Auckland is a bustling city, so full of life and energy and has so much to offer. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest and most populated city, stick around and you’ll see that it has its little gems that are well worth a stay in the city. Come and find beautiful beaches, landmarks and lots of fun attractions that the whole family will enjoy. Here you will find the best things to do as a family in Auckland, stay a while and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Beach
West Coast Beaches – Visit one of Auckland’s popular rugged out west black sand beaches: Muriwai, Bethells or Piha are all great ones. Have fun on the sand dunes, go for a little explore and check out the rock pools.
East Coast Beaches – Or if you’re looking for a good beach to swim at, our east coast beaches are the one for you. Takapuna, Mission Bay and Orewa are all great choices and are safer to swim at.
Goat Island – Spend a good part of the day snorkelling at Goat Island, a fantastic spot to swim with the friendly fish. Hire a kayak or jump on board the glass bottom boat.
Attractions
Whoa! Studios Watch a live show at Whoa! Studios and play on the impressive playground.
Butterfly Creek – Enjoy a day out at Butterfly Creek. Walk amongst the huge, moving dinosaurs, the tropical butterfly house, bird aviary, pat the animals, then let the kids have a play on the playground while you grab a cuppa.
Treasure Island Adventure Mini Golf – Hit a hole in one at Treasure Island Adventure Mini Golf. Putt your way through waterfalls, tombstones, caves, and shark-infested waters. You’ll love the fun details of this place.
Silverdale Adventure Park – Have a day of fun and rides at Silverdale Adventure Park.
Jump Trampoline Park – Just looking for a good time? The kids will love bouncing around at the Jump Trampoline Park. Not only is it fun, but it’s great exercise as well.
Inflatable World – Do your kids get excited whenever they see a bouncy castle? I know ours do (it’s actually really hard to get them off them)! Why not stop in at Inflatable World, then?! Not just for the kids – parents are invited to get in on the fun, too! There are multiple locations around Auckland and also in other towns around NZ, so why not drop in at some point?
Crystal Mountain – Bored kids? Take them to Crystal Mountain. They’ve got crystals, animals, rides and even dinosaurs!
Howick Historical Village – Learn a little bit of New Zealand history at the Howick Historical Village. Be immersed in village life back in New Zealand’s 19th century. Here, they have re-created village life from the colonial period between 1840 – 1880, using 34 restored or replicated buildings, schools, courthouses, small cottages and grand homesteads (most of them open to visitors) and bringing it to life every third Sunday when volunteers dress up and perform everyday activities and chores of early settlers. The soldiers will be doing their military drills, housewives setting about doing their daily chores and children playing – they may even invite you to play some Victorian era games.
Rocket Ropes or ClipnClimb – Conquer your fear of heights. The kids will love having a go at all of the different bright and colourful courses. Rocket Ropes is situated right by the airport and is an outdoor high ropes activity park catering to those as little as 2 years old. Clipnclimb in an indoor theme park offering lots of weird and wacky walls and challenges to climb up.
Snow Planet – Enjoy skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing? Then Snow Planet is the place to be! They’ve got over 8,000 square meters for you to go crazy on. Once the kids are worn out, grab something from the restaurant and warm up by the large brick fireplace.
MOTAT – Learn about transport and technology at MOTAT, Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology. See cars, tractors, planes, trams, and trains.
Paradice Ice Skating – Love ice skating? Check out Paradice Ice Skating. A great family activity.
Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium – Be amazed by the sea life at Kelly Tarlton’s. See the penguins, sharks, stingray, jellyfish and so much more. Older kids can also enter a shark cage to get a closer look, Penguin Discovery tours also available.
The Amazing Maze ‘n Maize – Get lost in The Amazing Maze ‘n Maize, a giant cornfield maze – actually, it’s the biggest in New Zealand! The fantastic thing about this one is that it’s not just a maze, there are also lots of cool activities along the way to help you through. Have fun getting lost!
Rainbow’s End – There’s a ride for everyone at Rainbow’s End. The younger kids will love the Kidz Kingdom, there are so many rides to keep them entertained. As for the older ones, they are going to love the more thrilling rides.
Tree Adventures – Get up high at Tree Adventures and let the monkey in you out. With courses for each age, challenge the kids and enjoy a day amongst the trees.
Vector Wero Whitewater Park – Looking for something a little more thrilling? Don’t miss Vector Wero Whitewater Park, a man-made, world-class whitewater park for the ultimate adventure rush!
Walk / Bike
Auckland bike tracks – Grab your bikes and check out one of the many bike tracks in Auckland.
Waitakere Ranges – Looking for a walk through nature? You’ll find some of Auckland’s best walks in the Waitakere Ranges.
North Head Tunnels – Wanna go for a walk through history? Check out the North Head Tunnels. Once a military defence and lookout in the 1880’s, you can now wander through the network of tunnels, learn about the history and enjoy the views of the Hauraki Gulf as you go.
One Tree Hill – Head on over to One Tree Hill. There’s a playground down the bottom, plenty of space to spread your picnic blanket out and enjoy the surroundings, say hello to the sheep, take in the views from the top or continue on to the spectacular Cornwall Park to enjoy a leisurely walk.
Pakuranga Rotary shared path – Walk or bike along the Pakuranga Rotary shared path that goes along the Tamaki River. There’s a snakes and ladders playground to stop at for the kids, too.
Western Springs Park – Stroll through Western Springs Park, the perfect addition to MOTAT or Auckland Zoo, which is just around the corner. Walk around the lake, it just takes around 30 minutes. The kids will be thrilled to see all of the eels, there’s a playground and tram ride too!
