50+ Fantastic Things to do in Auckland during School Holidays
Updated 1 October 2023
School holidays need not be stressful - our guide to over FIFTY activities will easily get you through two weeks, and even all of December and January too. Best of all, most of the activities listed below are free or have minimal cost. And if you want to be financially savvy, annual passes for both Auckland Zoo and Butterfly Creek can pay for themselves after three visits, meaning the kids can go as often as you let them.
This is the first edition of this guide, please email us if you would like to have a suggestion included - our team would love to hear from you.
Our activity ideas are listed in the following categories:
This is the first edition of this guide, please email us if you would like to have a suggestion included - our team would love to hear from you.
Our activity ideas are listed in the following categories:
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Sports, Swimming Pools...and Ice CreamLearning to swim is a great use of school holidays in a number of locations. If the kids can already swim, swimming pool entry for anyone 16 and under is free. The Auckland Council operates pools throughout the city, with facilities such as wave pools, spas, outdoor pools, dive pools and hydro slides.
Take to the Skates...on Ice Many kids take to ice skating without any fear - Paradice offers 5-day Holiday programme, with a total of 15 hour sessions for around $145, including skate hire. Grab a Game of Mini Golf Lilliput offers mini golf in Tamaki Drive, Sylvia Park, Auckland Central and New Lynn, with kids and adults costing $11 and $14 respectively. Go Bowling Bowling is a great afternoon or evening activity with a group of kids. Metrolanes and Zone Bowling both offer a game of ten pin bowling for around $14 per child, with Monday and Tuesday visits offering deals and discounts. Take to the Clip ‘n Climb The popular Clip ‘n Climb offers sessions every hour for around $25, including a 10-minute warm-up. |
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Explore the Auckland SurroundingsAuckland has some fantastic scenery and nature waiting to be discovered. Best of all, these suggestions are all free and world-famous. Please be aware that many of the beaches listed below have extremely dangerous currents - we do not suggest swimming in any of them.
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Visit Auckland's 'Big Five' Attractions that Kids LoveTripadvisor's list, based on thousands of five-star reviews, puts these attractions as the most popular for kids:
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Garden and HarvestingGardening is a great way to get the kids outside with purpose, and if you don't have a vegetable garden, there are fun alternatives...
Get into the garden If you have a vegetable garden, the Tui New Zealand Planting Calendar guides you through what to plant at different times of the year. For example, April school holidays are a perfect time for planting parsnips, June works for carrots and September is great for beans, December/January works for cucumber. The kids will also appreciate eating them if they've planted them, and it is guaranteed to cut down on the grocery bills. Furthermore, Auckland's climate is so agreeable that you may find planting small fruit trees worthwhile - a visit to the garden centre is also fun for the kids. Pick your own fruit December and January are when strawberries come into season, and pick-your-own is a great half-day activity, with many options found in West Auckland. Best of all, it's much cheaper than the supermarket or fruit store. Pokémon Go While we don't advocate the extended use of phones and screens, Pokémon Go gets kids outside running around and getting outside the house. It's free to download, but the app does use data and there are in-app purchases - de-link your credit card and set a PIN to avoid nasty bills. |
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Zoo and Animal Park Deals, and Children's FarmsAuckland is spoiled for choice when it comes to animal experiences. Annual passes can make it slightly less expensive if the kids can commit to going more than three or four times a year.
Auckland Zoo Lions, meerkats, elephants, giraffes - what's not to like? Pricing is around $19 for kids under 15, but you can get an annual family pass for $230 which includes two adults and three kids, which means it pays for itself after three or four visits within 12 months. Kiwi Valley Farm Park and Maze Kiwi Valley offers a lot - animal feeding, unlimited horse and pony rides, a maze, tractor rides and more. Children are $15 each, adults $18, and a group-of-five pass is $70. Kiwi Valley continues to be highly praised by children and adults. Butterfly Creek Animal farms, tropical fish, dinosaurs and activities make Butterfly Creek a great day out, with all-attraction tickets around $16 (kids) and $32 (adults) and discounts for family passes. The annual pass (around $265), like Auckland Zoo, will pay for itself when you visit at least three times a year. |
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Arts & CraftsCraft with purpose using our list below - top tips include volunteering for the SPCA by crafting (great for the CV) and letting the kids go crazy with the comic book albums.
