Auckland Attractions Everyone Should Experience

Auckland offers many unique attractions to keep you entertained and educated about New Zealand culture, or you could try your luck at the casino – Auckland has something for everyone!

At 328 metres tall, Auckland Skytower stands out as an iconic symbol. Visitors can walk around it or even leap from it using Skywalk or Skyjump! Additionally, Auckland Art Gallery is one of Auckland’s best cultural sites. Cathay Pacific offers several flights to Auckland you can take, including Delhi to Auckland.

Skytower

Sky Tower, situated in the center of Auckland city, is one of the city’s premier tourist attractions. At 328m tall and featuring amazing panoramic views of Auckland’s unique landscape with 53 volcanoes, Hauraki Gulf, and other historic landmarks; guests can dine while taking in this view at Orbit, an revolving restaurant at its top floor.

Skycity’s iconic 328-metre structure stands as the centerpiece of its large complex, housing hotels, restaurants and a casino. On special occasions like Chinese New Year or Saint Patrick’s Day it can be lit up in different hues to show support for local rugby team Auckland Blues or show its pride for special celebrations like special illumination of special celebrations like Chinese New Year.

Make the most out of your visit and book general Sky Tower admission tickets; this way you can spend up to two hours exploring all three observation levels. Or for an enhanced experience book Skywalk and Sky Jump tickets too.

Take an adrenaline-infused adventure by hitting Auckland’s Snowplanet! Snowplanet provides an exhilarating snow-covered slope experience and makes an excellent family destination. Additionally, all Blacks Experience provides insight into becoming a rugby superstar or Weta Workshop Unleashed gives visitors a sneak peek into movie making!

Auckland Art Gallery

Auckland Art Gallery (Toi o Tamaki in Maori) is New Zealand’s premier visual arts experience. Boasting multiple exhibition spaces and boasting the country’s most extensive collection of historical, modern and contemporary New Zealand art as well as significant international paintings, sculpture and print collections – Toi o Tamaki offers unparalleled art experiences!

Beginning in 1887 when prominent philanthropist James Mackelvie donated his private collection of paintings and manuscripts, this art gallery collection became part of its French Renaissance-style building which housed museum, library and council offices.

As the gallery’s collection expanded, extending the building was necessary. Thus in 1916 the Mackelvie Gallery was added onto its original structure as an addition.

In 2011 the gallery underwent a major extension and restoration project that earned them World Building of the Year accolade in 2013. Their new entrance features a light-filled glass-and-timber atrium connected to their original facade.

The Gallery boasts works by some of the world’s premier artists, from intimate 19th-century portraits of tattooed Maori subjects by Charles Goldie to dramatic text-scrawled canvases by Colin McCahon. Additionally, we feature emerging and established New Zealand contemporary artists as part of an exhibit space at our gallery.

New Zealand Maritime Museum

Housed in one of Auckland’s premier heritage buildings, New Zealand Maritime Museum presents New Zealanders’ story as it pertains to people and the sea. Comprising three floors including an interactive Weird and Wonderful Discovery Center as well as family-oriented exhibitions, interactive games and hands-on activities; plus natural history displays featuring Moa birds; first floor exhibits include natural history as well as reconstructions; second floor focuses on New Zealand involvement in world wars throughout history; while third floor displays commemorations.

MOTAT Museum in Western Springs district features New Zealand’s historical technology and transport history, from railway locomotives and aircraft collections, including one dating back to 1912, to artifacts relating to Sir Edmund Hillary’s trans-Antarctic expeditions. Visitors with an affinity for sailing or aviation should visit MOTAT to view its treasured collections which include 1912 locomotive, New Zealand’s oldest aircraft collection as well as rare artifacts relating to Sir Edmund Hillary expeditions across Antarctica.

Families visiting Auckland should experience incredible aerial views of shimmering water and bustling harbors with a helicopter tour. A variety of tour operators offer 60-90 minute flights over stunning cityscapes, lush green islands and dramatic coastline – Waiheke Island in Hauraki Gulf is known for its winery culture and scenic beaches; Piha Beach in West Auckland features black-sand beach with rock outcrops that attract surfers locally.

Auckland War Memorial Museum

The Auckland War Memorial Museum (Te Mataka o Te Wao Hau) is one of Auckland’s premier attractions and one of the oldest institutions in New Zealand with collections dating back seven centuries. Administered by a Trust Board and supported by one of New Zealand’s premier heritage research libraries – Museum Library Te Pataka Matapuna. Collections at Te Mataka are divided into two strands; New Zealand history and Auckland/New Zealand social and natural history.

Established in 1852 and situated on Observatory Hill in Auckland Domain, the oldest museum in New Zealand specializes in anthropology, Maori culture and Pacific history as well as natural and cultural history of New Zealand.

At 192 metres high, the Sky Tower stands as an icon in Auckland and provides breathtaking views of Viaduct Harbour filled with superyachts and its topsy-turvy aquarium populated with sharks and stingrays swimming freely in former stormwater tanks. Other noteworthy landmarks include Auckland Museum’s three floors of exhibits as well as its Weird and Wonderful Discovery Centre; you can also visit Civic Theatre where major acts perform throughout the year.

Bastion Point

Bastion Point (Maori: Takaparawhau), located in East Auckland, is an expansive coastal piece of land overlooking Waitemata Harbour and known as one of the main sites for Maori protests against forced land alienation by European settlers in the late 1970s. Today it hosts both Michael Joseph Savage’s memorial as well as Orakei Marae (private).

Memorial Park is a beloved community space, popular for picnics, walks and sports games alike. At its centre stands an obelisk that provides breathtaking views of Auckland Harbour, Rangitoto Island and Rangitoto itself – not forgetting sunken garden, reflecting pool and flower beds too!

This park provides the ideal setting to watch life pass you by while relaxing on a sunny day. Home to numerous native trees – such as Cabbage Trees, Ngaios and Kapukas – and their fascinating flora, this destination will not disappoint.

No matter your interest – from animal lovers visiting Auckland Zoo to thrill-seekers looking to tackle Sky Tower Bungy or bridge climbs – one of our infamous red buses offers the perfect way to experience Auckland at your own pace. Choose between two tour routes, hop off/on at any time during 24 hour tickets and explore Auckland at your own pace!

Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo is an enormously popular attraction offering something for all visitors to Auckland. Animals are well cared for in spacious enclosures designed to put them into context, and behind-the-scene tours and talks provide fascinating glimpses into this fascinating zoo’s conservation and research of New Zealand species. Children will love feeding nectar to rainbow lorikeets in the Aussie Walkabout enclosure as kangaroos and wallabies hop about, while adults will discover its role in conservation research (primarily related to New Zealand species)!

Early difficulties at the zoo included animal health concerns in the 1930s and 40s; however, by 1948 there had been an improvement with over 160 mammals, 329 birds and 19 reptiles at their facility.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the zoo made significant enhancements to its grounds, exhibits and animal husbandry practices by adopting better veterinarian practices and equipment. They discontinued public feeding of their animals (1979) and started conducting behavioral enrichment activities; those animals considered unsuitable for the zoo were either relocated elsewhere or gradually phased out.

The Zoo now houses over 2000 animals and is part of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Zoo tickets include free on-site parking, four eateries, a gift shop, KidZone farm area and two playgrounds; as well as three daily keeper talks and behind-the-scenes experiences for free entry.