35 Fun Auckland Indoor Activities & Things To Do On A Rainy Day

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Don’t let a rainy day in Auckland ruin your day! There are plenty of fun indoor activities in Auckland that enable you to have a great time with your family and friends. Discover the best indoor activities Auckland has on offer plus plenty of ways to spend your time when the weather outdoors isn’t quite as planned!

While New Zealand is known for its beautiful scenery and outdoor experiences, this family-friendly destination is great any day of the year for finding fun things to do, whether you are visiting Auckland for a weekend or staying longer!

If you’re heading to Queenstown soon, make sure you check out these rainy day ideas for Queenstown too!

Check out these Auckland day trips for more ideas

Visiting Auckland

Auckland is the major metropolitan city on New Zealand‘s North Island. It is New Zealand’s largest city by population, with just under 1.5 million people.

Auckland has many places to visit: unique attractions and activities for families, museums, bars, restaurants, shopping centres and even a theme park.

But there is no doubt about it, rainy days do happen in Auckland, so it helps to be prepared!

How Often Does It Rain In Auckland?

Auckland receives an average of 136 rainy days per year. July is typically the month with the highest rainfall and the coldest temperatures.

February is typically the driest month in Auckland and has the warmest temperatures.

While there is no sure way to avoid rain during your visit to Auckland, visiting in the summer months will usually mean a lower average of rainy days and more sunshine.

Things To Do On A Rainy Day In Auckland With Kids

With approximately a third of the year being wet weather days in Auckland, you will need fun ways to entertain kids during those rainy days during your New Zealand travel!

These Auckland indoor activities for kids and families are perfect for anyone who would rather get out and do something instead of sitting at home (or in a hotel room) with nothing to do!

Let’s skip the cabin fever!

Indoor Snow Boarding

Snow Planet is the ultimate boredom buster to entertain the whole family with indoor snowboarding fun. This venue offers indoor skiing, snowboarding and play zones in one place, so there is no stop in your fun regardless of the weather outside.

Younger kids will love the tubing and snow tobogganing tracks. They also provide after-school and holiday programs for your kids and athlete training camps for youngsters. 

Location: 91 Small Road, Silverdale, Auckland

Odyssey Sensory Maze

Journey through a multiverse of themed rooms at Odessey with a variety of sensory effects that will leave you feeling like you stepped into a different world.  

Make your way out of the maze through challenging spaces, quirky physical obstacles, illusions, and indoor games with experiences to highlight all your senses.

The experience takes approximately 20 minutes to work through, however, there is no time limit so take your time and enjoy the journey.

Location: 291-297 Queen Street, Auckland City

Auckland War Memorial Museum

Auckland War Memorial Museum is an ideal place to spend your rainy day with your partner or family. Every day, it opens from 10 am to 5 pm.

The War Museum has various collections, daily performances, and exhibitions related to early Auckland photography, New Zealand geography photography, ancient Greeks, and many others. 

Location: Parnell, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Auckland’s art gallery is the biggest gallery of domestic and international artwork in New Zealand, located in the Auckland CBD. It has more than 17000 artworks ranging from sculpture and painting to multimedia.

Moreover, it offers free gallery games for kids, which can be downloaded before arrival or picked up at the gallery when you arrive. 

Location: Wellesley Street East, Auckland Central,

Butterfly Creek

Butterfly Creek is located just 2 minutes from Auckland Airport you will find yourself surrounded by wildlife. There is a tropical butterfly house, New Zealand’s only saltwater crocodile, and an aviary of birds.

Plus you can step into the fantasy worlds of the Dinosaur Kingdom and their Mythic Creatures exhibit. They even have a kiwi!

Location: 10 Tom Pearce Drive, Auckland Airport

Virtual Reality Studio

For game lovers, VR Play is the perfect place to take this to the next level. The centre is for kids of all ages, from school kids to adults. VR room provides the latest high-quality video games paired with a 4D motion platform to create an immersive gaming experience. 

Location: 2a/161 Stoddard Road, Mt Roskill, Auckland

Visit Cake n ladders Board Game Café

Enjoying a coffee and a treat at Cake N Ladders board game café on Symonds Street is not a bad idea on a rainy day. 

Not only coffee, but they also offer a variety of other hot and cold drinks and baked items along with board games, cards games, and many other family-friendly games to pass your time. 

Customers who wish to play games pay just $3 NZ an hour per person to access the games library.

Location: 173 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland

Game Over

Game Over in Auckland offers numerous fun indoor activities to keep the kids busy, including indoor go-karting, safari laser tag, and Jurassic mini-putt to enjoy the rainy days undercover. It is a perfect place to entertain your whole family and spend hours together.

Location: 35 Arrenway Drive, Albany, Auckland

Sky World Indoor Entertainment Centre

If it’s indoor activities Auckland that you’re seeking, where else but an indoor entertainment centre should you look? Sky World is a great option for family fun with ten pin bowling, indoor rock climbing, Skyworld Horror Maze, and plenty of delicious places to dine.

Location: 291-297 Queen Street, Auckland Central

BlastaCars Drift Karts

For kids over 8, teens and adults, BlastaCar is the ultimate indoor kart racing centre with a difference. Their specially made karts are designed for drifting. This is great competitive fun between friends and family!

Location: 82 The Concourse, Henderson, Auckland

New Zealand Maritime Museum

The New Zealand Maritime Museum is open daily, offering fun activities and unique exhibits for the whole family.

Learn about New Zealand’s maritime history with interactive displays throughout and the opportunity to go sailing on Auckland Harbour if you want to venture into the outdoors. There are activities for kids, including a school holiday program with crafts and fun.

