All-Weather and Indoor Activities in Auckland – Perfect for a Rainy Day!
Bossing a rainy day is a pretty easy task in a city like Auckland where so much is happening. In fact, we think that having a couple of rainy days when visiting Auckland is a blessing in disguise. It may force you to try one of the pretty awesome things to do in Auckland on a rainy day listed below and may just add stuff onto your Auckland itinerary that you would not have thought about otherwise.
The list below will accommodate all budgets, from free activities to paid ones and all kinds of cheap ones in between. But if the weather clears up, don’t forget about all the natural attractions that Auckland has to offer and the obvious Auckland Must-Dos.
Now, let’s get to the best things to do in Auckland on a rainy day!
1. Explore the Auckland War Memorial Museum
Certainly one of the most impressive museums in New Zealand, the Auckland War Memorial Museum has exhibitions for all: WWI, WWII, colonisation, geology, wildlife, marine life, Antarctic, World Of Wearable Art, Maori history… The museum about all things Auckland and New Zealand is huge and can easily help you kill one or even two rainy days in Auckland. Find out more about the museum and get admission tickets on Viator, Tripadvisor or Klook.
Location: Auckland Domain, Parnell.
© NZPocketGuide.com2. Get Inspired at the Auckland Art Gallery
Located right in the city centre of Auckland, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is free to visit. With around 15,000 works, the gallery offers a wide range of collections from early settlers’ art to contemporary pieces. All in all, the Auckland Art Gallery is a great way to spend an hour or so out of the rain. See more attractions like this in the 17 Free & Cheap Things to Do in Auckland.
Location: Corner of Kitchener and Wellesley Streets, Auckland Central.
© Unsplash3. Learn About New Zealand’s Relation to the Sea at the New Zealand Maritime Museum
See stunning heritage vessels, replicas and even sail on a heritage boat if the weather clears up at the New Zealand Maritime Museum. There’s so much to explore here between the Maori and Pacific outriggers to the giant America’s Cup sailing yacht. Delve into the stories of early migrations to New Zealand through interactive exhibitions. Book your tickets on Klook.
Location: Corner of Quay and Hobson Streets (Viaduct Harbour), Auckland Central.
© NZPocketGuide.com4. Lose Yourself in the Odyssey Sensory Maze
Fun with friends or family, day or night, sunshine or rain, Odyssey Sensory Maze is a quirky indoor attraction unlike anything else. Explore rooms and rooms of challenges, weird obstacles and illusions created by lights, mirrors and strange textures. Get your Odyssey Sensory Maze ticket on Viator, Tripadvisor or Klook.
Location: Lower Basement Metro Centre, 291-297 Queen Street, Auckland Central.
© Odyssey Sensory Maze5. Play Indoor Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf or Try Out Auckland’s Mini Golf Bar
Compete with your mates or loved ones while killing a whole afternoon with a game of mini golf. What about indoor mini golf? And what about glow-in-the-dark indoor mini golf? Enter a world of glowing technicolour at Gloputt Mini Golf in Takapuna or at Megazone in Mt Wellington. For something more for the adults, head to the Holey Moley Golf Club with holes, tunes, karaoke and cocktails!
Location: Gloputt Mini Golf – 28 Barrys Point Road, Takapuna. Megazone – 20 Clemow Drive, Mt Wellington. Holey Moley Golf Club – 204 Quay Street, Auckland Central.
© NZPocketGuide.com6. Jump on a Wine Tour
Sure, seeing the vineyards in the sun is always appealing but you don’t have to have fine weather to enjoy sipping on Auckland’s locally produced wine! Choose between wine tours on the Auckland mainland or on Waiheke Island after taking the ferry. Either way, you’ll be transported from winery to winery, with a few other Auckland highlights along the way, so all you need to worry about is not having one too many! See more experiences like this in the 10 Luxury Activities in Auckland.
Location: Auckland mainland wine tours are available with Bush and Beach (more info on Klook, Viator and Tripadvisor) and on Waiheke Island with Ananda Tours (on Klook, Viator and Tripadvisor).
© NZPocketGuide.com7. Do Some Indoor Snowboarding
Auckland is home to the country’s only indoor ski and snowboarding slope, Snowplanet. So strap on those snowboarding boots that you brought in the hope to master the wild Southern Alps and get yourself a good training day in Snowplanet.
