Things To Do In Auckland

Find the best attractions, activities and top things to do in the Auckland region. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest and most diverse city in the north of New Zealand’s North Island and situated around two main harbours. An urban environment where everyone lives within half an hour of beautiful beaches, hiking trails and a dozen enchanting holiday islands. The Auckland region is home to some 1.6 million people with a sunny climate and magnificent natural scenery with many attractions, Activities and things to see and do. In the city centre, the iconic Sky Tower has stunning views of the Viaduct Harbour and out to the Hauraki Gulf full of yachts, superyachts and lined with bars and cafes. Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, is based around an extinct volcano and home to the formal Wintergardens.

New Zealand's Auckland region is dotted with 48 volcanic cones, dramatic black sand beaches in the west and sheltered golden sand beaches and islands in the east. More than just a city, Auckland is a whole region full of things to see and do.

Auckland is known for outstanding food, wine and shopping creating a vibrant city lifestyle. Great activities in Auckland are to take one of the many boat trips out on the Hauraki Gulf.  Explore Rangitoto Island and Waiheke Island. Visit Auckland Zoo, the Sky Tower, Snow Planet, Kelly Tarltons, the Auckland Museum and the many Art Galleries. Check out the beautiful beaches, hiking trails, wineries and the vibrant city lifestyle.

Best Attractions and Things to do in Auckland

1. Hauraki Gulf

Take a trip out into the Hauraki Gulf on one of the many excellent boat trips on offer and see dolphins and whales, visit islands, paddleboard and have fun with the many activities and things to do on offer.

Beautiful coastlines, world-class wineries, animal sanctuaries, beautiful beaches, and an active volcano may all be found in the Hauraki Gulf. There's a nautical adventure to suit every taste and budget, from dolphin spotting to luxury dinner cruises or racing an America's Cup yacht.

2. Auckland East Coast Bays

Visit the stunning East Coast Bays for beautiful beaches and watersports and plenty of café’s, restaurants and boutique shops.

From Long Bay to Castor Bay, the Auckland City's Eastern Bays make up a large portion of the North Shore's eastern shoreline. The Eastern Bays provide amazing views of the Hauraki Gulf and are great for a breathtaking coastal cruise or a relaxing day of sunbathing on the beach. Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St Heliers, Orakei, and Glendowie are all located in the Eastern Bays.

3. Devonport

Visit Devonport, Auckland's seaside village just 12 minutes ferry ride across the harbor from downtown Auckland. Take a Mount Victoria Magic Guided Segway Tour for a bit of fun! Look here for more information about this amazing Segway Tour experience!
Devonport has so much to offer and such a rich history to discover. A stroll down to the waterfront will leave you with a greater appreciation for one of Auckland's earliest settlement sites, with a rich Māori and marine heritage.

4. Downtown Auckland

Downtown Auckland and Commercial Bay, Auckland's newest shopping, beauty, hospitality and commercial center.

The central city is on the doorstep of the Viaduct, Princes Wharf and the recently developed Wynyard Quarter offering a fantastic selection of bars, cafés and restaurants in one waterfront destination. If you love the inner-city feel, check out the Britomart precinct where graceful heritage buildings house quirky and cutting-edge designer clothing boutiques, the newest and hippest bars, and restaurants. This is also one of Auckland's most popular nightlife destinations, with many of the city's top bars and nightspots all within a few blocks.

5. Rangitoto Island

Rangitoto, with its characteristic symmetrical cone and excellent placement right off the shore, is Auckland's most iconic island. The island, which is only a short picturesque ferry journey across the harbor from downtown Auckland, is a popular hiking and day-trip destination.
Emerging from the sea just 600 years ago, pest-free Rangitoto Island is the youngest volcano in New Zealand.

6. Waiheke Island

Just 35 minutes from Auckland by ferry takes you to Waiheke Island. Situated in the Hauraki Gulf, Waiheke Island is filled with award-winning wineries, beautiful beaches, jet ski adventures, zip lines and much more.

On Waiheke Island, you can fully immerse yourself in the arts! Alison Park has art galleries and stunning sculptures you can easily spend hours admiring. The Waiheke Community Art Gallery, Toi Gallery, Kauri Art Studio, and the Red Shed Art Gallery are among the other art galleries worth seeing.

7. Visit Auckland Zoo

One of the best things to do in Auckland for the kids. There's lots to see and do all year round at Auckland Zoo, including events, keeper talks, behind-the-scenes experiences and more!

Auckland Zoo is a 40-acre park in the Western Springs suburb of Auckland that offers a variety of activities for family visiting the region. The zoo, which opened in 1922, has a lot of recent additions, including a fantastic area called Te Wao Nui, which concentrates on regional plant and animal life.