Pools
Just looking for a good soak in some hot pools? Head over to Parakai Hot Pools, the kids will love sliding down the huge hydro-slide and you’ll love the indoor hot pool. For something a bit cheaper but still lots of fun, there are heaps of other pools around Auckland. West Wave has a wave pool which is a huge hit with the kids and other smaller pools for the little ones. Another great one is Parnell Baths, situated close to the city center, they have two saltwater pools, one filled with lots of fun for the littlies and a deeper pool for the more confident. There’s also Albany Stadium Pools, which has a little slide, water cannons, and a climbing wall. For the adults, there’s a spa and sauna.
Gardens
Auckland Botanic Gardens – Walk through Auckland Botanic Gardens and be swept away with how beautiful it is. The kids will especially love the award-winning Potter Children’s Garden. Get the kids to grab an activity sheet before they explore the rainforest, swelter in the desert and get lost in Maui’s maze. They can learn lots of cool facts along the way. Lay out a picnic blanket and enjoy some lunch while you’re there. I love that they have catered to kids so well in these gardens and what’s more, you get to enjoy it all for free!
Wrights Water Gardens – once a flaxmill, then a quarry, this has now been turned into a beautiful water garden. The kids will absolutely enjoy the turtles, tadpoles and the eel pond. There are also a few chickens, peacocks, turkeys and alphas around. Open October to May. Water lilies, tadpoles, and gifts can be purchased. Finish up at the lovely cafe.
Auckland Domain – a beautiful area to walk through native forest and gardens. Bring the kite, a picnic and go explore the winter gardens with two glass houses and a fish pond.
Farm / animals
Sheep World – Get up close and learn about sheep at Sheep World. Feed the animals – they even have eels! And learn more about how kiwi’s farm their sheep.
Kiwi Valley Farm – Pat and feed the animals at Kiwi Valley Farm. There are sheep, pigs, peacocks, chickens, ducks, ostrich, donkeys and goats to see. Go on a tractor ride then head to the nursery to pat the rats, rabbits and guinea pigs.
Auckland Zoo – See the zoo animals at Auckland Zoo. Have a fun day seeing New Zealand’s largest collection of animals and learning about them along the way. There’s so much to see at this place so head to your favourites first before little legs get tired, then stop in at the cafe to refuel. Animal lovers will love the behind the scenes experiences and animal encounters.
Museum
Maritime Museum – learn about New Zealand’s bond with the ocean and then get involved in it all by designing your own yacht, hoisting the sails and battening down the hatches in a rocking cabin. If you still want more, board the Ted Ashby and go for a one hour sail on the harbour with great views of Auckland and the harbour bridge.
Stardome Observatory & Planetarium – Learn about the stars at Stardome Observatory & Planetarium. Explore the cosmos in the presenter-led demonstration then take a closer look at the sun during the day or at the planets and stars during the night.
Auckland War Memorial Museum – Want to learn more about New Zealand wars and it’s culture? Stop in at Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Islands
Go spend the day at one of the islands – Great Barrier, Waiheke, Rangitoto, Tiritiri Matangi or Kawau.
Events
Want to know what’s going on in Auckland at the moment? You can find all of the Auckland events in one spot.
Matakana Markets – held every Saturday, these markets are considered one of the best markets in New Zealand. Say hello to the friendly locals and grab yourself some crafts, local produce and something to munch on for lunch.
Other stuff
Warkworth Cement Works – Have a picnic, check out the ruins, then dive in to cool off. Bring floaties for the kids because it gets deep straight away. This is a great place to stop in before heading north or as an addition to heading out to one of the beaches.
Slide down the slides at one of Auckland’s playgrounds, there’s heaps around and they provide heaps of free entertainment. My kids are loving the one in Royal Reserve, Massey right now!
Pick your own fruit. Strawberries are available from December to January, there are a few strawberry fields around e.g. Zaberri Farms in Kumeu, Sweet Red in Helensville, and the Passionbarry Cafe in Waitoki. Grab a real fruit ice cream to cool off afterwards. Or pick some apples from March to May at Windmill Orchard in Coatesville, they also do pears.
Sky Tower – Best views of the city? The Sky Tower is where you’ll find it. Get up 220 meters high with 360˚ views and spot landmarks, volcanoes and other locations with the kids. See if they’re brave enough to walk on the glass floor panels, and look at the ground, hundreds of meters below them.
Manukau Heads Lighthouse – one of the only lighthouses still open to the public in New Zealand. It’s only 120 steps away from the carpark and you’ll be able to take in the views of the Manukau Harbour and the Waitakere Ranges. Walk around the light keeper’s balcony, something he would have done daily around 140 years ago. It’s a bit of a drive out to it but make a day of it and bring a picnic.
Woodhill Forest – with mountain biking, horse riding, 4WD, tree adventures and paintball, there’s so many adventure activities packed into this forest.
Miranda Shorebird Centre – learn more about these amazing shorebird birds. A remarkable story that has been picked up by the media all around the world is of the Bar-tailed Godwit called E7. E7 was traced to have made a nonstop flight journey from Alaska to New Zealand – that’s 11,760km, and in eight days. Thousands of these birds make the same journey, a journey of endurance.
Mangere Mountain – awesome views and tours available to learn more about the history of this place.
Eat
Leigh Sawmill Cafe – good, wholesome food, garden bar, live music and playground.
Little Sister Cafe – great food, also located next to Chipmunks which is a great indoor playground for younger kids, work up an appetite before you grab a scrumptious meal at this cafe.
Location, Location, Location
When you’re on holiday, you don’t want to spend all of your time in the car, driving around the whole city – and Auckland is a big one! If you’re only going to be in Auckland for a short stay, check out the map below to see what’s in the area you’ll be staying in so you can make the most out of your holiday.
Have I missed anything?
Is there anything missing from this list? Let us know in the comments so others can go discover it for themselves or let us know which one is your favourite and why!
