New ‘Talks and Tours’ days announced for 2025

The team behind the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival, in conjunction with the New Zealand Maritime Museum and the Moana Ocean Festival, are delighted to announce a program of ‘Wooden Boat Talks and Tours’ on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March 2025.

The Festival in 2024. Photo / Suellen Hurling

The offerings will delight and intrigue those with an interest in maritime history and the story of Auckland’s connection with the water’s edge.

The two-day speaker series includes topics such as the building of waka, navigation, Women at Sea, history, environmental and sustainability topics, and boat building.

Some of Auckland’s most notable classic boats will be available in the Viaduct for tours.

The new event follows in the footsteps of last year’s hugely successful Auckland Wooden Boat Festival which attracted more than 160 boats and 11,000 visitors in its first year. The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival itself will next be held in 2026.

The Talk and Tour days also coincide with the attendance of Ngataki, at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania. The boat is supported at the Festival by the Tino Rawa Trust, with a New Zealand contingent in attendance.

Ngataki is the one of the country’s most famous wooden boats, and was the subject of South Sea Vagabonds - Johnny Wray’s biographical account of losing his job in the Great Depression, building the boat, and sailing it to and from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. 

Follow the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival on Facebook or sign up for its newsletter at www.aucklandwoodenboatfestival.co.nz to be kept informed and updated as this event gets closer. 

The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival is part of Moana Auckland – New Zealand’s Ocean Festival. It is organised by members of the Tino Rawa Trust with the support of Perpetual Guardian, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, the New Zealand Maritime Museum to tell the story of Auckland’s maritime history from the early days of settlement through to today.

For more details about Moana Auckland, New Zealand’s Ocean Festival, click here