NAU MAI, HAERE MAI, WELCOME TO WHIRINAKI WHARE TAONGA. Plan your visit, buy tickets, and discover what's on here.
Current Exhibitions
Nugent Welch: Sketches from the Trenches
4 Apr 2026 - 12 Jul 2026
Explore the work of Nugent Welch, one of New Zealand's first 'war artists'.
25 Apr 2026 - 2 Aug 2026
Delve into the realm of Rūaumoko, the atua of volcanoes and earthquakes, and the youngest child of Ranginui and Papatūānuki.
24 Dec 2025 - 9 Aug 2026
Welcome to the colourful and creative world of board games at Whirinaki.
7 Mar 2025 - 17 Oct 2026
'Bodgies to Bogans' tells the story of the juvenille delinquency and teenager rebellion of the 1950s to the Bogans of the 1980s.
What's On?
5 Jun 2026 | 8.00pm
Tickets from $20.00
Prepare for a wild, laugh-out-loud ride where biting satire meets theatrical wizardry. This gloriously funny solo tour de force follows a man hilariously losing face - and everything else - in his desperate (and ridiculous) quest to stay relevant.
Hilarious Comedy Hypnosis Show
25 June 2026 | 7.00pm
Tickets from $50.00
As seen on Seven Sharp (TVNZ) and going viral on TikTok, Comedy Hypnotist Haiming Jiang brings his hit Comedy Hypnosis Show to Upper Hutt!
26 Jul 2026 | 8.00pm
Tickets from $25.00
A psychedelic exotic jazz band featuring vibraphone, tuba, harmonica, pan flute and more – all brought to life against a stunning backdrop of hand-drawn animations.
15 Aug 2026 | 7.30pm
Tickets from $25.00
Renowned for his electrifying live shows, Ash Grunwald has inspired a generation to hit the road in an old van to ‘surf by day jam by night’.
Part troubadour, part storyteller-Ash has been selling out shows all over the world!
Classical Expressions 2026
30 Apr 2026 - 8 Oct 2026
Experience the treasure of music through six concerts, spread throughout the year, featuring the best of Classical music.
18 Jun 2026 | 7.30pm
Tickets from $35.00
This programme explores how composers from different times and cultures paint their worlds in sound.
As an internationally celebrated concert pianist, Dr. Jian Liu has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.
The Elouan Quartet with Bridget Douglas
16 Jul 2026 | 7.30pm
Tickets from $35.00
“Mata-Au” This programme moves between the rich Romantic lyricism of Amy Beach and Arther Foote, the contemporary fluidity of Salina Fisher’s Mata-Au (inspired by the Clutha River), and the rhythmic energy of Alberto Ginastera’s folk-infused Impresiones de la Puna.
3 Sep 2026 | 7.30pm
Tickets from $35.00
Hungarian cellist Balázs Dolfin and Chinese-New Zealand pianist Tony Chen Lin share a deep musical rapport rooted in diverse cultural traditions.
Download a copy of the Whirinaki Whare Taonga Seasons Brochure for July - December 2026