More than 1,400 animals representing 135 species, including giraffes, meerkats, wallabies, and a variety of monkeys, are housed in themed zones displaying animals from Africa, Australia, and South America.

There are a number of entertaining activities offered, including an after-dark safari, photography classes, and junior zookeeper programmes that take youngsters behind the scenes.

8. Auckland Sky Tower

The Sky Tower reaches 328 meters and has been an icon of Auckland's skyline for over 20 years. It's an exciting hub of adrenaline activities, superb dining and stunning views over Auckland. There is a revolving restaurant at the top and Sky Jump and SkyWalk activities!

The Sky Tower in Auckland is the city's most visible landmark and, at 328 meters high, New Zealand's tallest structure. The observation deck, accessed by shooting up to the top of the skyscraper in a glass-elevator, is exactly the location to get your camera out if you're searching for the perfect city panorama, with views spanning for 80 kilometers in the distance on a clear day.

9. Snow Planet

Snowplanet is an indoor snow recreation center in Silverdale on the Hibiscus Coast in the north part of Auckland City. New Zealand's first and only indoor snow dome where you can experience skiing and snowboarding all year round.

10. Kelly Tarltons

Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium is one of Auckland's best activities for the whole family. Located on Auckland's waterfront this attraction has over 30 live animal exhibits in spectacular habitat displays. This includes the world’s largest Sub-Antarctic King Penguin and Gentoo Penguin colony exhibits and amazing underwater viewing tunnels.

SEA LIFE is one of Auckland's most popular family attractions. You can get up and personal with life under the sea at Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium. From the tunnel walkways, a succession of massive tanks hosting aquatic life can be seen, including exhibits dedicated to sharks, tropical fish, and stingrays!

Kelly Tarlton's has a fantastic Antarctic Encounter display, replete with a snowy penguin cage, showing New Zealand's close connections to the worldwide scientific community in Antarctica.

11. Auckland Museum

The Auckland War Memorial Museum is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. This attraction has collections concentrating on New Zealand history, natural history, and military history.

With all of the interactive exhibits, such as the shaky volcanic display, you may easily lose track of time at this museum. The world-famous Auckland Museum is an excellent place to learn everything about New Zealand.

12. Auckland Art Gallery

Visit the Auckland Art Gallery to broaden your horizons. For New Zealand citizens, general entrance is free, although special exhibitions need payment. The gallery is located on the outskirts of Albert Area, which is a lovely park to meander around.

Auckland Art Gallery is an excellent activity being the largest art institution in New Zealand, with a collection numbering over 15000 works.

13. Auckland Hiking Trails

There is a great list of great hiking trails around Auckland. Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park, Aotea Conservation Park, Long Bay Regional Park, Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, Duder Regional Park, Totara Park, Shakespear Regional Park, Orakei Basin Reserve to name a few.

14. Muriwai Black Sand Beach

Muriwai's main attraction is its black sand beach and the cliff-top trails to a huge gannet colony, there is easy access to viewing platforms that let you get up close. Muriwai has a spectacular windswept rugged coastline stretching 60 kilometers with excellent surfing, blokarts, bikes and kites and hiking activities.

15. Auckland Wineries

Auckland wineries scattered around Matakana, Kumeu and Waiheke Island are some of New Zealand's oldest. Auckland is filled with wineries - each one with something new to give. Discover all these hidden gems and more on some of the many wonderful wine tours on SeeAndDo.co.nz such as this Matakana Art & Wine Escape and the Kumeu Wine and Cheese Afternoon Tour.

16. Auckland Weta Workshop

One of New Zealands newest attractions, Workshop Unleashed in Auckland. Experience a world where fantasy and reality collide. This fantastically fictitious factory is inspired by the real Weta Workshop in Wellington. Part film set. Part creative workshop. But all is not what it seems. Look here for bookings and more information Weta Workshop Unleashed

17. Harbour Dinner Cruise

Enjoy views of the iconic Auckland city skyline from the water and sail under the Harbour Bridge. A unique opportunity to dine on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour under sail. For more on this wonderful experience and bookings look here Auckland Harbour Dinner Cruise

18. Auckland Domain and the formal Winter Gardens

The Domain Wintergardens is a complex of gardens located within the Auckland Domain. It is registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place.

Regardless of the season, Domain Park has a lot to offer to both locals and visitors. Whether you enjoy museums and history, botanical gardens and animals, or outdoor activities such as walking, jogging, or rugby, you will find something fun to do in this vast park.

