Auckland's waterfront has a way of drawing people in, and from 13 to 15 March 2026 it will offer a particularly compelling reason to make the trip. The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival returns for its second edition, celebrating the craft of wooden boatbuilding and the deep seafaring traditions that have shaped this city. Expect the sound of caulking mallets at work, creaking rigging, and sea shanties drifting across the water.
Entry is free, and the festival is designed to welcome families as much as seasoned boating enthusiasts. Four venues, all linked along the waterfront, will form the heart of the event: the Viaduct Events Centre, Jellicoe Harbour, the New Zealand Maritime Museum, and the Percy Vos Heritage Boat Shed. Between them, they will host everything from on-water spectacle to maritime storytelling and hands-on workshops.
The inaugural 2024 festival drew 11,600 visitors and put more than 200 boats, models, and pieces of memorabilia on display. For 2026, organisers are pushing to grow the fleet further and build an even broader stage for the craftspeople, collectors, and everyday Aucklanders who share a passion for these vessels. Grand classic yachts, restored kauri launches, dinghies, waka, and home-built canoes are all expected to feature, with many open for tours so festivalgoers can step aboard some of New Zealand's most storied craft.
Tony Stevenson, Co-Director of the festival and Chair of the Tino Rawa Trust, is straightforward about the appeal. "This is a reason to be in Auckland that weekend," he says. "We not only expect our local classic boating community, but also Aucklanders from across the region, visitors from around New Zealand, and international enthusiasts."
The programme extends well beyond the boats themselves. Interactive displays, seminars, knot-tying and boatbuilding workshops will fill the schedule alongside music and food. At the Maritime Museum, a seminar and film series will take audiences from the traditions of Pacific voyaging through to the challenges of preserving New Zealand's classic fleet. Younger visitors will have the chance to try rowing or paddling and to learn some basic seamanship, while others browse books, stalls, and memorabilia at their own pace.
Nick Hill, Chief Executive at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, sees the festival as an integral part of Moana Auckland. "It reflects our commitment to showcasing the heritage and stories that connect us to the ocean, while providing a world-class experience for locals and visitors alike," he says.
New Zealand holds a notable distinction: it is home to the largest active fleet of classic yachts anywhere in the world. Many of those vessels have been brought back to life through the patient skill of local shipwrights working across generations. The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival places that living tradition at the centre of the conversation, tracing a line from early Māori voyaging through the celebrated Logan Brothers yachts of an earlier era and on to the sailors and restorers still doing the work today.
For a city that has always defined itself by its relationship with the sea, the 2026 festival shapes up as one of the standout events on the boating calendar.
