Summer Weekends for Sunday 25 January 2026

 

9:05 The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is marching into Auckland 

In celebration of its 75th anniversary, the iconic Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is coming to Auckland for the first time - bringing more than one-thousand performers together at Eden Park for 'The Heroes Who Made Us'. When it last visited New Zealand in 2015, Wellington Stadium saw a full house - and this performance outside of Edinburgh is the first in a while. Susana speaks to the narrator for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Terrence Rae.

9:30 Anna Crichton on the pursuit of creativity 

Cartoonist, satirist, and ceramicist Anna Crichton shares how she moves between media in pursuit of creativity. 

9:45 It's Quiz Time! 

Each day on Summer Weekends we've been meeting quiz whizzes from around the motu who write their own questions. Paul Glennie - known also as Digger - has been writing quizzes for 14 years and puts teams through their paces each week at The Bond in Wellington. 

If you think you have the answers, text 2101 with the first correct answer will win a much coveted RNZ mug. 

10:10 Beaumont Boot Bash 

Love is in the Air all the way down in South Otago, where locals are gearing up for the return of the infamous Beaumont Boot Bash. A beloved rural singles event that began in 2010, it's a night of hilarity and fun, hosted at the Beaumont Hotel. After a 5-year hiatus, it's making a grand return with the help of event organiser Olivia Montgomery, who speaks to Susana. 

10:30 Safety update from Coastguard Hibiscus 

Coastguard is on track to double the number of emergency calls it has responded to this month compared to January 2025 – and is asking everyone to be prepared before hitting the water. Coastguard Hibiscus president Rachel Hessey says her all-volunteer team have rescued numerous boaties over the past few weeks, including a commercial fishing vessel which was towed back to shore. Rachel tells Susana some vital safety tools boaties should know.

10:47 Island roundup: Stewart Island 

Our final stop on our tour of New Zealand's outer islands is to Stewart Island! 

Emma Simpson-Boyce is a local who wears many hats - she joins Susana for a chat. 

11:10 Lower Hutt's House of Books

We've been touring New Zealand through the lens of second-hand bookshops this summer and our final destination is a sizeable store in Wellington's Lower Hutt. House of Books has been open in Waterloo for 23 years, but despite the name, it's not just books on his shelves. Shop owner Des Schollum joins Susana to talk about his life in books. 

11:30 Annabel Langbein serves up some summer treats 

Tomatoes and summerfruit are in abundance at this time of year – so cook, food writer and keen gardener Annabel Langbein joins Susana with some delicious meal ideas.

Annabel Langbein's Panzanella and Summer Fruit Sorbet recipes are on the RNZ Life area of the RNZ website. 

11:40 Island roundup: Kāpiti​ Island 

We're doing some island hopping on the programme, heading to a few of New Zealand's outer islands to find out what life is like there. We've done Great Barrier Island, the Chatham Islands and D'Urville Island. Today we're heading to two different islands! First up is Kāpiti Island.

Manaaki Barrett from Kāpiti Island Nature Tours joins Susana.