Top attractions in Auckland

Skydive Auckland: Ready to throw yourself out of a perfectly good plane? Redefine freedom and escape reality at Skydive Auckland with the highest tandem skydive in New Zealand at a thrilling 20,000ft. Imagine the excitement of freefalling at a speed of 200+ km/hr with a spectacular and unique backdrop of both the east and west coasts of New Zealand. After freefall you will enjoy the serenity of a beautiful parachute ride and see stunning views in every direction. As soon as you are down, you will want to do it all over again!

Hologate: See, move and feel the VR dimensions in a completely immersive and realistic way while your body becomes the controller and your mind believes it’s real! Hologate VR lets you live the adventure! You might find yourself in the middle of a massive snowball fight, competing on a challenging rhythm and beat battle or trying to survive a zombie attack together with your friends!

Auckland Harbour Sailing Cruise: Enjoy the unique Auckland landscape from the water on our relaxed harbour sailing experience. Take in Auckland’s city highlights; sail under the Harbour Bridge, see volcanic peaks and the iconic city skyline from the best view in town. Sit back and relax or get involved and help our friendly, knowledgeable crew sail our purpose built 50 foot yachts. Enjoy the afternoon on the water with your choice of fresh coffee, tea or a hot chocolate plus a delicious sweet treat.

Weta Workshop Unleashed: Part film set. Part creative workshop. But all is not what it seems. Inside these paint-splattered walls, fantastical worlds are brought to life with Workshop wizardry. We’ve unleashed Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy’s most essential residents into the mix: monsters, wildly realistic giants and one GALACTIC robot. Enter Weta Workshop Unleashed. Experience a world where fantasy and reality collide.

Adrenalin Forest: Adrenalin Forest is a multi-level aerial obstacle course that is designed to progress you higher and higher into the trees. We train you to navigate yourself through the series of tree to tree platforms with activities like rope bridges, Tarzan swings, nets, flying foxes and of course loads more. With multiple different courses and around 3 hours of entertainment, fun, challenge and of course Adrenalin. This is a great way to build your confidence while having a good time with your friends, family or work mates.

Top fun activities in Auckland

Hobbiton Tour: The Hobbiton Tour is a must-do for any fan of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series. This tour takes you to the set of the Hobbit movies and allows kids to explore the shire and learn about the movie-making process.

Beach Horse Riding & Wine Tasting Tour: The tour Starts by picking you up from Auckland central in luxurious Mercedes Vans, then you head north of Auckland through the scenic Roads of Rodney Region. Then you will enjoy a one-hour horse ride on one of the most beautiful Beaches in NZ, Watching the Blue Water hugging the white sand while soaking in the sunshine. After that, you get to taste some of New Zealand’s best Wine.

Escape Adventure: Enter our Escape Adventure and immerse yourself into a challenging next-level combination of scavenger hunt, escape room, and augmented reality (AR) around beautiful Takapuna! This outdoor game makes you play incorporated puzzles and code-cracking elements while experiencing exciting AR features and geolocation technology, without the confines of a physical room.

VR Escape: This is a virtual reality gaming venue where you can experience a variety of immersive games and simulations. You'll have the opportunity to explore virtual worlds, solve puzzles, and engage in thrilling adventures.

Escape HQ: Prepare for an exhilarating hour of fun and entertainment! Choose your game and then expect to be challenged, as you find clues and solve puzzles using logic and problem solving skills. There are unique game rooms, a private event room and BYO food and catering packages. Perfect for team building, birthday parties, friends and family, stag and hen do’s!.

Best things to do in Auckland with kids

Omni VR: This is an immersive virtual reality gaming experience, where you can play a variety of games and explore different virtual worlds. It's a great option for kids and adults alike, and is a fun way to experience the latest in virtual reality technology.

Odyssey Sensory Maze: This is an interactive and immersive experience that includes mazes and ball pits, rooms filled with balloons and mirrors, and other sensory elements. It's a fun and exciting way for kids to explore and discover new things, and is a great option for a rainy day.

Weta Workshop Unleashed: This is a great attraction for fans of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies. You'll get to see film props and costumes from the movies, as well as learn about the special effects and makeup used in the films.

Adrenalin Forest: This is a fun and challenging obstacle course in the trees, where you can climb, swing, and zip line through the forest canopy. It's a great way for kids to get some exercise and have fun while exploring the outdoors.

Family Segway Experience: This is a fun and unique way for families to explore Auckland city. You'll get to ride a Segway, an electric two-wheeled vehicle, and see the city from a different perspective. It's a fun and exciting way for kids to learn about the city and get some exercise.

