The Civic Theatre

The Civic was restored to its original glory and reopened on its 70th anniversary, 20th December 1999, after two years of work. An earnestly embellished recreation of the 1929 original flamingo curtain was created during the renovation of the theatre. The stars in The Civic auditorium’s famous night sky, which were created with tiny light bulbs in 1929 are now 1,000 purpose-designed fibre optic light-heads. After the restoration, a very important scene from Peter Jackson’s movie “King Kong” was shot in The Civic in 2005.

The Civic is internationally significant as the largest standing atmospheric theatre in all of Australasia. It is of immense national significance as the first purpose-built cinema of its kind in New Zealand. The historical significance of the building lies in the fact that it was responsible for the evolution of motion pictures or “talkies” in the country. Since then, the cinema has been an asset in the advancement of mass communication. It is still the largest theatre in New Zealand.The theatre is known to be one of the few atmospheric cinemas in the world and the largest one present in Australasia. It was the first purpose-built cinema, and the venue is also known for the kind of architecture adopted for its interiors, like its Indian styled foyer with statues of Buddhas and elephants along with domed ceilings and twisted columns, or the Moorish styled main auditorium with minarets, spires, and tiled roofs and two grand Abyssinian panther statues adorning the place.

The theatre is classified as a Category A historic building. Based on an Eastern theme, the design of the building consists of Indian motifs in the public foyer including seated Buddhas, twisted columns and domed ceilings. More than 400 elephant statues dwell inside the building. The main auditorium features Spanish courtyard turrets, spires, minarets, tiled roofs along with two life-sized Abyssinian panther statues.

• Tickets can be booked by the visitors themselves from the Box Office at the venue or can be booked online through the event pages or by calling Ticketmaster.
• Tickets are available for sale around 90 minutes before the show begins, so it is advisable to reach early in case one does not have their tickets ready.
• The prices vary according to the show and the seats assigned by the hosts, and added service charges and credit card charges are levied with the same.
• Service fees at the Box Office are for NZD 2.50 per ticket, NZD 5 per transaction via internet bookings, NZD 11 per transaction via phone bookings and credit card charges are 2.3% of the ticket price.

• It is advised to reach the theatre 30 minutes before the show starts as some events and performances have a strict late-coming policy and won’t allow visitors to enter the theatre after the show has begun.
• Certain shows also have no photography policies, and selfie sticks are not allowed inside the theatre for the safety of the visitors and the performers.
• It is also advised not to use mobile phones during the show or the event is being performed on stage since it might cause a distraction or would disrupt some performances.

• Train: A convenient way to reach the venue is to take a train. The Train – ONE stops near the Civic Centre. The nearest station is Wellesley St East. It is 57 metres away from the theatre. One can simply walk from there.
• Bus: An alternative course could be to take the bus. The bus lines Bus - 133, Bus - 390, Bus - 839, Bus – CTY stop near The Civic.
• Ferry: Take the Ferry MTIA Auckland. The Civic Theatre is a 15 mins walk from the ferry terminal - Downtown.
• Taxi: For city-centric venues, the best spot to get a taxi is the Bledisloe Street car park at 24 Wellesley Street West.
• Shuttle Service