High Street to the Hills Issue 24

EVENTS WORTH NOTING AROUND THE COUNTRY.

Words by Ann Warnock

Circus Oz

19 to 22 March, Trafalgar Square, Nelson

Fast paced with breathtaking acrobatic and trapeze action and a good dash of Aussie irreverence, live music, comedy and gags, this fizzing international act is part of the Summer in Nelson programme. Circus Oz has been going since 1978 and has recently been on a 30th Birthday Bash tour of Britain. Animals are not featured in the show. Phone (03) 546 0212, www.circusoz.co.nz

NZTrio – Vontasia Tour

29 March to 5 April, Wanganui, Napier, Whangarei

This musical ensemble gives an eclectic edge to a programme that includes Haydn, Mendelssohn, the work of two contemporary Chinese composers, Chen Yi and Mike Yuen, and the world premiere of a composition by New Zealand-based Indonesian musician Wayan Yudane. Violinist Justine Cormack, cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins joined forces in 2002. Two years later the group became the Ensemble in Residence at the University of Auckland and has never looked back. Phone TicketDirect 0800 224 224, www.nztrio.com

Taste of Auckland

19 to 22 March, Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland

It began in 2004 with Taste of London then spread across other English cities and to Ireland, South Africa, Dubai, Australia – and now it’s arrived in Auckland. Four days of gourmet delight will include offerings from top-nosh restaurants such as Clooney, Euro, Prego, Mudbrick and dine by Peter Gordon (where NZ Life & Leisure’s guest chef Ben Mills is in charge). Each elite eatery featured will produce tasting-sized portions of three of its signature dishes while fine wines, champers and specialty beers are all part of this glorious gastronomic fix. Phone (09) 360 8500, www.tasteofauckland.co.nz

Allan Wilson Centre Lecture Series

23 March to 20 April, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North and Auckland

In recognition of the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, the Allan Wilson Centre has themed its 2009 lecture series “Human Evolution”. Speakers will be Jack Harris, Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University in New Jersey and Lisa Matisoo-Smith, a professor of Anthropology at the University of Auckland, who will talk about her research studying Pacific migration and Maori settlement. www.allanwilsoncentre.ac.nz

My Brilliant Divorce

26 March to 11 April, Downstage Theatre, Wellington

Back by popular demand, Kiwi acting treasure Ginette McDonald stars in the return season of a witty, comical, heart-wrenching one-woman tour de force. She plays Angela, dumped by her accountant husband for a younger model, who finds herself washed up with the dog and rock-bottom self-confidence. She bumps up against sneaky solicitors, strange sexual encounters, the spectre of poverty and a dose of hypochondria. Should she fight for hubby or move on? Phone (04) 801 6946, www.downstage.co.nz

Carricktown Crusher

4 April, Bannockburn

Drink in sweeping views of Cromwell, Lake Dunstan and distant Alexandra and glimpse the derelict gold-mining towns of Carricktown and Quartzville while hurtling around a 31km course in deepest Central Otago. The bike race starts and finishes at the Bannockburn Hotel. The track is rough and rocky in parts – more challenging farm track than groomed city ride. A 1000m climb is rewarded with around 15km of glorious downhill. Phone 0274 849 424, www.cromwell.org.nz

Auckland Art Fair 09

1 to 3 May, Viaduct Harbour

This exciting show is packaged as the country’s première visual arts event where contemporary art production is in the spotlight. It comprises 40 solo, curated exhibitions from a contingent of leading galleries across Aotearoa and Australia. Twice-daily panel discussions by leading art commentators, a sculpture court, a commissioned installation, guided tours, on-site talks from artists, a café and a selection of bars create a fascinating ambience. Phone (09) 361 1000, www.aucklandartfair.co.nz

National Jazz Festival

9 to 13 April, Tauranga

Tauranga is pulling out all the stops for this 47-year-old jazz jam. The Blind Boys of Alabama have been secured as the top act, a central-city location will be converted into a look-alike New Orleans French Quarter jazz village, 12 stages will be in full swing and a Mississippi jazz riverboat will cruise the harbour. The festival programme is bursting with
barber-shop quartets, buskers and big-name jazz blasts including Shaken Not Stirred, The Alibis and the Darcy Perry Band. Phone (07) 577 7018, www.jazz.org.nz

The Italian Girl in Algiers

New Zealand Opera, 9 May to 6 June, Wellington/Auckland

Rossini’s spicy comic opera, described as having more impossible twists than a daytime soap, is the perfect “recession fix” and even better because New Zealand-born, London-based mezzo soprano Wendy Dawn Thompson is returning to sing the role of Isabella. Rossini wrote the fast-moving comedy of errors when he was only 21 and 300 years later his quick-witted, independent heroine is as relevant as ever. Battles of the sexes and clashes of culture against a backdrop of strict societal rules make this a delicious brew. Phone (04) 384 4434, www.nzopera.co.nz

The 5th Middlemarch Singles Ball

11 April, Middlemarch

Four years ago, the locals in this tiny Otago township held a ball in the hope of attracting a nurse or two into their neighbourhood. Since then their mission to entice “Misses” to Middlemarch has burgeoned into a sizzling sell-out singles ball billed as the matchmaker event of the year. The Taieri Gorge Railway (or Love Train) provides safe passage for ball-goers who flock from Dunedin to enjoy the romance in the Middlemarch air. Phone (03) 474 3300, www.middlemarch.co.nz

Look South – works by Clare Plug

9 May to 6 September, Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery, Napier

Applied-art and quilting artist Clare Plug is a recent recipient of Creative New Zealand’s Artists in Antarctica residency programme. In a series of 15 quilts, Clare teases out the relationships between human culture and the icy continent which she describes as “a time capsule, an ark and an early-warning station”. The exhibition also includes a series of banners reflecting the culture of fabric and textiles in Antarctic history. Phone (06) 835 7781, www.hbmag.co.nz