What you can (and can't) do to mark Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day

A special one-off public holiday to honour Queen Elizabeth II has been locked in with a memorial event in Wellington and others around the country.

It's not a religious holiday so shops and businesses can still open - so what does it mean for you?

Official Events

If you are in Wellington you can head along to the Cathedral of St Paul for the 2pm state memorial service for the Queen.

Aucklanders can mark the occasion at a special service for Queen Elizabeth II at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell from 5pm.

Auckland will also go purple for the night with the Harbour Bridge, Eden Park, Sky Tower and Te Ara Whiti - The Lightpath all bathed in the colour associated with the royal family.

If you are in Christchurch the Transitional Cathedral will hold a special service to honour the Queen at 5pm on Sunday.

Hospitality

Various pubs and cafes around the country will have a nod to the Queen with blackboard specials so if tea and scones or a tipple is how you would celebrate the Queen then you're in luck.

It will pay to check ahead if you have a particular bar or cafe in mind.

According to a Restaurant Association survey of its members nearly half will open on the day but for others, the memorial day falls on a day with would normally be closed.

Scones with cream and jam and special gin cocktails are the most popular mentions in the survey but done with respect to the Queen.

One restaurant owner said they would wait for the Coronation of King Charles III to have a big celebration.

In South Canterbury, locals can relax and pay their respects to the Queen on Monday.

The one-off public holiday for the Queen fell on the same day as the annual South Canterbury Anniversary Day. Councils voted to move this to November 11 for this year.

So what else is open?

Auckland

Public facilities such as community centres and libraries will be closed. Pools and council-run leisure centres are open.

Auckland Zoo will be open and operate with public holiday hours as will Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and the New Zealand Maritime Museum.

Kelly Tarlton's Sealife Aquarium and Rainbow's End will be open but Motat will close.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum will be open and will join the city's other iconic landmarks and light up purple after dark to mark the occasion.

Wellington

Wellington Zoo will be open as will Te Papa Museum. The Wellington Cable Car will be operating from 8.30am - 6pm.

Council-run swimming pools, recreation centres and libraries will be closed to mark the occasion.

Christchurch

Council-run pools and recreation centres will be open but on reduced hours and all libraries will be closed.

Christchurch Art Gallery will be open as will the Canterbury Museum, the Air Force Museum and the Christchurch Antarctic Centre.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.