Auckland Anniversary Day
Auckland Anniversary Day is the provincial anniversary day for the North Island of New Zealand and, as such, is a public holiday in that area. This holiday is usually scheduled to land on the Monday closest to January 29th.
New Zealand (Local holiday) - AUK, BOP, GIS, HKB*, MWT*, WKOIt is observed on this date because that is when William Hobson first arrived in the country in 1840. Hobson had established this holiday in 1842—although he himself said that he proclaimed British Sovereignty in New Zealand on January 30th, not the 29th. Regardless, it has been observed on the Monday closest to January 29th ever since.
The History of Auckland Anniversary Day
This holiday was established after William Hobson became Governor. In 1842, he signed a proclamation that made Saturday the 29th the second anniversary of the colony’s founding.
This made this day a general holiday on which all public offices would be closed. When this day was created, it was set up to land on the Saturday closest to January 29th if it fell on a Sunday. Now, the holiday is observed on the Monday closest to January 29th.
Observing Auckland Anniversary Day
Auckland Anniversary Day is a holiday weekend that has so many events happening at the same time; it’s almost impossible to list all of them in one holiday article, although we’re going to give it a try. One of the main events of this holiday is the Auckland Anniversary Regatta—the largest regatta in the world with classic yachts competing in almost 40 different races.
Around this time, the Chinese New Year Festival and Market Day are sometimes held on this weekend. Other events held during this weekend include the See Port Festival, Auckland International Buskers Festival, and the Auckland Folk Festival. People also use the hashtag #AucklandAnniversaryDay to spread the word about this constellation of events on social media.
New Zealand (Local holiday) - AUK, BOP, GIS, HKB*, MWT*, WKO
