15 Fun & Unusual Things to do in Auckland (and 3 Things to Skip)

Planning a trip to New Zealand? We’ve come up with a list of our favourite unusual things to do in Auckland – from quirky places to eat, cool bars to drink in and unique things to see, And they are all easily accessible from the CBD.

What are the best things to do in Auckland? asked the woman sitting next to me on the airport shuttle. It was a fair question, I did used to live there. I opened my mouth – and my mind went blank. I’m horrified to say, I couldn’t think of anything.

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Recovering, I rattled off the obvious things like wandering around the many bars and restaurants at the Viaduct, going up the Sky Tower (and hurtling yourself off it if you see fit), taking a ferry over to Waiheke, the beautiful, wine-filled island, nearby – but I felt like I should have been able to reel off a host of cool things – after all I did spend six years here.

It was only once I got into town and I started walking around that I remembered the appeal of Auckland isn’t created by big ‘oh wow’ sights that many other places in NZ offer you, instead it’s the smaller, more unusual things to do in Auckland that make it special. Like these…

1. Get Up Close and Personal With a Volcano

Auckland is based on volcanoes, there are 48 cones dotted around the city!

Most of them have cones that go up (and of these my favourite is probably the craggy lava-strewn Rangitoto that you can easily reach by ferry as a day trip from Auckland) but, as cool as Rangi is, it doesn’t really say ‘hi, I’m standing on something that used to erupt’ – that honour goes to the enormous crater at the top of Mount Eden.

Walk to the top up a nice paved road and then behold the incredible sight at your feet. 

The 360-degree views of the Auckland skyline aren’t that bad either.

2. Meet the Swashbucklers Stingray

Swashbucklers Bar in Auckland’s Westhaven Marina is a great place to come for a down-to-earth pint with a view of the water and if you’re lucky, a spectacular sunset over the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

And they have a stingray!

There I was telling my friend Arian about how I wish I’d seen a ray during our Clear Kayaking session at Goat Island the day before when she said ‘oh, there’s one here, the boaties give it the fish scraps’ – sure enough, as she went to the bar to get a new round she peaked over the side and said ‘there he is.’

Rushing excitedly to the side of the jetty, I spotted an enormous stingray swimming around the harbour just below me – and I mean huge.

Sadly he didn’t photograph well, but he was there a good 20 minutes having his dinner.

He’s wild so I can’t say if you’ll see him or when, but he appeared for us around 7pm.

Find Swashbucklers at 23b Westhaven Drive.

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3. Try Auckland’s Most Innovative Ice Cream

Hokey Pokey might be New Zealand’s most famous flavour of ice cream, but if you want its’ most incredible, you go to Giapo.

I mean come on, the man has made an add-on that makes your cone look like a squid!

Here’s my full review of Giapo which tells you everything to expect, but if you’ve got a sweet tooth – or an Instagram account – this has to be one of the most fun things to do in Auckland.

You’ll find Giapo at 12 Gore Street close to the Britomart district of the city.

4. Visit an Island Full of Birds

Tiri Tiri Matangi is an island 30km north-east of Auckland, and easily accessible by ferry from the harbour in town. The journey takes just 75 minutes.

What makes this island so special is that all predators have been eradicated from it – leaving the bird population to flit about worry-free.

As such you’ll see all manner of beautiful New Zealand birds – potentially including Little Penguins, some inquisitive parrots and the fantastically noisy Tuis.

For more details on ferry times, visit the Explore Ferry website.

5. Take a Pedicab Ride

Auckland is hilly so, why not let someone else escort your around the sights.

Auckland Pedicab tours will whizz (well, kind of) you around the city’s sights for an hour in a pedalled rickshaw – a conveyence they refer to as a ‘giggle wagon’. Oh come on you know you want to try it now!

It’s different from a standard tour in that they come to you and they’ll take you where you want to go within the CBD, giving you a few fun facts along the way.

See more on their website (oh and between 4pm-4am on a Friday and Saturday you can also use them to get from A-B taxi style).

