Upcoming Workshops & Activities
What's on in March
The seasons are starting to turn but there are still sunny days ahead at Howick Historical Village!
Bring a picnic and explore the site. Discover how summer produce was preserved for the winter months ahead in our 'Late Summer Harvest Trail'. Have a go at crafts and old-fashioned outdoor games.
Interactive demos with costumed guides take place on the weekends:
Saturdays - RAG RUGS drop in from 11am-12:30pm
Sundays - BUTTER CHURNING at 11am
Free with admission. No booking required.
Flower Pressing Workshop
Step back in time and discover the delicate Victorian art of flower pressing at Howick Historical Village.
Explore the gardens, gather flowers and foliage, and learn how to press and preserve them as keepsakes, just as the Victorians once did. Historical interpreter Ruth Page will guide you through the process and share tips for the best results.
📅 Dates:
• Saturday 21 March
• Saturday 28 March
• Saturday 11 April
• Saturday 18 April
⏰ 1:30–3:30pm
💲 Cost:
$28 (bring your own heavy book)
$42 (flower press included – yours to keep)
🎟 Includes entry to explore the Village (open 10am–4pm)
📩 Bookings essential – places are limited
A relaxing, creative afternoon surrounded by history and gardens — perfect for nature lovers and craft enthusiasts alike
Bookbinding Workshop
Discover the art of book making and make a hand-bound, hardcover book of your own in this comprehensive introductory workshop at Howick Historical Village. Run by expert bookmakers at the Auckland Regional Bindery based on site, you will be guided through the process of making a beautiful compact notebook, fully bound in bookcloth, including a small A7 flip pad and integrated pencil. Learn the basics on tools and materials, terminology, different styles of binding, structure of paper, grain, grammage, paper handling, repair principles and more. This course is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the art of book crafts and leads on other workshops run by the Auckland regional Bindery. Membership to the Association of Book Crafts allows free use of the bindery and invitation to members-only training and classes throughout the year.
All materials are provided. A half-hour break is included (bring lunch or visit the onsite café). $40 Bookings essential. Places are limited. Book via Eventfinda.
February Summer at the Village
Summer days continue at Howick Historical Village! Bring a picnic and explore the site. Have a go at old fashioned outdoor games or our summer orienteering challenge.
Throughout February, interactive demonstrations with our costumed guides bring everyday Victorian life to life at 11am each day. Discover traditional skills and seasonal tasks including butter making, seed saving, rope making, candle making, butter churning, and wash day.
Everyday in February at 11am!
Tuesdays CYANOTYPE PRINTING
Wednesdays WASH DAY
Thursdays ROPE MAKING
Fridays BUTTER CHURNING
Saturdays CANDLE MAKING
Sundays BUTTER CHURNING
These daily demonstrations are free with admission, and no booking is required — just turn up and enjoy a taste of summer as it was in the 1800s.
January Summer at the Village
Pack a picnic and gather your friends and whānau for a relaxed summer day at Howick Historical Village. Enjoy the gardens, try your hand at old-fashioned outdoor games, or take on our self-guided summer orienteering challenge as you explore the village.
Throughout January, interactive demonstrations with our costumed guides bring everyday Victorian life to life at 11am each day. Discover traditional skills and seasonal tasks including butter making, seed saving, rope making, candle making, butter churning, and wash day.
Everyday in January at 11am!
Tuesdays BUTTERMAKING
Wednesdays SEED SAVING TOUR
Thursdays ROPE MAKING
Fridays CANDLE MAKING
Saturdays BUTTER CHURNING
Sundays WASH DAY
These daily demonstrations are free with admission, and no booking is required — just turn up and enjoy a taste of summer as it was in the 1800s.
Bookbinding Workshop - Auckland Regional Bindery
Learn the art of handmade bookbinding in this introductory workshop at Howick Historical Village. Led by expert bookmakers from the on-site Auckland Regional Bindery, participants will create a Crisscross-bound hardcover book—an inventive binding style developed in the 1980s.
The course covers tools, materials, terminology, paper structure and handling, binding styles, repair basics and more—an ideal foundation for anyone interested in book crafts, with pathways to further workshops. Joining the Association of Book Crafts provides free bindery access and members-only training.
All materials included. Half-hour lunch break (bring food or visit the café). Workshop tickets also include entry to the Village Live Day “History in the Baking.”
Bookings essential. Limited spaces.
Butter Making
Step back in time at Historical Village, when everything was homemade and homegrown and sustainability was a way of life.
Experience some of the hard work done every day. Roll up your sleeves to help churn cream into butter in a hands-on demonstration with a costumed guide!
Taste the butter afterwards on crackers!
Explore 30 historic buildings and the beautiful heritage gardens on the 7-acre site. Bring a picnic or grab something from the Homestead cafe. Make a day of it!
Free with admission to the Village. Admission: adult $16, senior/student $13, child $8.
Dates: Sunday 13 April at 11am
Flower Pressing Workshop
Explore the gardens and discover the delicate art of flower-pressing in the beautiful setting of the Howick Historical Village!
A favourite pastime of the Victorians, flowers, foliage, and ferns were pressed and preserved as keepsakes or collectibles, then displayed in albums or used as embellishments.
Historical interpreter Ruth Page will guide you through the process and share tips for the best results.
📗 Bring along a heavy hardcover book to use as a press. Or for an extra cost, a flower press will be provided that is yours to keep!
Bookings are essential as places are limited.
Cost $25 (no press) or $40 (press included).
Includes entry to explore the Village on the day. Open 10am-4pm.
Not suitable for children under 14.
Beeswax Candle Making
Step back in time at Historical Village, where everything was homemade and homegrown—when sustainability was simply a way of life.
Gain insight into the daily work of the past and take part in a hands-on historical candle-making demonstration with a costumed guide. Meet the bees and craft your own candle from a beeswax sheet.
Explore 30 historic buildings and stroll through beautiful heritage gardens across the 7-acre site. Enjoy outdoor games and crafts to keep the little ones entertained. Bring a picnic or grab a bite at the Homestead Café. Make a day of it!
Admission:
Historical Village entry: Adults $16 | Seniors/Students $13 | Children $8
Candle-making experience: $5 per person
Dates for Candle Making experience: Saturday 5 April & Saturday 12 April
Butter Making
Step back in time at Historical Village, when everything was homemade and homegrown and sustainability was a way of life.
Experience some of the hard work done every day. Roll up your sleeves to help churn cream into butter in a hands-on demonstration with a costumed guide!
Taste the butter afterwards on crackers!
Explore 30 historic buildings and the beautiful heritage gardens on the 7-acre site. Bring a picnic or grab something from the Homestead cafe. Make a day of it!
Free with admission to the Village. Admission: adult $16, senior/student $13, child $8.
Dates: Sunday 6 April & Sunday 13 April at 11am
Beeswax Candle Making
Step back in time at Historical Village, where everything was homemade and homegrown—when sustainability was simply a way of life.
Gain insight into the daily work of the past and take part in a hands-on historical candle-making demonstration with a costumed guide. Meet the bees and craft your own candle from a beeswax sheet.
Explore 30 historic buildings and stroll through beautiful heritage gardens across the 7-acre site. Enjoy outdoor games and crafts to keep the little ones entertained. Bring a picnic or grab a bite at the Homestead Café. Make a day of it!
Admission:
Historical Village entry: Adults $16 | Seniors/Students $13 | Children $8
Candle-making experience: $5 per person
Dates for Candle-making experience: Saturday 5 April & Saturday 12 April
