Auckland Activities: 13 Unique Things to Do in Auckland

Rugby fan, or not, if you are Kiwi, you will leave the All Blacks Experience with a feeling of pride for your country. Our passionate guide presented an informative and impressive homage to New Zealand rugby.

Overall, it was a fun and personal experience. Not only did we discover what it takes to make, shape and be an All Black, we also experienced an incredibly powerful haka, played interactive games, and explored some of the player's rituals.

Best of all, the 45-minute guided tour is followed by an opportunity to learn and try your skills in the interactive zone. Here we passed, kicked, tested our knowledge, and our agility.

Hours: Open daily from 9:30 am to 6 pm, with tours departing from 10 am to 4.00 pm.

Location: Level 4, 88 Federal Street, Auckland

This is the real thing – an opportunity to crew on a former Team New Zealand America’s Cup yacht. These are not the foil boats of today's racing but rather the monohulls sailed prior to 2012.

While the expert crew is there to assist, the passengers (who choose to participate) race and steer the yacht. There are sails to adjust, ropes to pull, and decisions to be made.

There are jobs for everyone who wants one. The two hours out on the water are magical. And, depending on when you go out, there will be a match race against another group.

Hours: Days and times vary by season.

Location: Viaduct Harbour, Auckland

Minimum Age: 10

Imagine jumping off the tallest free-standing tower in the southern hemisphere, and you have SkyJump. It's a base jump (via wire) that plunges participants from 192m (629ft), at speeds up to 85km/hour (52mph).

It is fast enough to satisfy any dare-devil yet slower than a traditional bungy jump, thus allowing you to enjoy both the thrill and the view on the way down. Are you brave enough?

Hours: Open daily 9.30 am to 5 pm

Location: Sky Tower at the corner of Victoria and Albert Streets, Auckland

Minimum Age: 10 (under 14 need to be accompanied by an adult)

Weight requirements: Between 30kg (66 lbs) and 122kg (270 lbs).

This is one of my personal favourite things to do in Auckland and nothing tops the day’s first sighting. The expert team knows how to spot both whales and dolphins, and the experience is heart pounding.

With onboard marine researchers, there is plenty to learn for those who are interested, or just hang out and wait for some guidance on where to look, so you don't miss the magic as a whale breaches the surface.

Hours: Sailings at 1 pm. Days vary by season.

Location: Viaduct Harbour, Auckland

Requirements: Not suitable for heavily pregnant women and there is no wheelchair access. Children under 5 must be closely supervised by a parent.

Beautiful Waiheke Island is a wine grower's paradise. The microclimate is credited with the production of many award-winning wines. In fact, the small island has about 30 wineries. We have our favourites.

Getting there is an easy 35-minute ferry ride from Auckland. And the easiest way to enjoy the wineries is with a tour. Enjoi, the tour we recommend here, includes 3-4 award-winning vineyards, with 3-5 tastings at each. Time is allocated for lunch.

Hours: Tour picks up just after the arrival of the 10 am ferry from Auckland.

Location: Fullers Ferry Terminal, Auckland

Minimum Age: Drinking age in New Zealand is 18 and strictly enforced on this tour. Bring ID.

The Weta Workshop Unleashed is billed as a wildly imaginative experience that invites guests into a fantastical film effects facility, inspired by the Academy Award-winning Weta Workshop. Explore the makings of horror, sci-fi and fantasy on your extraordinary guided journey.

Hours: Cave is open daily 10 am to 6.30 pm, while Weta Workshop Unleashed experiences run daily from 10:10 am to (final departure) 4:10 pm.

Admission: Vary by experience selected

Location: Level 5, 88 Federal Street, Auckland

Being an island nation, New Zealand’s defence systems historically defended our coastal borders. Tunnel complexes, huge gun encasements, military barracks, and old cannons are amongst the things we can still explore at North Head, the volcanic land at the end of Devonport, just across the bay from Auckland city. (Not an island, but you can take the ferry to get here.)