6. Search for Elves in Albert Park

I’m not sure if there are any actual elves in Central Auckland, but, if there are, they’d hang out in Albert Park.

Specifically, they’d frequent the trail of twisted trees that you find along the end of the park closest to Kitchener/Bowen Street.

It just looks like something magical – especially as it’s also surrounded by ivy.

Who needs to schlep to Hobbiton to feel magical – get your best Lord of the Rings outfit on and frolick to your heart’s content.

7. Book a Mystery Picnic

Great for locals and tourists alike, Mystery Picnics are like a treasure hunt for food!

You’re given a heap of clues to solve, each of which takes you to somewhere to pick up a piece of your picnic.

We tried it in Sydney and had an amazing haul of food – all of it yummy!

Your last clue is a pretty place to eat your picnic – which shouldn’t be hard in Auckland as it’s full of them.

You can also book an option with wine if you want to make an afternoon of it!

See more about the Mystery Picnic Options in Auckland here.

8. Check out Piggy Stardust

Auckland doesn’t have a huge street art scene (though if you want to find some good murals visit Cross Street just off Karangahape Road) however, one trend that is huge there – and elsewhere in NZ – are paintings on utility boxes.

A few artists do these, but my favourite was a guy called Paul Walsh who paints them with animals. He also gives his work really cool names like Awkward Seal, Student Kitten – and my favourite Piggy Stardust.

I spotted loads of these around town – particularly close to K Road and in the CBD. Piggy Stardust is in Mount Eden, on the corner of View Road and Wynyard Road, so you could combine visiting him with a trip to the crater.

For a full map containing all of Auckland’s street art – murals, sculptures and the painted utility boxes visit Outdoor Art NZ who have everything listed.

9. Try a White Lady Burger

Eating from a burger van might sound like one of my less appealing suggestions for unusual things to do in Auckland. But trust me, taking a trip to The White Lady will not be a disappointment. These burgers are good.

The White Lady has been feeding hungry Aucklander’s late-night sustenance since 1948. Yep, it was a food truck before they were a thing.

Yes, you’ll have to sit on a crate by the side of the road, and, you might get a friendly hobo come to join you – but you’ll also get a superb, freshly cooked to order burger up there with In-n-Out in our list of the world’s top burgers.

The Boyfriend was so enamoured he had two! Well considering a cheeseburger only costs NZ$11 you can afford to!

The White Lady parks on the corner of Commerce Street and Fort Street from 7pm to 4am weekdays, and you’ll find her there 24-7 from Friday night to Sunday morning.

Find the menu and other details here. They also now have a second van on K Road.

10. Go See The Fishies!

If the Swashbucklers stingray isn’t playing ball during your visit, you’re guaranteed to see things of an aquatic nature at the SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium.

This is another Auckland icon, beloved by families for generations – I don’t think you’ll meet a native Aucklander who didn’t go here as a child (or adult in my case!).

Walk through the shark tunnel, check out the rehabilitated turtles – and visit the penguins.

It’s a perfect thing to do on a rainy day in Auckland.

Also, check out the fantastic shark bus that picks you up from locations around town.

Book your general entry ticket in advance here.

11. Walk The Pink Path

So you have an old motorway off-ramp that you’re not doing anything with right now- what do you do with it?

Well, if you’re Auckland Council, you paint it pink and turn it into a dedicated cycle and walking path.

Admittedly, it doesn’t exactly go anywhere useful – or pretty – but, it does have a nice view of the Skytower and skipping along it singing ‘Follow the Pretty Pink Path’ to the tune of Follow the Yellow Brick Road kept me entertained for a good few hundred metres.

Trying to fit in so many unusual things to do in Auckland meant that I could only go down it during the day, but at night it lights up – hence its name, Te Ara I Whiti, or The Lightpath!

Enter it either off East Street near K Road or Union Street near the sculpture with the red poles.

