Things To Do In Auckland

Does life feel so hectic right now that you’re missing out on those magical moments with your special someone? Check out these romantic getaways and magical retreats within driving (or ferry) distance from Auckland.

Laufey is set to make her Aotearoa debut on Wednesday 12 August and, if you haven’t yet secured a ticket, you’d best snap one up, stat. And we have three passes up for grabs, thanks to Visa. 

Forget the tourist hubs and ski slopes—these are the secret spots worth planning your trip around. 

Air New Zealand has just announced bookable lie-flat sleep pods for Economy travellers, and we’re losing our minds.  

Two of Auckland's most-loved restaurants are coming together for two days of exceptional food and even better vibes. Expect duck fat tortillas, big flavours and a great meal. 

This one-off event is one to be experienced rather than documented. It’s been created around a simple idea: if every moment is unrepeatable, perhaps we should treat it that way. 

The central tenets of winter are, inarguably, mulled wine, bubbling raclette and settling in for the night at a hidden bar. But there’s another vital ingredient to a winter’s night out on the town and it manifests in the form of a roaring fireplace. 

With winter’s indoor-socialising era officially upon us, hosting at home no longer needs to look like a Pinterest board brought violently to life. And we’re here to show you that the best hosts aren’t necessarily the ones making everything from scratch.

The mercury might be plunging in Tāmaki Makaurau, but there’s one spot in the city that’s only getting hotter this winter. 

​Auckland is a mecca for hair salons and when it comes to choosing “the one”, selecting a hairdresser to entrust with your precious locks is a big freakin’ deal.

Sport is basically a religion here in Aotearoa, and meeting your mates to share a drink and yell sports-themed profanities is a rite of passage. And when you can’t make it to a game, there’s no better way to experience nail-biting sport than with a drink in your hand and plenty of people to create the vibe. 

Whether you'd love to spend your weekend gazing at art-adorned walls with a quizzical look on your face thinking ‘what the heck is that!?’ or simply elevate your mind by marvelling at stunning artwork then we have found the best places for you.

If you’re curious about anything (or everything), get yourself along to one of Auckland’s many incredible museums and prepare to expand your mind. From ancient relics to impressive architecture, lush outdoors to lifeforms past and present, Auckland has no shortage of intriguing historic collections to get amongst.

One of the side effects of writing for Urban List is friends and strangers alike are always sliding into my DMs asking for recs (which I dig, by the way). So I decided I should really be spilling my secrets here, for all of you, too. 

Auckland is a pretty fun place to grow up. Consider this your ticket to never hearing 'I'm booored' again.  

As per usual, mighty Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is pulling out all the stops. Here’s what’s on in Auckland this week, this month, and this year. 

Explore Fiji's best activities for every type of traveller in 2026.

Welcome to the most fabulous corner of the internet—Urban List's destination for the picks of the beauty crop. This month, it's about scrumptious new scents galore, and a fair few revamps of our favourites. 

If you’ve got 48 hours and a curiosity for art, music, film and performance, this is your sign to make a beeline for Wellington. 

There’s a moment in Wellington when the day starts to soften and the city shifts gears. For our editor, this is Wellington at its best.

Make markets your favourite weekend morning ritual and kick on with mates for the night markets too. Here is our (extensive!) list of the very best Auckland markets.

Swap your waterproof jacket for a robe and hiking boots for slippers, here’s how to spend a stress-free 72 hours in Aotearoa’s geothermal heart.

From vintage teacups to bottomless bubbles—here are our picks for the best high tea offerings across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Whether you're after breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or a little somethin' somethin' this ANZAC Day public holiday, there's loads to choose from. 

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, here are the best things to do in Auckland to celebrate. 

Whether it’s family brunch with an Easter twist, an Auckland staycation with the kids or an excuse to indulge in Easter hot cross buns and Easter treats—gather the crew for a relaxing weekend ahead, rain or shine. 

Let's get one thing straight—pilates may be a great tool for rehab but that doesn't mean it's cruisy.

Dubbed the BRITPOP World Tour, it’s part nostalgia trip, part greatest-hits fever dream, and entirely designed to have you screaming “I’m loving angels instead” with thousands of strangers.

