Fun indoor things to do on a Rainy day in Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand and the most populated place. It is home to ⅓ of New Zealand’s population. There are many beautiful beaches, hiking trails, and small island day trips to take from Auckland; there are also plenty of indoor things to do in Auckland while it rains.
In Winter, Auckland rains quite often, and the temperature drops. It becomes harder to plan a day without it getting interrupted. But with so many fun indoor things to do in Auckland, you can easily find a backup plan!! Whether you’re looking to have some fun while you wait till the rain stops, avoiding the heat or cold, or simply want to relax somewhere indoors. There is plenty for you to do 🙂
Read More: Ultimate 3-day Auckland Itinerary
Due to the pandemic, things change very quickly so make sure to check with the activities directly before you go to avoid disappointment. And masks are compulsory in many indoor activities for people aged 12+
Save it first and explore later 🙂
Relaxing Indoor things to do in Auckland
Evening Paint and Sip
Release your inner artistic spirit, and enjoy a night of fun and creative experience! Bars/Restaurants in Auckland take turns to host this event at night, where you get to paint, drink and socialize with your friends! Everything you need to paint is provided for you, there’s a featured painting for the night and an artist to show you step by step if you want to go along with it. However, you are more than welcome to go off rail and create your own unique painting!!
Have some drinks and relax
There’s no shortage of bars in Auckland, with many different vibes to suit different tastes of people. Find yourself a suitable bar and settle there for the night, to socialize, drink and relax!
Caretaker/ Deadshot
One in Britomart and one in Ponsonby, both are very unique cocktail bars. Where the bartenders will ask about your tastes and create cocktails based on them 🙂
Lucky 8
A speakeasy in Ponsonby with very affordable Asian tapas and drinks! The funky and vibrant ambiance will guarantee you an amazing night 🙂
There are so many more other bars to explore! Even better, try bar hopping around Auckland and find the best one!!
Float and Relax
Unwind and relax both your mind and body, floating on salt water for an hour in the dark with relaxing music. It is a perfect activity if you are looking to relax completely and have absolute peacefulness!
There are bigger rooms available if you’re a bit claustrophobic, it’s a room big enough for you to fully stand up and control the lighting as you wish.
Overlook the Auckland City at the SkyCity Observatory
Sky Tower is one of the most iconic landmarks in Auckland, and it is similar to a lot of different sky towers in other countries. So it is a fun thing to do overlooking the whole city, but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-do in Auckland. If you decide not to go up to the observatory, you can just visit the outside of Sky Tower itself; it is pretty at night, as it has different colors, especially on some holidays, it will have different colors to reflect that specific holiday!
Take it up a notch and have dinner at the rotating Orbit 360 Dining room!!
Active Indoor things to do in Auckland
Have an Ice Day
Enjoy a day/night of ice and fun, whether you’re an expert or a newbie like me. It’s guaranteed you a day of fun! I love this activity even though I suck at it and usually fall a million times lol. It’s a good workout as well, burning some calories while having the most fun 🙂
And during the winter season in New Zealand, there’s an Ice rink at Aotea Square which is in the heart of Auckland CBD! But don’t worry if you miss out on the ice rink (You’ll have to wait till 2023 for the next Ice Rink in the CBD)
Paradice Ice Skating is open throughout the year to welcome you! And you can even learn how to skate there!
Ice Skating venues are usually quite cold, so remember to bring long sleeves and socks with you regardless of the time of year you go! And you can basically hire skates there when you arrive! Also, there are skating frames for all ages so don’t worry if you’re a newbie 🙂
Enjoy some indoor snow in Auckland
Don’t have time to drive to the mount and enjoy some snow fun, or are not quite ready to ski/snowboard on the real slopes. Snowplanet is where you need to go and experience indoor skiing, or snowboarding. Practice or refresh your skills here, the best thing is it’s open throughout the whole year!!
There are also many other fun things to do here, like tubing, sliding or just playing with snow!
It is around -5 degrees (Celcius), so dress accordingly. You can also rent jackets, hats, gloves, etc. if you forget to bring your own.
Be a Roller Skater
If you’re not a fan of ice or cold. Then roller skating is your next best thing!! I loved roller skating when I was younger, I would often roller skate at home (very limited space) and get scolded by my family haha! It is a really good activity, go grab a pair of skates and have a blast with your friends, family, date, or even just by yourself 🙂
Fun competitions, games, and awesome music played by a DJ! Plan a night out doing something different, impress your date 🙂
Do some climbing
Challenge yourself to some rock climbing indoors! Climb on different shapes, lengths, and difficulty levels. Train your arms and legs, and build some muscles while you have some fun! It’s a very popular activity, especially for families!
There are a few rock climbing venues to choose from, I’ve personally gone to Clip ‘N Climb which I enjoyed a lot. It is not a big venue, and it could get quite crowded; I like it as I’m only looking for some fun, not anything professional!
Extreme Edge would be the place for more advanced climbers!
