Indoor activities in Auckland: Rainy day options for everyone!
Looking for exciting indoor activities in Auckland? We’ve got you covered with a wide selection of rainy-day options in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Let’s be honest, it rains a fair bit in the City of Sails.
A rainy day doesn’t need to spoil your fun though as we’re fortunate to have a real wealth of awesome indoor activities in Auckland!
Whether it’s a wintery school holiday, entertainment with friends, or even a solo adventure, we’ve got the perfect activities to get you out of the house/hotel on a rainy day.
So leave your raincoat and brolly behind – you’ll be tucked up warm and comfortably inside with these activities.
Some businesses are experiencing staffing challenges post-COVID. If you want to guarantee a space at a restaurant or attraction, we suggest prebooking.
The Best Indoor Activities in Auckland
Cafes and Bars Designed to Entertain
When the weather turned bad, a visit to a cafe, restaurant or bar is always a great option. Delicious food, tasty drinks and an enjoyable setting – what more could you ask for?
Fun, games and entertainment – that’s what!
1. Visit Cakes n Ladders for Some Family-Friendly Fun
The Cakes n Ladders Board Game Cafe on Symonds Street provides a comfy and relaxing atmosphere to enjoy hot drinks and board games with friends.
What a great way to spend an afternoon indoors while getting out of the house!
They have a wide variety of games that are available for use for just $3 per hour, along with a tasty menu includes a variety of baked items, hot and cold drinks and savoury snacks.
Not sure which games you’d like to try your hand at?
They have made it so easy to figure out the best games to play by compiling a list of all their games, rated on complexity, the number of players and the time it takes to play – along with their own summarised rating out of 10.
And once you’ve honed your skills (or found your competitive streak), you’ll be pleased to learn that the cafe also hosts regular games events and competitions!
A visit to this cafe is an excellent all-ages indoor activity in Auckland.
173 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland 1010
2. Play a Game at Dice and Fork – Complete with Cocktails!
Dice and Fork Games Bar and Eatery pride themselves in having a collection of more than 250 board games, all ready and waiting for you!
It’s free to play their massive collection of board games, provided you make a food and/or drink purchase.
They are super easy to find, right beside Victoria Park in the City Centre.
There is an epic selection of drinks, including cocktails, and surprise shots determined by rolling a dice. The menu includes a variety of tacos, bowls, burgers and dessert!
If you’re looking for the perfect date night, or a low-key night out with friends, this could be it!
210 Victoria Street West, Freemans Bay, Auckland 1010
3. Make a New Friend at a Cat Cafe
Cat cafes are becoming increasingly popular around the world as an adorable way to spend an afternoon.
Purrs & Beans in Birkenhead is a great place to have a cup of coffee and spend time with cats.
The cafes aim to provide a high quality of life to all of their cats, and complies with SPCA regulations. The cats are generally older, have been rescued and have not been able to be adopted.
They’re brought into the cafe for a life of attention, affection and company. And best of all, you get to offer that yourself for the hour of your visit.
Pro Tip: Book online ahead of time to save on your entrance price. Guests in the cafe must be 10+ years old and under 15 year olds must be adult supervised.
188 Hinemoa Street, Birkenhead, Auckland 0626
Adventurous Indoor Activities in Auckland
A rainy day doesn’t have to be boring!
If you’d rather be active than sit on the sofa, we recommend checking out these exciting, adventurous indoor options in the City of Sails.
4. Hit the Slopes at Snowplanet
Skiing indoors in Auckland?
Yes you heard right.
Regardless of the weather or the season, Snowplanet in Silverdale provides Aucklanders the opportunity to ski and snowboard indoors.
Snowplanet caters to a variety of ability levels (offering different slopes and jumped) and offer lessons if you’re keen on some instruction.
If skiing isn’t your thing, they also have tubes and toboggans – both of which are perfect for the kids!
When you’re done with the slopes, there’s even a fabulous restaurant. We suggest you pull up a comfy seat in front of the fire and refuel before heading home.
91 Small Road, Silverdale 0932
5. Strap in and go Rock Climbing
Auckland has a number of great climbing gyms. You could spend weeks and weeks trying to master all the routes.
One of the best ones to visit is the Extreme Edge gym in Panmure. There is a wide range of levels, from kids walls, to beginner, advanced and lead climbing routes. It’s a great place to try your hand at climbing and see if it’s something you would enjoy.
