From volcanoes to hot springs, incredible waterfalls and rolling green hills, New Zealand’s North Island is a spectacular natural wonderland which also boasts Middle Earth, an abundance of produce, and the Maori culture. We spent a week sinking our teeth into the best things to do in Auckland with kids.
Things to do in Auckland with Kids
Table of Contents
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and has quite an array of spaces, places and attractions that the whole family will love. No matter which time of year you visit, you are sure to have quite the adventure.
All prices quoted correct at time of publication. All prices in New Zealand dollar
SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium
Opening way back in 1985, SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium was quite innovative for its time and was one of the first to use conveyor belt walkways. Today it is the only aquarium in New Zealand which houses sub-Antarctic penguins who, when we visited, were raising their baby chicks, along with being New Zealand’s only turtle rescue centre!
When travelling to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton Aquarium, you can choose to catch the iconic Shark Bus or Penguin Shuttle from the Britomart Transport Centre every hour – at half past the hour – 7 days a week. Please note that it is a small bus so we suggest getting to the meeting spot early. There is also parking on site if you have a car.
SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton Aquarium with kids is likely to take you half to a full day depending on your child’s interest in marine animals. There are many different exhibits to explore with most offering a hands on experience of some type. It’s definitely one of the best things to do in Auckland with Kids.
Exhibits
Antarctic Ice Adventure – The Antarctic Ice Adventure at Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s is home to New Zealand’s only colony of Sub-Antarctic penguins, offering visitors a rare opportunity to see the magnificent birds up close in their icy domain.
Turtles Rescue Centre- Did you know that Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s is the only place in New Zeland that rehabilitates rescued turtles? Discover how they work with these amazing creatures in the all-new Turtle Bay! Turtle Bay also boasts some of the most unique views of the Hauraki Gulf where you can watch the ocean lap the large windows within our cafe area.
Shark Tunnel- The first to make aquarium tunnels, this style is now replicated and featured in aquariums all over the world. Here you can walk under some of the world’s biggest aquarium sharks, including the Sandtiger and Broadnose Sevengill Sharks. See if you can spot the Wobbegong Shark who loves to camouflage against the rocks.
Scott’s Hut- Explore and interact with tales of life in the coldest place on earth! A walk-through replica of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic hut complete with authentic memorabilia offers a glimpse at what it was like to live 100 years ago in the coldest place on Earth.
Amazing Creations- Amazing Creations is an exciting zone at Kelly Tarlton’s, where you can create your own sea creature and watch it swim. Your creature will spring to life in a tank right in front of you, before swimming off to join other colourful creations on a huge interactive projection wall.
NIWA Southern Oceans Discovery- The Southern Ocean is unique in that its largest boundary doesn’t encounter a land mass, but instead merges into the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Its exact boundaries are subject to much discussion and dispute, but one thing is for certain – no matter where its boundaries are drawn, the Southern Ocean supports a huge variety of incredible marine life, some of which is yet to be discovered by humans.
Shipwreck Shores- Shipwreck Shores is the awesome indoor playground at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s! This indoor playground includes a splash table, where children are able to enjoy the joys of water play.
Shipwreck Discovery- Kelly Tarlton was an amazing man who wanted to bring the underwater world to everyone. Learn about Kelly Tarlton, the Treasure Hunter who would build a world first curved aquarium tunnel to be replicated throughout the world for years to come. Discover an incredible underwater world that’s home to over 1,500 fish and see if you can spy the various artefacts that Kelly found while exploring different shipwrecks around the world – ahoy pirate!
Fish Gallery- Here you’ll see everything from huge crayfish, octopus, pigfish, and moray eels. Don’t miss our tropical fish displays – where colour and beauty are the norm and the odd fish is known to be a clown. Plus you will also see species such as Lionfish, and Clown triggerfish.
Seahorse Kingdom- Seahorses are considered one of the most beautiful creatures in the sea, and they are also under threat from overfishing due to use in medicinal preparations, and general ocean degradation.
Visiting SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton Aquarium
Location: 23 Tamaki Dr, Orakei, Auckland 1071
Cost: Flexible online tickets : $39.00 per adult | $27.00 per child. Head to the website for behind the scenes, cage dive and other experiences that you can add to your visit.
Opening Hours: Open 7 days a week | 9:30am – 5:00pm (last entry 4.00pm)
Website: Head to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Image via Wikipedia
The Auckland War Memorial Museum was one of New Zealand’s first museums and showcases a number of exhibits that focus on the story of New Zealand, its people and its place in the Pacific. It also holds one of the country’s top three heritage libraries.
Within its walls, it boasts significant natural history resources, pre-eminent Māori and Pacific collections and a range of military history collections.