Location: 91 Small Road, Silverdale.
© Sneeuwplaneet on Wikipedia8. Grab a Great Coffee
Auckland is the place to be for fancy and cosy cafes. With unique coffee shops around almost every corner, it is not the opportunities that are missing. You are bound to find a great place to sit down and let the storm pass with a good book and a yummy hot drink. Some cafes even have blankets to keep you extra snug.
Location: Get inspired for which cafes to try from The Foodie Guide to Auckland.
© NZPocketGuide.com9. Indulge in Auckland’s Cuisine
Everybody loves eating. It’s yummy, it’s social and it’s out of the rain. We have a great guide to the Cheap Eats in Auckland for you so you know where to grab a bite in Auckland without breaking the bank. Alternatively, treat yourself to some of the 10 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Auckland.
For an effortless option, why not join one of the many guided food tours in Auckland? Try The Big Foody who have a driving tour to help keep you out of the rain (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor). See more experiences like this in the 8 Things to Do in Auckland for Foodies.
Location: Get inspired for which restaurants to try from The Foodie Guide to Auckland.
© NZPocketGuide.com10. Play Pool
Should it be in a bar or a dedicated pool bar like the Ponsonby Pool Hall, Orange Club or Pool & Blues, working that cue is another excellent way to avoid a rainy evening in Auckland. In bars and pubs, you’ll pay per game while pool halls are by the hour, so consider how competitive you are before picking your championship venue!
Location: Ponsonby Pool Hall – 106 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby. Orange Club – 9 City Road. Pool & Blues – 217 Archers Road, Takapuna.
© Pixabay11. Experience an Auckland Night Out
Even if you are not into playing pool, there is always a good reason to go to the pub or a bar. Make new friends, watch a game, drink to forget, dance or do whatever you like doing at the watering hole. There are a ton of great bars in Auckland and you are bound to find one very close to your accommodation. Turn that rainy-day grumpiness into drunkenness in one of these 11 Awesome Bars in Auckland.
Location: Get inspiration of which bar precinct to hit from The Guide to Auckland Nightlife.
© Unsplash12. Play a VR Game
That’s right, Auckland has its very own virtual reality (VR) gaming centre! The indoor VR complex of VR Voom uses the latest VR technology to transport gamers to a new immersive world, whether it’s a zombie universe, travelling through time, fighting aliens or some other adventure.
Location: 393 Khyber Pass Road, Newmarket.
© VR Voom13. See Auckland Under the Rain from the Sky Tower
As the tallest manmade tower in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sky Tower sure classes as an indoor activity and a fun thing to do while it’s raining in Auckland. Head up to the viewing floor of the 328m (1,076ft) tower and marvel at panoramic views of Auckland’s city centre all the way out to the Hauraki Gulf. You can even go at night to see the amazing city lights. Tickets are available to purchase from Klook, Viator, Tripadvisor and KKday.
© NZPocketGuide.com14. Get an Ice Cream Masterpiece
As we’ve already seen on this list of things to do in Auckland on a rainy day, art galleries are a great rainy day activity, but how about art that you can eat?! Get yourself to Giapo for their creative and delicious ice creams that you can taste out of the rain in their kitchen/cafe. These are ice creams that definitely deserve to grace your Instagram page!
Location: 12 Gore Street, Auckland Central.
© Giapo15. Do Some Indoor Go-karting
If you have the budget and are super competitive, get yourself on the wheels of a go-kart and race your family, strangers and mates alike. Getting the fastest speed run is not that easy and negotiating tight corners of e-karts requires skills. Are you up for it? Find indoor go-karting centres at Blastacars Drift Karts, Game Over Auckland and Extreme Indoor Karts.
Location: Blastacars Drift Karts – 82 The Concourse, Henderson. Game Over Auckland – 35 Arrenway Drive, Albany. Extreme Indoor Karts – 82B Kerwyn Avenue, East Tāmaki.
© pixabay16. Challenge Your Group to an Escape Room
Try to escape a wacky-themed room within an hour. But wait, it’s not that easy. Between your group and opening the door stands puzzle-after-puzzle, locks with hidden keys, and sometimes even hidden side rooms! There are three escape room venues in Auckland Central alone and much more popping up in and around the city.