Vertical Adventures climbing gym in Glen Eden also offers a great variety for both kids and adults, and hosts regular competitions if you are keen to watch some of the best climbers compete with each other.
If heights isn’t your thing, check out Northern Rocks bouldering gym in Wairau Valley. They offer a huge range of bouldering routes, as well as gym equipment, and yoga classes.
Extreme Edge – 32 Morrin Road, St Johns, Panmure 1072
Vertical Adventures – 5 Waikaukau Road, Glen Eden, Auckland 0612
Northern Rocks – Unit 17/101-111 Diana Drive, Wairau Valley, Auckland 0627
6. Bounce Over to a Trampoline Park
Trampoline parks have become incredibly popular over recent years, especially for kids. There are countless opportunities in Auckland to bounce around for a few hours, letting off steam.
Some of the many trampoline parks in Auckland include JUMP Trampoline Park in Avondale, Gravity NZ in Mt Wellington and Manukau, and Flippin’ Fun in Massey.
Whether you’re bouncing for exercise or fun, whether you’re young or just young-at-heart, trampoline parks are serious fun.
Being stuck inside doesn’t mean you can’t work up a sweat!
JUMP Trampoline Park – 6 Jomac Place, Avondale, Auckland 1026
Gravity NZ in Mt Wellington – 77B Morrin Road, St Johns, Auckland 1072
Gravity NZ in Manukau – 5a Ronwood Avenue, Manukau City Centre, Auckland 2104
Flippin’ Fun – 19 Fernhill Drive, Massey, Auckland 0614
7. Let Off Steam at Inflatable World
Inflatable World in Mt Roskill is another awesome option to let off steam on a rainy Auckland day.
This warehouse is the largest collection of inflatables in the country and it really is built for maximum fun.
Though they’re incredibly well set up to entertain kids, Inflatable World also encourage adults to get in and have fun!
Each session runs for two hours, by which time you’ll be suitably worn out (in the very best of ways). Throughout this time you’ll have unlimited access to all of the bouncy-toys, along with supervisors to ensure everything runs smoothly.
This is, without a doubt, one of the best indoor activities in Auckland if you’re looking to entertain kids.
911 Dominion Rd, Mount Roskill, Auckland 1041
8. Hit the Ice
Ice skating is one of the most unique indoor activities in Auckland and it’s the perfect way to fill an afternoon – especially for groups!
Paradice ice skating is located in both Avondale and Botany.
There you’ll find everything you need to skate like a pro (including those all-important ice skates for hire).
They offer a special discount each Wednesday night for students and do blackout nights on Fridays. They can also provide classes if you want to learn to skate really well!
It’s the perfect combination of exercise and fun!
490 Ti Rakau Drive, Botany Downs, Auckland 2013 – Where you’ll also find laser tag.
150 Lansford Crescent, Avondale, Auckland 0600
Games and Challenges
9. Find All-Inclusive Fun at the Sky World Entertainment Centre
Sky World is a huge entertainment centre in the heart of the Auckland CBD.
There are so many options of indoor entertainment there that it’s a bit insane – this really is your one-stop-shop for indoor activities in Auckland!
Starting on the ground floor, you’ll find a food court featuring food choices for all tastes. In addition, they have a variety of other restaurant options spread across different floors.
Entertainment options include a bowling alley, karaoke, a movie theatre, mini-golf, a games arcade and a sensory maze.
If that wasn’t enough, brand new areas are currently being added! Soon a rock climbing wall, horror maze, teppanyaki restaurant, and a bakery will be added to the Sky World lineup.
With so many fantastic options in the one place, this is the perfect place to bring a big group of mates or your extended family.
291-297 Queen Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
Book: Odyssey Sensory Maze Entry in Auckland.
10. Figure Your Way Out of an Escape Room
Escape rooms are the perfect way to give your mind and determination a workout. Being based onside, they’re also the perfect form of entertainment on a rainy day.
Each themed room (or series of rooms) includes a number of mentally challenging puzzles to solve. Your team will have one hour to find all of the clues and figure everything out before hopefully making it out of the room before the buzzer rings!
There are a number of escape rooms set up right across the city – all of which have a means of communicating with your hosts (incase you really do get stuck on a puzzle and need a clue).
Escape Masters has two locations in Auckland (on Queen Street and in Manukau). They offer rooms of varying difficulty and of course include emergency exits (as all of the escape rooms do).
Escape Masters is a little different to your stock-standard escape room though; they make great use of technology and innovate to bring new and exciting experiences to the industry.