Visiting the Auckland War Memorial Museum
Location: The Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand
Cost: The Auckland War Memorial Museum is FREE for Auckland residents and by donation for Kiwi’s. For international families, a visit will cost you $60 per family.
Opening Hours: Auckland War Memorial Museum is open daily from 10am – 5pm, closed Christmas Day
Website: Visit the Auckland War Memorial Museum
Snowplanet Ski Slope
Sunshine has wanted a ski adventure for years. Sadly for her, neither Tee or I are that fond of the snow, and the complex health condition we travel with precludes skiing or snowboarding being something we can do as a whole family. When we learned about Snowplanet Ski Slope in Auckland’s outer suburbs we knew that it was an experience we had to add to our list.
Snow Planet spans 8,000 square metres and includes snow lifts so you don’t need to walk to the top of the slope. Visitors can choose from skiing, snowboarding or snowtubing on the manmade, indoor slope. With a couple of hours up our sleeve and having arrived without a prior booking, Striker and Sunshine chose tubing as they were then also able to skip the lesson and get straight into it.
For parents who choose not to hit the slope, there is a large indoor bar and restaurant that overlooks the slope allowing you to both watch the kids at play whilst staying cosy warm and comfy. Winning! This was one of Sunshine’s top things to do in Auckland with kids.
Visiting Snow Planet Ski Slope
Location: 91 Small Road, Silverdale, Auckland
Cost: 2 hours pass: $36.00 child $48.00 adult (4 hour + full day also available). You can hire all the equipment and clothing on the day.
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10am – 10pm | Friday: 10am – Midnight | Saturday: 9am – Midnight | Sunday: 9am – 10pm
Website: Head to Snowplanet for further details.
Butterfly Creek
Butterfly Creek is somewhat of a fusion experience, part zoo, part butterfly house, part Dinosaur Kingdom and a heavy dose of imaginative storytelling thrown in.
The kids can travel back in time while exploring the Dinosaur Kingdom, spot beautiful butterflies in the Tropical Butterfly House and meet New Zealand’s only saltwater crocodiles Scar and Goldie. There’s a train that the kids will love too, along with farm animals, alligators, bugs and a range of birds.
There is a free shuttle from the airport!
Visiting Butterfly Creek
Location: 10 Tom Pearce Dr, Auckland Airport, Auckland 2022,
Cost: A family pass costs $39.50 for the farm animals only or $75.00 for all attractions
Opening Hours: Open every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day | April – October: 9.30 am – 5.30 pm | November – March: 9.30 am – 5.30 pm Monday to Friday or 9.00 am – 5.30 pm weekends and summer holidays
Website: Visit the Butterfly Creek website to learn more.
Auckland Zoo
Auckland Zoo opened on 17 December 1922, and has welcomed over 28 million visitors over that time. It remains a not for profit organisation with a focus on wildlife research and conservation work.
Auckland Zoo is the home for over 1,400 animals including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions, tigers, red pandas, both New Zealand and exotic birds, reptiles, invertebrates, fish and amphibians, and even merekats!
Visiting Auckland Zoo
Location: Motions Rd, Auckland 1022
Cost: A day pass gives you access to Auckland Zoo for the whole day. Book in advance and you can save up to 20% online! | Adult (15 years +) $24.00 | Child (4 – 14 years) $13.00 | Infant (0 – 3 years) $0
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 5:00pm (Last entry at 4:15pm) | Open every day except Christmas
Website: www.aucklandzoo.co.nz
Sky Tower – SKYCITY Auckland
Measuring 328 metres tall, Auckland’s SKYCITY Sky Tower is reputed to be the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere. The Sky Deck is the highest public observation level in the tower and is where to head either day or night to get an amazing view of the city.
Visiting Sky Tower
Location: Victoria St W, Auckland, 1010
Cost: ADULT 15 years and above $32.00 | CHILD 6-14 years $13.00 | CHILD 5 years and under FREE
Opening Hours: Open 365 days a year (weather permitting) | May to October Daily 9am – 10pm (last tickets sold to last entry at 9.30pm) | November to April Sun to Thu 8.30am-10.30pm (last tickets sold to last entry at 10pm) Fri & Sat 8.30am-11.30pm (last tickets sold to last entry at 11pm)
Website: Visit Sky Tower SKYCITY
Auckland Botanic Gardens
Image: via Auckland Botanic Gardens website
The Auckland Botanic Gardens spans 64-hectares (156 acres) offering an abundance of opportunity to explore. On School holidays the Gardens offer both bookable and drop in activities for a variety of age groups. You may like to print one of the kids discovery activity sheets before you visit which will guide you on your journey through the Gardens.
Head to Potter Children’s Garden where you can get lost in Maui’s magical maze, get to know Keri the kereru, swelter in the desert, explore the misty rainforest.