After selling out in just minutes in 2024, this tour is your chance to see the siren once more and see why we're all swooning.

It's the time of year when we resolve to go harder, to be better, to move faster, and to get stronger—no wait, that might just be Daft Punk. In any case, here's our ultimate guide to Auckland's best gyms. 

Your go-to guide for maximising a trip to the Sunshine Coast

After their "one night only" Tasmania show earlier this year, the Foo Fighters are heading to stadiums across Australia and New Zealand with local support acts on each stop.

After dropping his seventh studio album The Fall-Off earlier in February 2026, J. Cole has announced a globe-spanning tour hitting more than 15 countries and over 50 cities, including major Australian and New Zealand shows.

Pulp are heading Down Under for the first time in over a decade. Hitting Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and two nights at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, here's everything you need to know.

We’ve whipped up a countdown guide to help you get the most out of Laneway Festival 2026. 

Touching down in Tāmaki Makaurau for the very first time, Helios is a jaw-dropping, larger-than-life artwork by renowned UK artist Luke Jerram. 

Ava Wardecki caught up with culinary creative and all-round ray of sunshine, Amelia Ferrier, to chat about what it really takes to live that full-time recipe creator life.

Your status as host with the most is about to be renewed this summer.

Hello lovers, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner so if you haven’t made plans yet, you'd better hustle.

Let us hear you say love. Whether it’s your first or your one hundredth date, a little thought goes a long way and a dinner and a movie just ain't it. 

Nothing beats good food and breathtaking views, so why not combine the two and head out for a picnic. We've taken the hard part out of your picnic organisation and put together a list of 16 of the best spots you can set yourself up at around Auckland. 

Laneway Festival has dropped its set times, and with them, the annual tradition of optimism, denial and eventual compromise.

We’ve rounded up our crew's tried-and-tested favourites  so you can skip the guesswork and dive straight into an epic Auckland getaway.

From boutique to five-star luxury we've scoured town for la crème de la crème, so without further ado, here are the best hotels in Auckland.

Ed Sheeran returns to Australia in 2026, fresh off the release of his newest album, Play.

Embark on a sensory journey across Aotearoa’s culinary map—connecting the dots between region, producer, and restaurant. It’s not just where to eat, but why it matters and sharing a kōrero with those turning local treasures into global experiences.

We’ve said it before but we’ll say it again: rooftop bars are the shiz. What’s not to love about sitting sky-high, sipping on a beverage and taking in an epic view? Auckland’s best rooftop bars are dotted across the city and come in all shapes in sizes.

It's the most wonderful time of the year—for pets as much as humans. 

Working smarter, not harder goes way beyond hacks for meetings that should have been an email: it turns out that it works a treat for Black Friday sales too.

Buckle up—here’s our hit list of New Zealand spots where the journey and the destination both steal the show.

Your go-to guide for maximising your time on-board.

‘Tis the season for festive frivolities, gloriously subpar Christmas movies and strategic consumption of electrolytes. Plus, the iconic snap with Santa, of course. Here are the best Santa photo locations in Auckland. 

We’ve uncovered a luxurious lineup of local road trips that feel like a slice of Italy, the Alps and beyond.

To make things easy for you, we’ve created this list of the best places to buy your Christmas tree this year—now you have no reason to procrastinate!

Nothing has us feeling more festive than a completely over-the-top display of Christmas lights—this is definitely a case of the more the merrier! Lucky for us Aucklanders, a decent dose of holiday twinkle is never far away.

We love a good market, especially one with the word 'Christmas' attached! So hop in the car, crank up the Mariah (your secret's safe with us) and head along to one of these incredible Christmas markets coming to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this holiday season.

With thatched-roof farmhouses and world-renowned udon on her must-do in Japan hit-list, we asked Nozomi Inoue for the ultimate run-down on her favourite hotspots.

Walking is one of the best ways to make the most of the City of Sails. So grab some sturdy shoes, make use of the kauri dieback wash stations and get amongst the beautiful coastlines, stunning waterfalls, urban strolls and native bush.

No matter your budget—from cheap and cheerful to total baller—there’s all manner of top-tier eateries to sink your teeth into.