Location: Corner of Quay and Hobson Street, Auckland

Holey Moley Auckland

Love mini-golf? This fun-for-all-ages mini-golf experience caters to adults and kids. Located at the Auckland Wharf, this crazy family fun even has a bar so the adults can enjoy a grown-up beverage. Or if it’s singing you love, they even have karaoke!

Location: 204 Quay St, Auckland

Stardome Observatory Planetarium

New Zealand is one of the best places in the world to go stargazing, although this isn’t quite so easy when you’re looking for things to do in Auckland on rainy days!

The planetarium is a perfect alternative! In the live 360-degree visual experience, your planetarium presenter takes you on an extraordinary voyage of the stars, planets and constellations visible from Auckland.

Location: 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland

Museum of Transport and Technology

MOTAT is the perfect hands-on learning experience for the whole family, with exhibits and interactive displays to learn about the history of transport and technology in New Zealand and beyond.

Location: 805 Great North Road, Western Springs, Auckland

Visit A Cat Cafe

They say petting an animal is a key to boosting happiness so take your family for a boost of endorphins at Purrs & Beans cat cafe. Enjoy a coffee and a cuddle with one of the many rescue cats and help support their welfare. The cafe has a minimum age limit of 10 years or 6+ years in the adoption room.

Location: 188 Hinemoa Street, Auckland

More Auckland Indoor Activities For Kids

If those activities still aren’t enough to keep the family busy when the weather is not playing nice here are loads more ideas for the whole family:

• Cinemas – There are several cinemas in Auckland showing new releases and speciality release films daily.
• Uptown Bounce – Indoor trampoline centre suitable for all ages, with daily toddler sessions for kids 5 and under too.
• Ice cream – Head to one of Auckland’s many ice cream parlours for a sweet treat.
• Escape Rooms – There are several escape room options around Auckland, with some suited to families and others aimed more at adults.
• Ice skating – Visit Paradise Ice Skating for a few hours of fun in the rink.
• Laser tag – Laser tag is a family-friendly alternative to skirmish and the perfect indoor adventure activity.
• Ten-pin bowling – Hit the bowling alley and enjoy a bit of family competitiveness with a game or two of ten pin bowling.
• Indoor rock climbing – Get physical by visiting one of Auckland’s indoor rock climbing centres and challenge yourselves to get vertical.
• Shopping – Head to one of the many shopping centres in Auckland and see what you can find.
• Inflatable World Auckland – Let the kids burn off some energy at the massive indoor inflatable playground, with jumping castles and inflatable fun for all.
• Indoor play centre – There are several indoor playgrounds in Auckland perfect for rainy days.

Indoor Activities Auckland For Adults

Why should the kids have all the fun? If you are looking for things to do for adults in Auckland when it rains, you’ve got plenty of options too! In fact, many of the recommended indoor activities above are just as fun for grown-ups.

But if you want something specifically for adults, these activities are sure to keep you entertained!

Take A Winery Tour

While some parts of a visit to a winery may take you outdoors, the most important parts are indoors – the tastings! There are many incredible New Zealand wineries near Auckland that are perfect for rainy day fun.

> Check out the best New Zealand Winery Tours for both the North & South Island

Ponsonby Pool Hall

Practice your pool and billiards skills at Ponsonby Pool Hall – a fully licensed pool hall with table 8 tables and international pool tables, open from midday until 1AM each day.

Location: 106 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland

Take A Cooking Class

If you love to cook or want to learn some new skills, Sachie’s Kitchen runs regular cooking classes in a variety of cuisines. Each class takes you through each step of cooking a 3-course meal before you can sit back and enjoy your meal together.

Location: 1.4/91 Saint Georges Bay Road, Parnell, Auckland

Bellini Mixology Class

Learn how to mix expert standard cocktails at a Bellini classic cocktail class or mixology masterclass. You will learn new skills and techniques for creating the perfect drink with the mixologists, at their location on Auckland’s Princes Wharf.

They also host high tea at Bellini Bar Hilton if you just want to eat great food!

Location: Corner of Hilton Auckland, 147 Quay Street, Auckland

Caluzzi Cabaret Show

Head out for an adults-only drag cabaret show at Caluzzi and prepare for a night of entertainment, music, delicious food and drinks. This is a dinner and performance experience and an extremely popular activity to do at night in Auckland.

Location: 461 Karangahape Road, Auckland Central

Weta Workshop Unleashed

This is the ultimate experience for movie-buffs! Step into the unbelievable film effects workshop and explore the works of horror, science fiction and fantasy in the making as you learn about movie magic.

The journey through Weta Workshop’s creative process is suited to adults as there are horror elements that may scare children, however, this is an experience that needs to be seen to be believed!

Location: 88 Federal Street, Auckland CBD

Spookers Haunted Attraction

Prepare to be scared at the Spookers haunted attraction. If looking for indoor activities in Auckland, this one is a bit of fun if you enjoy all things horror.

Try your luck escaping the frightening creatures within, as you navigate your way through the Southern Hemisphere’s number one horror Attraction.

Spookers consists of four themed attractions – The Haunted House, The Woods, Disturbia and The Fog. Each of the attractions is theatrically themed with realistic props, actors in costume, lights and sound. Suitable for 13+ years.

Location: 833 Kingseat Road, Auckland

Comedy Club

Visit Auckland’s only dedicated comedy club, The Classic, for a night of laughs and evening entertainment. They have regular shows each week and special events throughout the year.

Location: 321 Queen Street, Auckland Central.

We have listed the ultimate collection of indoor activities in Auckland for locals and tourists to spend their rainy days. Skip the boredom and head out for a day of adventure and excitement indoors!

We hope these indoor things to do in Auckland will help keep you entertained on your next rainy day!