Make Crafts for the SPCA The SPCA always needs toys and play items for cats and dogs awaiting new homes. Their list of suggested items has instructions on how to make them. Any kids aged 16 or over can also volunteer their time to work at the SPCA. Buy a Craft kit Spotlight, Kmart and The Warehouse all sell dozens of craft kits, starting from around $5. Hours of fun assured. Create a Photo Comic Book Album for Free This nifty tool puts your kids in control of creating a quirky, personalised photo album from your existing photos, or encourages them to take more and put it all together. Make a box village Always reliable; you can get boxes from supermarkets and liquor shops - kids love putting together a mini city. Best of all, you can fold the boxes away for re-use. Paint stones and rocks This video guide makes it easy, with minimum craft supplies required. Will entertain kids for hours. |
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General Fun StuffAvoid the howls of 'I'm booooooooorrreeddd' with this list of 10 popular quick-win activities, with something for children of all ages.
Bonus - our list of kids eat free restaurants in Auckland can make an excellent reward for good behaviour. |
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CompetitionsMuch more fun than watching TV and a lot less emotional than a game of Monopoly, competitions are a great way to get the kids to develop their creativity. Our suggestions include:
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School Holiday ProgramsAuckland has a number of school holiday programs, with something for kids of all ages:
Brain Play Brain Play operates in 3 locations across Auckland for school holidays - Kumeu, Red Beach, and Albany. Brain Play's courses cover all things science & technology from coding & robotics, to 3D printing & science experiments. Brain Play caters for students aged 5 - 13, of all experience levels, and you can book for as many days as you choose - each is a different topic, and has a line up of different challenges. Prices from $76.00 per day. AUT Millennium This North Shore-based program is for kids aged between 5 -11 years, and offers "an environment where children can learn, take part in something challenging and be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment upon completion of activities within a structured programme". The daily cost is $55.50 (on-site) or $67 (off-site), running from 8am to 3pm every weekday. YouthTown YouthTown runs holiday programs offering workshops, creative activities, sports and day trips. There are full-day sessions ($45 a day, 8:15am to 6pm) or school sessions ($30 a day, 8:15am to 3:15pm. More details are outlined here, with locations Auckland-wide. Auckland Council Auckland Council operates a number of pools and leisure centres all over the city, with holiday programs running Monday to Friday. Activities include high ropes courses, visits to Kiwi Valley Farm Park and various other activities. Prices vary, from around $30 to $45 per day. Conscious Kids Conscious Kids, which runs a program based on 'free play', offers programs running from 9am to 4pm for children aged 5 yrs – 13 yrs. Locations include Western Springs, Blockhouse Bay, Devonport and Long Bay. Prices are around $70 per day. Safe Kids In Daily Supervision (sKids) sKids runs holiday programmes in various locations all over Auckland. Activities include picnics, pizza making, movie watching, swimming pool visits and many other half and full-day options. Fees range depending on the programme - short days ($40), full days ($50), trip days ($60) and full weeks ($230) are indicative of what sKids offers. Low and middle-income earners can get up to 50 hours a week of free childcare during school holidays - WINZ has more details. YMCA Day and Week-Long Programs Auckland is not short of school holiday programs, and the YMCA offers an extensive range of options for kids of all ages in nine locations. Activities can include ice skating, Auckland Zoo, MOTAT, movies and many more. Day fees are around $45 to $60 per child, depending on the activities. Scratchpad Scratchpad offers one-day courses which introduce children of a range of ages to coding, robotics and 3D printing and web development. Locations include St. Lukes, Botany and Albany, with courses priced at around $100 per day. Auckland for Kids Auckland for Kids has an extensive list of general and sport-based school holiday programs. Snowplanet Great fun for kids of all ages, with a dedicated two-week holiday program to learn how to ski. For those who can ski but are staying locally, the main slope is always popular with older kids, teenagers and their parents. Log on to Eventfinda Eventfinda's Auckland activity listings are worth checking out, with plenty of fun runs, low-priced sporting tickets and activities for the kids. |
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Baking and CookingBaking and school holidays are synonymous, and our list of three recipes below are very popular. Pro tip - make sure you get the kids to agree to do the dishes after - things can get messy!
New Zealand Baking Classics Baking is guaranteed to fill a morning and popular recipes for kids, which conveniently don't require many ingredients, include:
MasterChef Pizza Competition Depending on the age, a pizza-making competition is a great idea to use up some stuff in the fridge and keep the kids entertained. You can award the winner with a blind test. Avoid store-bought pizza bases and get inspiration from Jamie Oliver's pizza dough recipe as well. |
Finally, last-minute ideas and events are advertised online or by visiting:
Related Guides:
- The Auckland Public library
- The Auckland Visitor Information Centre
- The Auckland City Council
Related Guides:
Know about an Auckland activity you think kids would love?
Email our research team today.
