After the jump, let’s have a look at five cool things happening in Auckland this long weekend. Something for everyone, I think.

International Customs Day
25 January is International Customs Day. That’s as in the people who work on our borders, protecting our fair isles from teh evil drug traffickers. So the Maritime Museum is celebrating this, including a demonstration of drug- and bomb-detecting dogs, which sounds quite cool.

Aquatica Festival
Do you like water? I know I do. There’s quite a lot of water in Auckland – so much so that a whole festival has been dedicated to it. Centred around Waitemata Harbour, Aquatica is centred around the traditional Auckland Anniversary Regatta, but adds the fierce combination of fireworks, tall ships and Jordan Luck, (who is awesome).

V4 and Rotary Nationals 2008
At the heart of every rotary is a wankel engine, and you know what a wankel engine is from that time when you looked up rude words in the dictionary at school. So rotary enthusiasts from around Aotearoa will gather at the showgrounds on Saturday and Sunday and listen to each others’ cars go bap, bap bap. Also, there will be low-riders.

Peter Simpson discusses Colin McCahon
The New Gallery currently has an exhibition called Likeness & Character, all about portraiture by New Zealand artists. There’s a bit Colin McCahon section, and Peter Simpson (“academic, writer, and curator”) will be talking about these early McCahon works at 1pm on Sunday.

Music In Parks
The council is running their annual Music In Parks concert series. The selection on anniversary weekend has some lazy vibes at Waikehe’s Little Day In on Saturday, Whirimako Black doing bilingual jazz at the Wintergardens on Sunday, and Don McGlashan and pals at Coyle Park in Pt Chev on Sunday.

Get out there and enjoy yourselves.