12. Watch People Bungy Off the Sky Tower

Oh come on, they’ve paid their pennies, they’ve donned their fetching blue jumpsuit and they’ve hurled themselves off NZ’s tallest building falling 192m at 85km an hour in what’s kind of like a controlled bungy – they deserve some attention.

But you’re not going to stand on the street and ogle like all the other tourists, oh no.

You have the guide to unusual things to do in Auckland so, you’re going to make your way to the chic Glass Goose Bar and Eatery off Federal Street, get a drink in your hand and either sit on the balcony, or directly under the glass ceiling and have a ringside view of the excitement.

See, this is the view, those white wires are the bungy …. You get extra points if you wave.

13. Go Bowling in a Bar

Dr Rudi’s Rooftop Brewing Company is famous for a couple of things – its stunning view over Viaduct Harbour and the fact that it has a free bowling alley inside!

There are two lanes open on a first-come, first-bowling basis to anyone who wants to try them.

14. Find the Five Hearts of Auckland

I first heard about these on the Aucky Walky walking tour I took on the Saturday morning.

Guide Liz showed us the heart in Fort Lane by local artist Sara Hughes – and then told us there were four more dotted around the city. Cue hunting – and yes, I found them all.

If you want to do your own treasure hunt, you’ll find them in Federal Street, Fort Street, Bledisloe Lane, Jellicoe Street and Lorne Street.

If you want the spoilers that tell you exactly what you’re looking for and where to find them, there’s a handy guide here. 

15. Look Up On Queen Street

As main thoroughfares in a city go, Auckland’s Queen Street is probably one of the least inspiring – well, that’s what you’d think if you just looked at ground floor level anyway.

So don’t.

Look up and you’ll see beautiful ornate facades, old signs and a sense of the city’s history that’s been obliterated by the bland chain shops that line the street down below.

Queen Street also has some pretty quirky facts about it.

Most of which I didn’t even know until I read this fabulous post on Queen Street from Albom Adventures.

If you’re looking for a few more unusual things to do in Auckland definitely check it out – you’ll find out about the CBD ghosts, the Leaning Building of Auckland and the grisly secret of some markings at the harbour end of the street.

Three Things NOT to do in Auckland

While all of the above fun things are worth your time, a few things you’ll see online as possible things to do in Auckland might not quite be as much fun. These are…

The Secret Rooftop: Located at 56 Wakefield Street, there are blog posts and YouTube videos about this – and it looks amazing. It used to offer a stunning view of the city and, because so few people knew about it, you often got the place to yourself- but, as of January the 31st 2018 access was closed to the public.

We missed it by days, thankfully we were staying right nearby so didn’t trek all the way up the hill to visit it – and now I’m warning you not to do the same.

Auckland Fish Market: They are doing some modernisation so I am prepared to stand corrected on this once that’s completed, but, unless you actually do want to buy some fish, don’t worry about visiting Auckland Fish Market. It’s one tiny room and there’s just one restaurant associated with it.

The Big Wheel: This is listed on google maps and as it was in a part of Auckland that they are redeveloping it was feasible they’d got a Ferris Wheel. Thankfully, I realised that no, they don’t before I schlepped my butt down there – instead, the Big Wheel is just some old metal wheels.

Other people have been fooled though – there are some very upset people on Tripadvisor! ,

So, there you have our guide to fun things to do in Auckland. I need to go back and find some more though.

What to Read Next

Most people who come to NZ don’t just say in Auckland, and, if you’re one of them – or are just looking for some cool day trips from Auckland, we’ve got a couple of suggestions…

You might want to take a trip to Tirau, home to a road full of the most amazing quirky signs – and a few other intriguing sights. See more about Tirau here.

You go through Hamilton on the way to Tirau. And what I found there actually made me shout ‘stop the car’. IF you’re a Rocky Horror fan you need to see this.

Lastly, I still haven’t forgiven my Auckland friends for not mentioning The Blue Spring when I lived in the country as then I could have gone more often. It’s one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen. Click the post link to see the pictures.

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