My Wonderland features low sensory days, a nut-free environment and an allergy-friendly cafe, so all children can have a good time. Photo / My Wonderland
Rain and school holidays is never a good combination. Fortunately, we’ve got 13 fun things to do in Auckland when the weather turns wild
“You’re missing the point.” I recently said to my husband when he questioned if we needed both an Auckland Zoo family pass and an annual pass to Kelly Tarlton’s.
“Winter’s coming. I need a guaranteed rainy-day activity for every weekend that it rains. Which will be the majority.”
Am I right or am I right.
There’s nothing worse than being stuck indoors with restless kids. You can bake and paint to the high hills, there will still be 23 hours left in the day. Here are 13 foolproof rainy-day activities to save your sanity.
Tamaki Drive, Orakei
Let’s not lie, the penguins steal the show. Home to both King and Gentoo species, they’re as entertaining as the TV (and for just as long) without the guilt of destroying tiny people’s brain cells. In fact, Kelly Tarltons is all-round educational, with multiple exhibits detailing myriad underwater creatures and Scott’s Hut from the age of Antarctic exploration, as well as a new sea cave adventure zone that highlights Hauraki Gulf marine life. Don’t worry, your kids won’t realise their brain’s being enriched, not with an underwater travelator, a tank full of sharks and the chance to draw fish on to a huge, interactive wall.
Devonport
For a small museum, this one really packs a punch and does a great job at championing the Royal New Zealand Navy and its history. Entry is free for NZ residents and there are plenty of exhibits to enthral visitors, including an eclectic mix of artefacts, ships and various ways to detail impressive naval stories. We all know children have a short attention span but with a dedicated kid’s activity zone, kid’s art and craft room, a Morse code scavenger hunt and dressing up, there’s plenty to keep little people entertained. Better still, there’s an on-site playground and the cafe boasts some of the best harbour views in the city.
City-wide
Oh, how the mothers wince. This might be a daddy activity depending on how diligent you were with your pelvic muscle exercises. Kids love to bounce. Fact. And Auckland has several indoor trampoline parks to keep them springing, including Gravity in East Auckland, with special sessions for toddlers every Saturday and Sunday between 9-10am. There are also various ‘Bounce’ outposts sprinkled across the city (Avondale, North Shore and Takanini) featuring over 50 interconnected trampolines as well as several additional activity zones like an X-Park course and climbing walls. The Minibounce Zone is for sprogs aged 5 years and younger, and soft enough for parents to sit in the cafe and “join in” from the rim of a latte glass.
Glenfield, North Shore
This one comes with a catch – it’s closed. But only until June and we guarantee it’ll still be raining then. The indoor sports arena is huge and both rollerblades and skates can be hired for as little as $10 for kids ($13 for adults). Drop in for a two-hour public skate session every Saturday and Sunday between 1pm-3pm. You can hone your skating skills in the driveway until ActizZone’s doors reopen.
Western Springs
Admire locomotives in the Pump House and watch your kids gawp at cars, cameras and mobile phones from the dinosaur era (read as your school years). Foam bricks and kinetics at ‘Motots’, a designated area for smaller kids, provide lots of indoor fun for toddlers, and Motat’s second venue - an enormous hangar packed with airplanes - is accessed via the free tram, which children go crazy for.
Mangere
Still raining? Drive to the airport and fly to Fiji. If that’s not in your Saturday budget, try Butterfly Creek instead, it’s only 1km away. Don’t be fooled, this is so much more than butterflies. Spread over various areas that venture indoors and out (the dinosaurs are stomping about outside), when it’s raining, you can’t go wrong with the enclosed butterfly house, heated to a very agreeable 28-30C. NZ’s only saltwater crocodiles also reside here, and they don’t like wet weather either, preferring to bask inside their tropical enclosure. Kiwi Forest is housed inside a nocturnal kiwi house and the petting zoo at Buttermilk Farm occupies a warm barnyard. A seriously good time whatever the weather.
Albany, North Shore
If you’re reluctant to strip down to your togs on a wet and miserable day, head to Albany Stadium Pool on Auckland’s North Shore. Full to the brim with interactive water features, you’ll soon be raring to don swimmers and dive straight in. So much more than a laned swimming pool (snore), enjoy a warm, shallow splash pad, water cannons and small slides suitable for toddlers as well as larger, deeper swimming pools and an over-the-water climbing wall for older kids. This is a really large space with a spa and sauna area for weary parents (for mum to go when she wants 5 minutes to herself... dad’s better at water dunking anyway).