Indoor things to do in Auckland for groups
The more the merrier
Escape your way out
Gather your friends, family, or loved ones to take on this challenge, and try to escape the room of your choice! Fun indoor activity for team bonding, brain teasers, and ice breaking. I’m really not good at solving the clues, so I’m not much help when it comes to escape rooms haha. But it’s still a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy being a detective hehe!
There are A LOT of different Escape rooms with different themes in Auckland, so go ahead and find your favorite one now!!
Sing your heart out
Show your singing skills to your friends, or strangers if you like! There are many pubs/bars that have karaoke nights, where you can stand in front of everyone and show them the best you got!
If you’re too shy, or you just want to enjoy karaoke time with your friends. There are also karaoke private rooms that you can rent out for a few hours while you drink and eat!
If you’re thinking, I really want to sing but don’t have enough people to rent a big room. Don’t worry, the coin singing booth is where you can go! It is charged on songs, so it’s a lot more affordable than those fancy big private rooms!
Challenge your friends to a Bowling match
Everyone becomes a bit competitive when it comes to bowling, am I right? Haha. At least I know I do, even though my skill does not match my eagerness to win! Impress your dates with a round of bowling, bring your A game, and have a friendly bet with your friends.
There are plenty of bowling alleys in Auckland, so you’ll find one regardless of which part of Auckland you stay in!
Remember to wear or bring socks, as most of the time there are bowling shoes and you don’t want to wear them without socks!
Have a go at Indoor minigolf
Golfing is generally not my thing, but I love mini-golf. I’d probably get scolded for comparing the two haha! It’s such a fun and cute game, and it’s so accessible for everyone regardless of age! I especially like the minigolf at Holy Moly, they have unique designs for each mini golf hole, and the atmosphere just feels right. You can have some drinks and food while you play 🙂
Play some board games
If you’re thinking oh what a geek, well you’re wrong haha. It is a super fun activity, especially if you’re looking for something different to do. And the best part is you don’t even need to own any games, there are board game restaurants and cafes in Auckland!! All you need to do is show up, and have fun 🙂
No board game fee, just order some food and drinks and play for free. The menu has varieties of food and drinks options
$3 fee per person to access the board games. Menu food is quite limited, cafe food and sweets
Educational indoor things to do in Auckland
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Free admission for Auckland residents
Donations invited for New Zealand visitors
$28 for international visitors
Come here to learn some history about New Zealand, and to explore Maori and Pacific collections, one of the best places to learn about the rich culture of New Zealand! It is located at Auckland Domain, which is a very nice park! So after you visit the museum, walk around the historical building, enjoy the tranquillity, and have a picnic somewhere!
MOTAT- Museum of Transport and Technology
A good place to learn and explore some past technologies and transport, quite interesting to see the displays. And a lot of hands-on interaction activities, and there’s a free tram to take to the zoo and back. When I went, the tram was under construction, so I missed it 🙁
Interesting place to reminisce on the days when those technologies were the norm, and for kids to experience the past 🙂
Other fun indoor things to do in Auckland
SkyCity Casino
Arcades (Entertainment Centre): TimeZone, GameOn, Archie’s Brother Cirque Electriq
Catch a movie
How to get around Auckland on a rainy day
Driving
First of all, you need to understand that driving in Auckland is usually the most convenient way. However, as it is more convenient than public transport, it also means that the traffic is really bad. Especially during the peak hours such as school and work travel time (7:30 am-9 am & 3:00 pm-7:00 pm). So avoid the peak timing if you can, it will save you a lot of time 🙂 Even so, I would still say driving is the best way to get around Auckland on a rainy day.
Just note that when it rains in Auckland, the traffic becomes even worse as usually, this is when accidents happen, the tree falls, etc. so it blocks up the road even more. Always be more cautious driving in the rain, turn on your headlights, drive slower, and look in your mirrors more often! (People somehow forget how to drive when it rains.)
Public Transports
Trains and buses are the two main forms of public transport in Auckland, it has stops in most of the main attractions, tourist spots, or shopping malls. However, it does take a long time to get from one place to another and cancellations happen really often.
They are still good choices if you’re not confident to drive in the rain. Just need to plan ahead and always add more time than what the google map tells you, then you would be fine! Purchase an AT HOP card to get cheaper fares if you’re planning to go to many stops!
Rideshare
Uber and Ola are two big rideshare services in Auckland, they are usually quite good and have very fair prices. On rainy days, they do charge higher due to traffic and shortage of cars. But it is definitely more convenient and less hassle 🙂 I don’t really recommend taxis unless you really need to, as it is usually very overpriced (happening everywhere in the world).
Last Tips and Guides for Rainy days in Auckland
When it rains in Auckland, it is usually very windy as well. So small umbrellas usually don’t work well, unless you have a big sturdy umbrella. I wouldn’t recommend using one at all, as you’d end up having a broken umbrella half of the time.
Always carry a waterproof jacket with a hat, this is a good way to avoid getting all wet.
It rains half of the time during winter and is quite dry throughout summer. And the weather can be very unpredictable, so plan ahead and always have a backup plan for rainy days! Choose from one of the indoor things above 🙂
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