Newlands

Free Puppet Shows and Workshops for the Summer!

Stephen Clothier

This summer, we are lucky to be joined by not one, but two prestigious puppeteering theatre companies — Birdlife Productions and String Bean Puppets — bringing us 8 free shows at our libraries and community centres! Read on to find out more.

Box of Birds! with Birdlife Productions

Peter and his new friends in Box of Birds! Photo: Supplied

The magic begins this week, with the exquisite puppet show Box of Birds from Birdlife Productions. This beautiful show features hand-crafted puppets, interactive songs, and percussion, and tells the story of Peter and his Grandma as they build a nesting box for Ruru – but Peter must learn to be patient and wait to discover who will eventually nest in his ‘box of birds’!

The show lasts for 30 minutes and is perfect for tamariki aged 3-6 with their caregivers, but older and younger siblings are very welcome.

Dates and Locations:

Flutter: Puppet Show and Workshop with String Bean Puppets

Pepe and Titi flying in Flutter! Photo: Dianna Thomson//TAHI Festival 2023

Join Anna Bailey of String Bean Puppets for this mesmerising puppet show and workshop during the holidays! Experience the magic of puppetry in Flutter, an expowering and delightful show for young audiences about a bat who is afraid of the dark making friends with a glowworm who thinks she is a star.

The show is followed by a shadow puppetry workshop where tamariki can explore a world of shadows, learning how to create magical and beautiful shadow puppet creatures using natural materials, as well as building their own upcycled shadow box to take home.

The Flutter puppet show lasts for 40 minutes and is perfect for tamariki aged 4-10 with their caregivers. The shadow puppet workshop last for 45 minutes and is most suitable for tamariki aged 6-10, but younger siblings are welcome to participate with help from their caregivers.

Dates and Locations:

Ngā mihi to the Creative Communities Scheme from Creative NZ for making it possible for us to share these experiences with you for free.

Nau mai — everyone is welcome!

Te Ara Pukapuka at Waihinahina Park Newlands

Stephen Clothier

Earlier this year, some of you might have visited Te Ara Pukapuka, whether at Kilbirnie Park during the Winter, Khandallah Park during Autumn, or at Churchill Park in Seatoun over the Summer.

The Spring instalment of Te Ara Pukapuka (The Book Pathway) has now arrived at Waihinahina Park in Newlands, complete with a new pukapuka for tamariki to read as they play and explore! Follow each page from one to the next as you wander through the park, taking in the gorgeous sights and listening to the calls of tūī and pīwakawaka as you do.

Did you know that there are over 20 names for the fantail in different dialects of te reo Māori? Some of our librarians grew up calling them pīwakawaka, while others called them pīwaiwaka, tīraireka, or even kōtuitui. You can explore some of the different names using Te Aka Māori Dictionary!

Pages of a book sit on a post, near a bench, overlooking the Wellington harbour

Read a wonderful pukapuka while you take in the beautiful views!


We have partnered with our friends in the Wellington City Parks, Sport & Recreation team, Newlands and Tawa Community Centres, and publisher Scholastic New Zealand to bring you a fabulous bilingual story — Flit the Fantail and the Flying Flop / Ko Flit, Te Tīrairaka te Rerenga i Hē, written and illustrated by Kat Quin, and translated into te reo Māori by Ngaere Roberts. By the time you reach the end of the trail, you will have found the last page of the pukapuka!

We are grateful to be able to share such a beautiful story about native manu at this joyous time of year! Te Ara Pukapuka begins near the end of Ladbrooke Drive, Newlands (find the entrance on Google Maps). The path will take you past some stunning views of the coast and the quarry. Be aware that Waihinahina Park is a popular dog-walking area, so be prepared to meet some kurī on your travels!

There used to be a landfill at this location, which means that there is a chance you may spot some waste that has worked its way to the surface while you explore. Please don’t remove this, but think of it as a reminder that we should all do our best to recycle and be mindful to keep as much waste out of our landfills as possible.

Pages of a story sit on a post, hills in background.

Te Ara Pukapuka awaits intrepid explorers!


Ngā mihi to the fabulous team at Scholastic for their support! Flit the Fantail and the Flying Flop / Ko Flit, Te Tīrairaka te Rerenga i Hē is available to borrow from our libraries, and to buy from all good bookstores.

Click, Make, Build and Create during the School Holidays

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Children#27s events image SMALLStart planning now because the next school holidays are not very far away at all!

During the October Holidays Wellington Libraries will be running lots of free, fun activities around science, technology and engineering.

Have a go at some new apps and tech, build something amazing, create a video clip… and more! It’s all free, and perfect for 6-12 year olds.

 

 

Here’s the when and where:

School Holidays Image WORDS ONLY

Island Bay Community Centre: Wednesday 30 September, 1pm

Johnsonville Library: Wednesday 30 September, 2pm

Ruth Gotlieb Library (Kilbirnie): Thursday 1 October, 2pm

Newlands Community Centre: Tuesday 6 October, 2pm

Karori Library: Tuesday 6 October, 10am

Central Library: Wednesday 7 October, 11am

Mervyn Kemp Library (Tawa): Thursday 8 October, 11am

Newtown Library: Thursday 8 October, 2pm