserve the city’s heritage buildings, the 90-minute walk meanders from the harbour to Queens Gardens.
3.Paepae in the Park
Nestled in the shadow of soaring Mount Taranaki, Patea comes alive every year on the weekend closest to Waitangi Day (February 6) with Paepae in the Park (facebook.com/paepaeinthepark). This festival, held behind the impressive Aotea Waka gateway, features everything from country music, R&B, reggae, pop and the beloved Patea Māori Club.
Featuring high-brow genres as well as popular art forms, New Zealand arts events are bound to provide a feast for any art enthusiast’s senses and provide a new window with which to experience Kiwi culture.