The Auckland Seafood Festival: Seafood Galore
Savour and celebrate the fruits of the sea at the Auckland Seafood Festival, 24, 25 and 26 January 2009. This exciting annual celebration is moving to a new location on the wharf surrounded by water at the Halsey Street Wharf Extension. This now annual Auckland Anniversary Weekend event allows visitors to soak up the nautical atmosphere of this busy working port where fresh seafood is landed and sold nearby.
The 2009 Festival will be a true indulgence of the 5 senses. It will be bigger and better in every way and will run over three days with plenty of entertainment and educational and cultural 
attractions to complement the array of delicious fresh seafood. Fish filleting and oyster shucking skills will be put to the test on a special competition stage.
Great live music from some of New Zealand’s best loved bands will add to the mix. Chill out or get up and dance to the summery sounds of Tahuna Breaks, Batacuda Sound Machine, Ben Lumus and Union.
One of the most fun aspects of the Festival is the greasy pole competition where members of the commercial fishing fleet attempt to walk a well greased telegraph pole over the water, most inevitably end up in the drink much to the delights of crowds.
The Auckland Seafood Festival celebrates the fishing crews and their catches and commemorates those lost at sea with the multi-denominational Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, a moving event with a choir and the scattering of flower buds into the sea.
The air on the Halsey Street Wharf Extension will be filled with enticing aromas. Organisers have expanded the food options and themed them in geographic areas with traditional cultural and entertainment accompaniments adding to the carnival atmosphere. Visitors can 
stroll through a mini Asia feasting on delicious dishes such as Thai steamed fish with rice, Thai fish cake, seafood mix, fish balls, crab balls, prawn money bags, prawn curry puffs, seafood soup etc. The mini Pacific Island area will offer a chance to try some tropical raw fish delicacies will contrast with European dishes such as paella, French crepes and gelato. From the rest of the world everything from ice cream to jumbo mussel fritters, 
seafood kebabs, seared tuna, whitebait fritters and salmon burgers will tempt the palate whilst the more adventurous festival goers might be keen to sample some sea vegetables, kina and kelp.
To offer an even greater opportunity for festival goers, admission to the 2009 Auckland Seafood Festival will cost just $10 if purchased in advance. Gate sales at the Auckland Anniversary Weekend event will be only $15.
Tickets are on sale now through ticketmaster and would make an ideal Christmas gift. With the new Auckland Anniversary Weekend dates, organisers recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment in case the event is a sell-out. Visit www.ticketmaster.co.nz
Proceeds from the Auckland Seafood Festival will go towards several charities. The Rotary Club of Auckland East Inc will use money raised to fight the ‘P’ scourge that is wrecking the lives of users and their families and damaging the workplace. Funds will go to a new trust which will fund education in secondary schools and work places and inform youth and families of the dangers of the use of methamphetamine.
Useful Information
Editorial and images courtesy of Auckland Seafood Festival