Splore Music Festival Makes Top 25 Auckland Events

It’s known as New Zealand’s leading alt-lifestyle festival with artists and attendants alike participating to mould three days of unfettered creativity and joyful artistic celebration. Now Splore has been named by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development as one of 25 major Auckland events coming up in 2015/2016.

ATEED chief executive Brett O’Riley said of the top events, “All the events we sponsor on behalf of Auckland Council must align with the aspirations of Auckland’s Major Events Strategy – bringing new money into Auckland and enhancing the region’s liveability, helping to make Aucklanders proud of who they are and where they live by making Auckland more interesting and exciting.”

It’s no wonder then that Splore made the list - when it comes to interesting and exciting, the biennial fest is ahead of the pack: constantly innovating and inviting its participants to do the same. If the sound of a Kiwi counterculture music and arts festival catches your fancy, we have a few tips on how best to prepare for Splore 2016.

The event is held in Tapapakanga Regional Park, about an hour’s drive east of Auckland Airport. To save yourself the hassle of setting up camp and having to go through the whole annoying packing down business when the festival’s over, you can pick up an Auckland airport campervan rental and head straight from there to the Auckland Region’s beautiful east coast. An attractive coastal farm park, Tapapakanga offers an easily accessible beach fringed with pohutukawa trees and is hemmed in by the Hunua Ranges to the west and the Firth of Thames to the east. 

Pre-booking for reserved campervan sites isn’t available quite yet (watch this space) but tickets are available now and can be upgraded to include a campervan site when the details for those sites are released. 

As for what there is to experience once you get there… anyone who’s been to Splore will tell you that it’s an absolutely unforgettable three days: music, performance, visual art, tasty local cuisine - and if you want to get involved, you can! In fact if you’re the arty type, Splore is currently accepting applications for DJs, performance artists and creatives of all stripes who want to put themselves out there and make the festival even more amazing.

Although it’s a pretty easy going fest, there are a few things you should know before you turn up:

• No BYO alcohol. There are bars on site where you can go to enjoy a few drinks, but bringing your own is strictly forbidden.

• No glass. Mainly for health and safety reasons, glass is not allowed at Splore. If you plan on bringing food, drink or anything else that’s in a glass container, please store it in a plastic alternative before you arrive.

• Splore is smokefree. Out of respect for your fellow festival goers, please refrain from lighting up.

Aside from that - the gates open at 8am on Friday with entertainment kicking off around midday, and the last acts will finish up at about 4pm on Sunday - all attendees need to be packed up and on their way by 7pm. 

The fact that Splore been placed alongside huge events like New Zealand Fashion Week and the New Zealand International Film Festival only serves to reinforce how big the cultural impact of this event really is. For those who want to get right in the midst of a life changing New Zealand festival, you would be very hard pressed indeed to do better than Splore.

Fancy starting your campervan roadtrip somewhere else in Aotearoa? Check out the options available for your Campervan hire NZ. Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown are a popular starting point for longer roadtrips, and a great place to start your motorhome adventure.