Whoa! Studios
Whoa! Studios has long been on my list of places to take the kids, but I never quite made it until we were invited to attend a birthday party over the weekend. Whoa! Studios was created by David Sutherland, an ex-IT guy who sold his company, Integral Technology, in 2010 for NZ$64 million. In 2016, he opened this crazy movie-studio-restaurant-family-playground experience in Henderson, west Auckland, where he spent at least a million of that sales money on shade. (It was money well spent.) These days, the studio is run by the Whoa Performing Arts Trust, but you can tell that it was created by someone who doesn’t follow the rules. I’ve never seen any place quite like it, and I’m going to have to use lots of slashy-descriptions to try to depict all that this place is. It’s A LOT.
There is a small amount of parking onsite at Whoa, but there is a fair amount of street parking available. We were able to get a spot down Smythe Street with no trouble and walked to the entrance around the corner in just a minute or two. Upon entering, there is a huge playground that the kids were immediately drawn to. The most impressive part of the play area is the huge crochet net/spiderweb/super comfy hanging thing made of rope created by Japanese artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam over two years. It is, naturally, covered by a shade sail. There was also a huge inflatable obstacle course, slides coming out of spaceships, mini-trampolines, and castles. Everything was impeccably maintained which was impressive given how many kids were playing on it.
Shortly after we arrived, we were whisked into one of two performance studios onsite. We were scheduled to see The Whoa To Go Supervillain Show, featuring a large-nosed Dr. Gloom who has been trying to steal smiles since Whoa’s inception. As far as I can tell, there is currently one show playing, but there is a new show every few months. This character, Dr. Gloom, is part of Custard’s World, a popular preschool show now playing on TVNZ on demand. There are puppets, singing, jokes, and audience participation in the half hour show. My six year old thought it was hilarious. My four year old was a little unsure, but I think most of that had to do with the fact that she was hungry.
After leaving the performance area, we went over to the Grounds, the on-site restaurant that opened up to the play area. We had a private party room where the kids were served lunch, and it was the best looking kids food I’ve seen at any party. There were bowls of dumplings, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken teriyaki, french fries (or chips, if you’ve been in New Zealand long enough), and grilled cheese sandwiches. Pitchers of juice and water were available on the tables.
The adult menu was outstanding - everything from poke bowls, to burgers, to kimchi. There were plenty of adult beverage options and fresh smoothies, too. There was a whole display case full of perfectly crafted ice cream bars to choose from as well. After the kids ate lunch and cake - which the birthday hosts were able to bring from offsite - they were full of sugar and ready to be let lose on the playground. While they burned off all of their energy, the adults were able to enjoy some more of that shade and order our lunch. We had a prime playground-adjacent table big enough for all of us. It was a wonderful setting to catch up with friends and keep an eye on the kids.
Whoa! Studios was an amazing birthday venue, but I would love to go back with another family or two just to hang out, enjoy the quality food, and let the kids play while the parents get a little adult time in. This place is worth the drive and lives up to the hype!