Along with your classic escape room options, they also offer VR, an outdoor game (which is played around the city) and the ability to play remotely using Google Meet.
Other escape room experiences include Escapade and Great Escape in the city centre, Escape HQ and Escape Rooms New Zealand in Takapuna, and Breakout in Botany.
Which one will you try next time you’re faced with wintery weather?
11. Step into a World of Virtual Reality
If there’s one thing on this list that you probably hadn’t considered, it’s likely to be Virtual Reality.
This incredible technology is a whole lot of fun though and could be just the ticket next time you’re looking for winter-friendly fun.
With a number of VR centres around the city, it’s easy to choose one that’s close to you.
Upon arriving, you’ll strap on a headset and find yourself in what feels like a totally new would – it’s quite incredible!
We suggest you start with VR Voom in New Market; they offer an immersive VR experience full of games and learning experiences.
Another place to go for VR includess The VR Club in Takapuna. Their games include escape rooms, the matrix, and walk the plank.
If you’re that way inclined, it is also possible to take school holiday classes in game design, programming and animation!
Nature and Wildlife Activities in Auckland
12. Enjoy a Visit to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s
Kelly Tarlton’s is an icon in Auckland – it has been around since 1985!
The aquarium is especially known for its conveyor belt aquarium tunnels, taking you on a trip surrounded by sealife on all sides.
They also have the largest colony of sub-Antarctic penguins (in an exhibit) in the world and they certainly are gorgeous! Whilst visiting you’ll have the opportunity to check them out both on land and soaring through the water – they really are a favourite amongst visitors.
For those with a more adventurous spirit, it’s also possible to get up close and personal with the sea animals in their shark cage snorkel experience.
One of our writers, Sarah, jumped into the tank with these incredible creatures and highly recommends it. The shark tank snorkel actually works out to be excellent value for money as it includes entry to the aquarium, use of their gear (including a GoPro) and a hot drink once you’ve finished your swim.
Next time the weather outside is miserable, why not head to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarltons?
Book: SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium Ticket in Auckland.
23 Tamaki Drive, Orakei, Auckland 1071
13. Treat the Whānau to a Visit to Butterfly Creek
Butterfly Creek in Mangere is a fantastic wildlife centre with animal exhibits including birds, crocodiles, alligators, kiwis, farm animals, and of course, butterflies!
It is mostly sheltered (which makes it perfect for rainy days), however, there are also several outdoor areas in case the sun decides to make a surprise appearance.
In addition to all of the animal exhibits, they also have a fantastic playground and cafe, along with a train ride (perfect for the little ones) and a mythic creatures exhibition, displaying life-sized dragons, mermaids, unicorns and even kid-friendly aliens.
Located in South Auckland, near the airport, this is one of the best possible wet-day activities for youngesters.
10 Tom Pearce Drive, Mangere, Auckland 2022
Book: All Areas Pass in the Butterfly Creek.
Learn Something New
14. Check Out MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology)
MOTAT is a fascinating museum that brings technology development to life.
It is full of interesting exhibitions and experiences, including a tram ride, science and machinery demonstrations, and workshops.
Exhibitions range from old-time trains and planes to new digital technologies, and everything in between! You’ll find some of New Zealand’s oldest buildings there, along with an intriguing phone room. The later of which is an absolute must for visiting families – test the kids out and see if they can figure out how to use a rotary dial phone!
It’s a great place to take kids, or just take yourself to learn something new.
805 Great North Road, Western Springs, Auckland 1022
Book: Fascinating Live Cultural Performance in Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Book: Enjoy Heritage Sailing in the New Zealand Maritime Museum.
15. Be Transported to Outer Space at the Stardome Observatory & Planetarium
The Stardome Observatory is an awesome place to learn all about astronomy.
They hold regular events for both children and adults including night sky star and planet tours, and music and lights events in the planetarium.
Each evenings the telescopes are made available to visitors too, as are the educational exhibits!
If you have a keen interest in science, astronomy and the New Zealand night sky, a visit to the Stardome is an affordable must-do in Central Auckland.
670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland 1345
Book: Stardome Observatory & Planetarium.
As you can see, there is no shortage of indoor activities in Auckland to help fill your rainy days.
No matter what part of Auckland you are in, or whatever you like to spend your time doing, we have no doubt that our recommendations above will spark excitement for you.
The next time your plans get rained out, instead of staying home, get out and try something new!