Things to do in Auckland on a rainy day

VR Escape: This virtual reality gaming experience is a great space to wait out the rain. You can experience a variety of immersive games and simulations. You'll have the opportunity to explore virtual worlds, solve puzzles, and engage in thrilling adventures!

Weta Workshop Unleashed: This is a great attraction for a rainy day. You'll get to see film props and costumes from the Hobbit movies, as well as learn about the special effects and makeup used in the films that were shot in New Zealand!

Odyssey Sensory Maze: This is an interactive and immersive experience that includes mazes and ball pits, rooms filled with balloons and mirrors, and other sensory elements. It's a fun and exciting way for kids to explore and discover new things, and is a great option for a rainy day.

Race Car simulator: A new addition at Thrillzone is the DX Race Simulator! The best way to experience the thrill and excitement of driving a race car! The Simulator will transport you right into adrenaline and drama of real track racing! There are many different tracks on offer where you can discover the fun of accurate and true-to-life sudden traction loss, triple strip effect, oversteer, rise and rolls, shunts, bumps and more. With a powerful dual-motor force-feedback mechanism and helical gearing, our G29 steering wheels provide you with a smooth simulation, weight shift and drifting to help you feel every turn in the road.

Urban Axe throwing: Sweet Axe Throwing Co is New Zealand's first and only urban axe throwing experience. Here, you can unleash your inner Viking! Offering bookings for groups large and small, we know you'll be talking about your time with us for years to come.

Best day trips from Auckland

Matakana Art & Wine Escape: Explore Auckland’s countryside, where art meets winemaking. This day trip includes outdoor sculpture gardens, indoor art galleries at the Sculptureum, Chocolate Tasting, Wine Tasting at two Boutique Vineyards, 5 BeerTastings & Brewery Tour, Matakana Farmer’s Market and a return trip to auckland!

Auckland Harbour Dinner Cruise: Immerse yourself in Auckland’s harbour setting with dinner on the water. Enjoy canapes and a welcome drink as you depart the dock for the open water. Your friendly crew will talk you through Auckland’s unique history as you sail past iconic landmarks. There is plenty of opportunity to participate in sailing, capture the perfect shot or just sit back and enjoy the sights.

Hobbiton Express Tour: This day trip from Auckland takes you to the Hobbiton Movie Set! The day includes a fully guided tour of the set as seen in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy. There is also have a great lunch included and a shopping voucher!

Beach Horse Riding & Wine Tasting Tour: This unique tour Starts by picking you up from Auckland central in luxurious Mercedes Vans, then you head north of Auckland through the scenic Roads of Rodney Region. You will have some time to meet your tour guide and your horse before starting the ride. This trip combines a unique horse ride on the beach with tasting some of New Zealand’s Luxurious wines in this amazing return trip from Auckland!

Auckland Harbour Sailing Cruise: Enjoy the unique Auckland landscape from the water on this relaxed harbour sailing experience! Take in Auckland’s city highlights; sail under the Harbour Bridge, see volcanic peaks and the iconic city skyline from the best view in town.

Best things to do near Auckland

1. Days Out fishing Charter: The Days Out Fishing Charter is a great way to explore the beautiful North Island coastline and islands in style. Charter a luxury boat and take in the sights and sounds of the region while enjoying fishing. This is a perfect way to spend a day with friends or family while enjoying the sun and sea.

2. Cathedral Cove Boat Tour: Cathedral Cove is a famous spot in the North Island, known for its natural beauty and crystal clear waters. Take a scenic boat tour to the cove and enjoy the stunning views of the white sandy beach, the towering cliffs, and the surrounding marine life. This is a perfect way to spend a day exploring the North Island's natural beauty.

3. Tandem Skydive over Lake Taupo: Lake Taupo is one of the most beautiful spots in the North Island, and a tandem skydive over the lake is a perfect way to enjoy the views. Experience the rush of freefall and the peaceful glide under a parachute while taking in the stunning scenery of the region.

4. Hole in the Rock Helicopter Landing Experience: Take a helicopter tour to the famous Hole in the Rock in the Bay of Islands and enjoy the breathtaking views of the region. The tour includes a landing on the rock, which is a unique and exciting experience.

5. Wellington's Cocktail Tour - This tour will take you to some of the city's best bars and cocktail lounges. You'll get to sample delicious cocktails and learn about the history and culture of Wellington's drinking scene.

Best hikes and walking tracks in Auckland

Mount Eden Summit Walk

Waitakere Ranges - Piha to Karekare Beach Coastal Track

Auckland Domain

Omana Regional Park Coastal Walk