Remember to bring a torch if you want to explore the tunnel complex. Either way, you will enjoy spectacular views of Auckland and several of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. 

Hours: Tunnels open daily 6 am to 10 pm

Location: North Head Historic Reserve, Devonport, Auckland. Can be accessed on the road or via ferry.

If you are brave enough, here is your chance to bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour bridge with the experts. AJ Hackett's bungy crew have been at it since 1988 and are world leaders in safety.

Bungy height is 40 metres (131ft).

As a bonus to taking the leap here, you will enjoy fabulous views from the 600m walk along the bridge out over the ocean to get to the bungy jump platform.

Don't just take our word for it, check out the reviews

Hours: Operates daily with starting times 9.30 am to 2.30 pm

Location: 105 Curran St extension, Westhaven Marina, Auckland

Minimum Age: 10 (under 14 need to be accompanied by an adult)

Weight requirements: Between 35kg (77 lbs) and 150kg (330 lbs).reviews

This uniquely New Zealand opportunity offers an epic guided kayak tour to Rangitoto Island, Auckland’s youngest volcano. Then, enjoy a one hour walk to the crater rim and watch the sunset while enjoying impressive 360-degree views of Auckland’s skyline and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf.

The six-hour tour starts late afternoon and is timed so participants can enjoy the sunset from Rangitoto's summit. Often seals, penguins, or dolphins are spotted.

Hours: Varies.

Location: Meet at Fergs Kayaks, 12 Tamaki Drive, Okahu Bay, Auckland

Minimum Age: 16 and participants must have a moderate level of fitness.

Just a 45-minute drive from Auckland, the black sands of Murawai beach draw families to the patrolled swimming area, surfers to the big waves, fishermen to the rocks, and everyone to the Muriwai gannet colony viewing area.

Thousands of Australian gannets fly nearly 2,800 km to court, nest, and breed on only a few beaches in New Zealand. Muriwai is the only one that is easy for visitors to access.

And, if that’s not enough, Muriwai Beach has spectacular sunsets, incredible marine and birdlife, and hiking trails. Nearby, there are vineyards, cafes, a golf course, and a surfing school.

Hours: Always open. Free to enter. Gannets typically here from August to March.

Location: Muriwai Reserve, Auckland

If you have limited time, don’t miss this opportunity to see two of the regions most popular destinations in a single day. Starting from Auckland, the first stop is a 90 minute guided tour inside Waitomo’s Spellbound Cave. While walking alongside the stalagmites and stalactites is impressive, the highlight comes when boarding a small boat and drifting through the glowworm grotto in near silence.

Then a drive to middle earth for a guided tour of the Hobbiton movie set.  Each two-hour tour of the 12-acre Hobbiton Movie set takes visitors to Hobbit Holes, the Old Mill, and the Double Arched Bridge. You will discover details about the movie set and how it was created. Then, a complimentary drink at The Green Dragon Inn.

Hours: Full day (12-hours)

Location: Pick up from Central Auckland (or Rotorua)

Minimum Age: 3

If you are ready for an all-day adventure that includes impressive natural formations, white sandy beaches, untouched native forests, and a chance to dig your own natural hot pool, head to the Coromandel Peninsula. A 2.5-hour drive from Auckland, it can easily be done as a day trip, especially if you choose a guide that is familiar with all the locations. 

Personally, we prefer small group tours and have been quite impressed by the reviews of Mana Tours. They will pick up from several inner-city Auckland hotels, provide refreshments, and take care of all the details. 

Hours: Pick up starts at 8 am with the return to Auckland at about 6 pm.

Location: Pick up from Auckland. Transport provided. 

Minimum Age: Children welcome

The largest snowdome in the Southern Hemisphere is loaded with fun options, from skiing and snowboarding to tubing and tobogganing or just snow play. It's a winter wonderland all year long.

Best of all, you can often get a snow pass and gear rental discount here or a discount for tobogganing here.

Hours: 10am - 10pm daily, although open until midnight on Friday.

Admission: Vary by experience selected

Location: 91 Small Road, Silverdale, Auckland