Location: Escape Masters – Level 11/300 Queen Street, Auckland Central. Escapade NZ – Level 1/23 Victoria Streat East, Auckland Central. Great Escape – 28 Lorne Street, Auckland Central.
© NZPocketGuide.com17. Play Some Tenpin Bowling
Auckland is home to multiple bowling venues, including one right in the city centre. Convenient? Yes. Expensive? Well… If you can get yourself to one of the outer suburb bowling lanes you may pay about half the price. Another solution to save money on bowling is to time it right. Bowling venues are famous for having specials at specific time slots and on specific days. Make the most of it!
Location: Metrolanes – 291/297 Queen Street, Auckland Central. Newmarket Tenpin Bowling – 6/2 York Street, Newmarket. Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq – 309 Broadway, Newmarket. Zone Bowling & Timezone Wairau – 10 Target Court, Wairau Valley. Manukau Super Strike – 573 Great South Road, Manukau City Centre.
© Pixabay18. Watch a Movie at the Cinema
Hopefully, it’s raining in Auckland on a Wednesday when you can get NZ$5 movie tickets at Academy Cinema! Alternatively, big-screen cinemas showcasing the latest blockbusters can be found at Reading Cinema in New Lynn, Hoyts Cinemas in Botany Downs, Hibiscus Coast and Sylvia Park, and Event Cinema in the city centre. For a more boutique experience, check out Berkeley Cinemas in Mission Bay, Lido Cinema in Epsom or the Victoria Theatre and Cinema in Devonport.
Location: Academy Cinema – 44 Lorne Street, Auckland Central. Reading Cinema – 3058 Great North Road, New Lynn. Hoyts Cinemas – 588 Chapel Road, East Tāmaki; 6 Link Crescent, Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa; Sylvia Park Shopping Centre, 286 Mount Wellington Highway. Event Cinema – 291/297 Queen Street, Auckland Central. Berkeley Cinemas – 85 Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay. Lido Cinema – 427 Manukau Road, Epsom. Victoria Theatre and Cinema – 48 Victoria Road, Devonport.
© Unsplash19. Explore the Technology and Transport Displays of MOTAT
The Museum of Technology and Transport (MOTAT) is a must-visit for anyone stay in Auckland for a while. It has a huge indoor section that is incredibly educative and hands-on, ideal for families. Far from your traditional museum, you’ll get to touch exhibitions and play with them. This is the best way to learn, isn’t it? Allow around three hours to make the most of this museum. Check out more family-friendly experiences in the 10 Things to Do in Auckland with Kids.
Location: 805 Great North Road, Western Springs.
© Nick-D on Wikipedia20. Be Transported to Another World at the Stardome Observatory & Planetarium
The Auckland Stardome Observatory is both an observatory and a planetarium. Although the views of the stars from the observatory is best done on a clear night, a show at the planetarium is where you will gain a greater understanding of the Southern Hemisphere skies even on a rainy day.
Location: 670 Manukau Road, Epsom.
© NZPocketGuide.com21. Binge-Watch 365 Days, 365 Activities in New Zealand
Who doesn’t like a good binge-watching session? Get some inspiration for your travels in New Zealand by watching New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year. This intrepid pair challenges themselves to 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand! Make sure you subscribe!
More Things to Do in Auckland
That’s it for the things to do in Auckland on a rainy day. For more activity inspiration, check out our guides:
Sources:
The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:
- Tourism New Zealand (General travel advice - Updated [2024])
- Adventure Mark (Health and Safety Audit - Updated [2024])
- Work Safe NZ (Adventure Activities Guidelines - Updated [2024])
- Department of Conservation (Tracks, hikes, campsites and more - Updated [2024])
- AdventureSmart (Know before you go - Update [2024])
- NZ Māori Tourism (Official Māori Tourism platform - Updated [2024])
- Tourism Export Council New Zealand (Tourism trade association - Updated [2024])
- TIA (Independent tourism association - Updated [2024])
- Tiaki Promise (Care for people place and culture - Updated [2024])
- Council websites and freedom camping maps (Local travel advice region by region - Updated [2024])
Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.
