Top Reasons To Visit This Month’s Auckland Wooden Boat Festival

The countdown is on to the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival, returning to Auckland’s waterfront from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 March 2026.

Free to visit and perfect for the whole family, the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival is packed with hands-on experiences, heritage vessels and live demonstrations. The Viaduct Events Centre, Jellicoe Harbour, New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa and the historic Percy Vos Boat Yard will transform into a celebration of wooden boats, craftsmanship and community.

Part of Moana Auckland, New Zealand’s Ocean Festival, and proudly supported by Auckland Council Events, the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival is a celebration of Auckland’s deep connection to maritime heritage.

Here are the top reasons to make a day of it on the waterfront.

See wooden boatbuilding brought to life

Step inside the Percy Vos Boat Yard, Auckland’s oldest surviving wooden boatyard, and watch traditional boatbuilding come to life. See Māori and Pacific waka building as a living tradition, including the final stages of a waka hourua crafted by master carvers and artists. The New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School will build a kauri clinker Frostbite dinghy live on site offering a rare chance to see traditional techniques up close.

Along Halsey Street Wharf, boatbuilders will demonstrate steam bending, roving and small-boat construction from start to finish, while the Auckland Steam Engine Society fires up machinery from generations past.

Onshore highlights at the Viaduct Events Centre

The onshore programme is a festival favourite, and the Viaduct Events Centre will be buzzing all weekend long with live music, demonstrations and hands-on experiences.

Discover antique steam and outboard engines, knot-tying demonstrations, sailmaking and marine craftsmanship in action, and learn about boat building techniques and materials.

Model-making enthusiasts can admire intricate creations from makers across the country, while the Logan family collection of tools offers a glimpse into one of New Zealand’s most famous boatbuilding legacies.

Book lovers can browse a selection of marine must-reads and meet authors at Boat Books, much-loved New Zealand marine bookseller.

Get out on the water

The boats on the water are a major drawcard. With more than 200 vessels expected to make an appearance, you can do more than simply admire them from the shore.

Among them is Vega, the 1946 wooden ketch that became a global environmental protest icon, sailing to Mururoa Atoll in opposition to nuclear testing and later campaigning internationally as Greenpeace III.

Hop aboard the much-loved steam launch SS Puke for a one-way trip between the Maritime Museum and the festival hub (subject to capacity), try sailing with Hobsonville Yacht Club’s RS dinghies – part of their wider work supporting the Tagaloa Sailing Project and helping grow Pacific youth sailing – or watch Scout Cutters capture the spirit of times past.

For those wanting to extend the experience, the Maritime Museum is offering ticketed heritage sailings, including a special sunset cruise aboard the heritage boat Ted Ashby on Friday evening.

Fun for the whole whānau

The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival is welcoming, interactive and designed for all ages.

The popular Kids Zone, hosted by the New Zealand Maritime Museum at the Viaduct Events Centre, will feature crafts, story time sessions and interactive activities to keep curious minds and busy hands entertained.

Also at the Viaduct Events Centre, the Tāngata Moana Mātauranga pop-up exhibition invites you to explore Pacific oceanic connections and deepen your understanding of our shared relationship with the moana.

Learn something new

Across the weekend, a programme of short films, talks and seminars will share stories of navigation, restoration, maritime history and innovation.

Delivered in partnership with the New Zealand Maritime Museum, sessions are free (bookings required) and offer insight to the skills, traditions and passion that continue to shape wooden boat culture today.

Festival goers can also explore marine career pathways, including traditional trades to modern marine engineering, and talk directly with the people keeping these skills alive on board the Willian C Daldy.

About the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival 2026

Friday, 13 March, 4-8pm
Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 March, 10am-5pm
Viaduct Events Centre, Jellicoe Harbour, New Zealand Maritime Museum & Percy Vos Boat Yard
Free entry.
Find out more at: https://www.aucklandwoodenboatfestival.co.nz/

The festival is free to visit, with food, coffee and books available for purchase. Some sailings and special experiences are ticketed through the New Zealand Maritime Museum.

Full seminar programme lineup and tickets: https://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/events/auckland-wooden-boat-festival-or-seminar-programme

About Auckland Council Events

Auckland Council Events are events supported by the Auckland Council group, including local boards and council-controlled organisations, recognising events supported by Auckland ratepayer funding. This support can include investment, delivery or promotion of events, to bring our communities together, celebrate Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s identity and deliver social and economic benefits.

About Moana Auckland, New Zealand’s Ocean Festival

Moana Auckland, New Zealand’s Ocean Festival returns for its third edition from 28 February to 15 March 2026. Moana Auckland will deliver a unique line-up of events which capture the spirit of summer, the power of the ocean, and the cultural heartbeat of Tāmaki Makaurau. Find out more at: https://www.aucklandnz.com/moana

About Tātaki Auckland Unlimited

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited is Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s cultural, events and destination agency. It is an Auckland Council-controlled organisation that works to make Auckland a vibrant place to live and visit, through events, experiences and taonga (treasures). To find out more visit aucklandunlimited.com

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