You don’t have to be a gardener to appreciate the rose. In fact, having tried to grow the little blighters in the past I appreciate them more when I’m not having to tend then – they are a lot of work.

At Auckland Museum the exhibition Wonderland: The Magic of the Rose tells the story of the rose and the many ways it appears and is represented in our lives, from its growth and breeding it to its inclusion in poetry and fashion.

“Wonderland is about telling the stories of our favourite flowers in fun and accessible ways,” says Auckland Museum director, Dr Vanda Vitali. “The iconic image of the rose has infused itself with art, myth and legend since the dawn of civilization. This is a chance for Aucklanders of all ages to discover the rose’s allure in a unique setting.”

A programme of events including including panel discussions, Fabulous Fridays, a Midsummer Night’s Dream-themed performance and sleepovers for children accompanies the exhibition, which is on until 16 April. Entry is $8.00 for adults, children under 15 and Museum members are free.

Punk cabaret artist Amanda Palmer is a frequent visitor to our shores, initially as one half of The Dresden Dolls and more recently as a solo performer. She returns this month, and this time she’s very cleverly timed her tour so that she can be here at the same time as her fiance.

For those of you who don’t know, Amanda Palmer is engaged to author Neil Gaiman, who is giving a Town Hall Talk in Wellington as part of the NZ International Arts Festival. Palmer and Gaiman were amusingly described as “musician Amanda Palmer and guest” when they appeared on the red carpet at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, despite the fact that they were there because Gaiman was nominated for a Golden Globe as the author of Coraline. Which just goes to show that a little bit of fact checking never hurt.

Amanda Palmer is playing The Kings Arms on Wednesday 17 March, doors open at 8pm. Tickets are available from Under the Radar.

Hello there readers, let me introduce myself. I’m Selina, and I’m the newest contibutor to Aucklandista. I’ve lived in Auckland for 13 years and I love it. I also love shoes, science fiction and fluffy animals.

I’m a product of the ’80s – when I was a teenager George Michael was still straight (well as far as we knew anyway), Berlin was a city and a band, and former Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon guest starred as the narrator when The Rocky Horror Show toured New Zealand.

All that is far in the murky depths of the past now, or so I thought, but recently I’ve had the oddest feeling that I’ve stepped back into the ’80s again. Not only has the ever revolving wheel of fashion brought ’80s clothes back to the stores, but now it seems like every band who had a hit song or two back then has reformed and is touring. And actually, that’s fine by me. When Duran Duran played Vector Arena in 2008 I was there, singing along at the top of my lungs.

This year sees at least three big acts from the ’80s coming to New Zealand. Scottish group Simple Minds (whose lyrics thankfully are easier to understand than their indecipherable accents) play The Civic on Tuesday 30 March as part of a world tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Then on Thursday 29 April Tears for Fears and Spandau Ballet (who, if my circle of friends was anything to go by, were the subject of many a teenage girl’s daydreams) play a double bill at Vector Arena.

Simple Minds tickets can be purchased from The Edge, and Spandau Ballet/Tears for Fears tickets from Ticketmaster. And if you go to Spandau Ballet and some five foot tall chick is bouncing up and down behind the tall people and shouting “I love you Tony Hadley” at the top of her lungs it’s totally not me, honest.

Do you like dressing up crazy and having your photo taken, while drinking delicious punch and contributing to an art project? Then Maz Leyden at the Cross Street Studios totally has your number this Saturday, April 25:

Bring  fancy dress, silly props, contribution for punch & a sense of humour. There’s more information here.

Looking for something to do on Friday night?

Building on a series of summer shows, new Auckland band Rata & Sons is playing the Kings Arms on Friday 27 March with guest drummer Paul Roper (Mint Chicks) and country pyschadelic rockers Royal Falcon.

Rata & Sons describe themselves as “where Oasis and The Jam meet Cheap Trick and the Kings of Leon”, while Royal Falcon have “expansive lead guitar and dark narratives to create something pretty intense” so it sounds like a pretty interesting gig to check out.