Lynyrd Skynyrd at Matakana Country Park, Auckland 
Last Sunday we attended this long awaited performance at the Matakana Country Park; a venue for many concerts and a weekend family attraction.
It was the first time Lynyrd Skynyrd had been to New Zealand, and the Matakana weather was a perfect 27 degree sunny day. The place was packed with concert goers who had set up their own picnic spots and chilled out.
We got there a bit late, around 1pm. Gates opened at 11.30 with a Kiwi band playing which we missed. We were just in time for 10cc who got everyone on their feet. They were followed by Starship who performed some really nostalgic songs like We Built This City, Sara and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.
The crowd was pretty relaxed and there was not much trouble. We all knew that Skynyrd would play at 5pm, so just before that we packed up our stuff and headed to the front of the crowd.
Being a great bunch of friendly guys, the ‘gentlemen’ helped
us ladies right up to the front row for the main event. Oh man – what an
awesome time we had! 
Skynyrd rocked the place with all of the old favourites like Free Bird, Saturday Night Special, Simple Man and of course they saved the best till last - Sweet Home Alabama.
The sound quality at the venue was amazing, and all of the bands sounded great.
Matakana Country Park is about 40 minutes north of Auckland, and provides a picturesque backdrop and relaxed atmosphere for events like this.
The park is also open to the public at the weekends, and provides family entertainment such as pony rides, a miniature train, adventure playground and an animal experience. There is a licensed restaurant within the grounds, and the park also hosts the local farmers market every Saturday. There is plenty more to see and do within the park. Click here to find out more...