Visiting Auckland Botanic Gardens
Location: The Auckland Botanic Gardens is situated right next to the Southern Motorway (State Highway 1) on Hill Road, Manurewa.
Cost: FREE
Opening Hours: Winter hours (April to September) The Gardens are open daily from 8am to 6pm. Visitor Centre Huakaiwaka is open from 8am to 4.30pm. Cafe Miko is open daily from 8am to 4pm. | Summer hours (October to March) The Gardens are open daily from 8am to 8pm. Visitor Centre Huakaiwaka is open weekdays from 8am to 4.30pm. Cafe Miko is open daily from 8am to 4pm.
Website: Head to the Auckland Botanic Gardens website for more details
MOTAT
Unfortunately, we missed visiting MOTAT on our last visit and we have been kicking ourselves ever since. MOTAT is New Zealand’s largest transport and technology museum and is a great place for a family day out.
MOTAT covers two sites across 40 acres of land. It is HUGE with an extensive collection of items that will help you explore the technology developments from the 1800s through to today.
For those travelling with little ones, make sure you visit MOTOTS where they can experiment with movement in this safe environment.
Visiting MOTAT
Location: 805 Great North Rd, Western Springs, Auckland 1022, New Zealand
Cost: Family Pass (2 adults and up to 4 children) – $45
Opening Hours: open daily from 10am – 5pm, 7 days a week. The last entry is permitted into the museum at 4.30pm.
Open all public holidays except Christmas Day and closed for one weekend in March for the annual Pasifika Festival.
Website: Head to the MOTAT website for further information
Where to Eat in Auckland with Kids
Like every city, Auckland has quite an abundance of locations where you can feast with the kids. On this trip we found a few new favourites which you should try on your trip.
Amano Auckland
We stumbled upon Amano by accident and reaped the rewards with an amazing feast. Amano features both a restaurant and a bakery. Whilst most dishes are Italian inspired, Amano uses only seasonal, sustainable and local produce from New Zealand growers and farmers. For kids, you can’t go past the pasta dishes which is hand-crafted daily!
Amano also has the most incredible toilets (not something I would normally mention, but with the Aesop toiletries and individual bathrooms.
Location: 66 – 68 Tyler Street, Britomart
Menu: Breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a light meal. See menu
Website: Head to the Amano website for full details
The Store
Before we even left Australia I was told by more than one person that I had to check out The Store in Auckland so of course we headed there for a meal. It offers quite an array of fresh seasonal meals in the cafe while the takeaway end boasts a selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries and fresh bread. We all found something yummy to delight our taste buds with on our visit.
Location: 5B Gore St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Menu: The Store offers breakfast and lunch. See menu
Website: The Store
Where to Stay in Auckland with Kids
Auckland has quite an array of accommodation options for you to choose between from budget through to luxury, quaint AirBnB options through to homestays. On our trip, we used a number of accommodation applications to find us the best deal but also make us feel comfortable. I have outlined our experiences with each hotel below. Please note that we self-funded this trip, so the inclusion of these hotels is from our fully paid experiences.
Rydges Auckland
We booked Rydges Auckland for our first night in Auckland before we headed south. Our room had a stunning view of the Sky Tower and was located in the heart of the city.
For families, it is central to Auckland but the area can feel a little seedy at night time. The hotel itself is comfortable, and the rooms are light and cosy whilst being compact. Like most of our rooms in New Zealand, we booked into a double room which did mean the kids shared.
Grand Mercure Auckland
The Grand Mercure Auckland is perfectly located in a family friendly area of Auckland. It has an amazing selection of daytime and nighttime cafes and restaurants within walking distance and is close to the main transport hub if you choose to use public transport.
On this trip we booked a large double room. It was spacious enough for the four of us, although the kids did share a bed. The staff at the Grand Mercure Auckland were AMAZING, always offering to help whenever they spotted us in the lobby. Our stay came with a complimentary turn-down service which the kids looked forward to as it did mean a little treat before bed.
The bathrooms were quite big with an expansive walk-in shower. However, no bathtub which may be an issue for some families. Rooms with a bathtub can be booked (I’ve seen the Instagram evidence!).
Novotel Auckland Airport
For those of you flying Jetstar, flights back to Australia can be exceptionally early in the morning. Terrified of missing our plane, I booked the Novotel Auckland Hotel to ensure there would be no problems getting to the airport for our flight home. It is literally across the road from the main terminal, maybe 50-100 metres in distance making it the ideal night space.
The room itself was a little quirky with a tropical theme which was interesting. The bathroom also came with a blind and dimmer meaning you could lift it to peer right in. A little baffling – I wonder who came up with that idea!
Again, we booked a double room which was fine for the four of us for the night. It was probably the most compact of the rooms we stayed in Auckland, but it was clean and generally comfortable.
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