City-wide
Glow in the dark mini golf. It’s the kind of revolutionary activity that makes grandma say, “whatever next!?” Gloputt Mini Golf in Takapuna offers a unique set of mini golf courses aglow with neon lights and glow-in-the-dark props and pathways. Then there’s Lilliputt Mini Golf/ Around The World by Sylvia Park shopping mall which is a great option if you’ve already dragged the kids around the shops. Take a trip around the world – hence the name – with courses set in Paris, Africa and beyond. Other options include Dragon Quest in New Lynn, also by Lilliputt. If you have small kids with big imaginations, this fantasy-themed course is just the ticket. Expect to find trolls, dragons and toadstools, all covered by a rain-repelling awning.
Avondale and Botany
Embrace the chill at Paradice Ice Skating, with ice rinks in both Avondale and Botany. There’s public skating at both locations, with skate hire available in the session price, starting from $12 for preschoolers and $21 for anyone older. Before you send little Jimmy onto the ice in his nappy, hugging a milk bottle, children must be at least three years old to skate. Well out of diapers? Tweens and teens will enjoy unexpected add-ons, such as laser tag and mini gold (Botany only), as well as the Friday night disco. Keep an eye on the website for the rinks’ latest and greatest events.
Albany
We know, you go to an indoor playground with high hopes of knackering your kids and in reality, your old-person energy levels deplete after 30 minutes and you leave more tired than your children. Still, My Wonderland is the perfect excuse to relive the glory days of childhood. With new owners since 2023. there’s been a complete overhaul and deep clean. A multi-level haven of slides, tunnels, ball ponds, trampolines and foam, it’s suitable for kids aged 0-12 (complete with a separate toddler area) and parents are encouraged to get in and have fun, too. Better still, My Wonderland’s “No Child Missing Out” ethos is a heartfelt commitment to inclusivity. Recognising that children with sensory or dietary challenges often miss out, the facility features low sensory days, a nut-free environment, and an allergy-friendly cafe. My Wonderland is a place where differences are celebrated, and every child gets to say, “I went to My Wonderland too.”
Auckland Central
There’s a little bit of something for everyone at SkyCity. Aside from the obvious skedaddle up the tower itself, there’s Weta Workshop Unleashed, where guests can enter an interactive world of make-believe film sets, courtesy of our very own geniuses at Weta. If there are rugby fanatics in your clan, the All Blacks Experience is a short walk from the Sky Tower, offering a spine-tingling overview of the All Blacks story, Black Ferns and the almighty haka. Finally, did you know there’s a thrilling sky-high slide that weaves up, down and around the entire Sky Tower? Granted, it’s a virtual reality experience but it’s an adventure, nevertheless.
Birkenhead, North Shore
Perhaps you’re stuck indoors due to the rain midweek. In which case, head to Chelsea Bay in Birkenhead for a sugar factory tour. Gain a behind-the-scenes look at a working factory and its impressive machinery with an expert guide. Learn how sugar is processed from sugar cane to the supermarket shelf, then taste the products and get around the site on the brilliantly pink Chelsea Bay Train. The tour is approx one hour but if you’re short on time, try the express Mini Tour, a quick 20-minute chug around the factory on the train. Booking is highly recommended. Tours aren’t available at the weekend but you will find Sugar Cafe and its playground, as well as nearby walking paths in the Chelsea Estate Heritage Park.
Parnell, Auckland
Museums aren’t stuffy old dust fests like they were when you and I were kids. Case in point, Auckland Museum. Not a day goes by without a gaggle of children having a rollicking good time in here. As well as the permanent galleries, there are ever-changing visiting exhibits. There’s also a weekly Discovery Trail. Every Saturday and Sunday, take part in the ‘Weird & Wonderful Discovery’ in the namesake gallery and search for 16 labels by peering, peeking, opening doors and generally having a prod around. Keep an eye on the museum’s what’s on the webpage for year-round events to keep young’uns entertained.
The new Western Sydney International will be a 24-hour airport.