Ho, ho, holy snowball. December is nearly here and it's time to get our Christmas party on. Is it just us, or did this year really sneak up on us?

Pampering yourself doesn’t come much better than a sleek set of nails. 

We’ve taken the hard yards out of scoping out the very best massage places in Auckland, so that you can sit back and slip right into a state of bliss. Toodles, tension. 

Here are eight epic day trips from Auckland for you to tick off one by one.

A bunch of workshops have popped up all over Auckland with every kind of class imaginable.

Sick of being a passive bystander in a movie theatre? Perhaps it’s time to become the lead in your own story.

While your Spotify may be overflowing with a cracking collection of music, nothing beats the sweet, sweet sound of live music.

There’s something about dancing I just can’t get enough of. Whether it’s dancing in the moonlight, dancing in the dark or dancing in the rain, there really is nothing greater.

Let’s be honest, Mother Nature is one amazing lady. She’s the mastermind behind some of life’s finest things: beaches, waterfalls, mountains, forests…the list goes on. 

Ahhh brunch, the perfect blend of breakfast and lunch we just can’t get enough of, which is lucky because the brunch game is strong in Tāmaki Makaurau.

As the adage goes, if the zombie apocalypse comes after leg day, the ‘fittest’ will be the first ones to go. That said, when your survival odds rest on your ability to head for the hills (and actually make it there), it makes sense to put the leg work in today.

Although we may have reluctantly come to terms with the fact that we don’t possess the golfing prowess of Lydia Ko or Rory McIIroy, it doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy an 18-hole game from time to time.

If you’re anything like us, you know that one of life’s greatest pleasures is trawling through a bookstore to discover your next read.

One of the best things about Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is the fact that writing a list of the best beaches within a region is absolutely possible.

Grab your tickets to this free family-friendly event filled with fireworks, local dance and drum performances, lion dancing and beautiful lanterns lighting up the grounds. With over 60 food stalls and lines out the door each year—we’ve rounded up our top food picks while enjoying the sights and lights.

We’ve scoured around for the Airbnbs with the prettiest pools in all the land (Auck-land that is) so you can feel like an absolute water baby.

It's official—Onehunga is one of Auckland's most hip albeit underrated suburbs. Studded with historic buildings and delightful villas, this charming neighbourhood has really amped things up in recent years on the eating-out front, with a host of top-notch bars, restaurants and cafés coming to the fore.

I scream, you scream... well, you know how it goes. Whether it's fresh and fruity or rich and chocolatey, in a cone, on a stick or in a cup, we just can't get enough of the cold stuff. So without further ado, here's our pick of the coolest (yes, we did just do that) ice cream and gelato shops in Auckland.

We’ve scoped the waterfalls around the city to bring you a list of the best in Auckland. Take a picnic!

If you’re like us and love a juicy berry punnet or two, then read on to find the best pick-your-own strawberry fields in Tāmaki (and beyond). 

Summer has officially started which pretty much means three things: ice cream, cocktails and swimming.

Legend has it that at summer’s end or ‘Samhain’—the inspiration behind Halloween traditions—the veil between the world of the living and the underworld is at its thinnest. The dead will walk.

Who loves the salt, sand and sea more than us humans? Our furry best friends of course. That's why we've got to get them out and about at the most dog-friendly beaches in Auckland.

It’s a well-known fact that we here at Urban List love our pooches and so we’ve rounded up some of Auckland’s best dog-friendly parks because—let’s face it—your dog’s already peed on all the trees at your local. So, treat your pup and take them to the best dog parks in Auckland.

Show your pup some love and reward them for being a good boy or girl at these dog-loving establishments.

The independent arts festival kicks off from 2-22 September, celebrating the weird and wonderful of Auckland’s art scene, and everything in between.

Father’s Day is just around the corner (1 September if you’re wondering) and while not all of us have a father we almost certainly all have someone who’s unabashedly cracked dad jokes with reckless abandon.

As far as celebrations go, they don't get much bigger than a wedding and here in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, we're spoilt for choice when it comes to finding that special somewhere to say 'I do'.

Whether you want to enjoy a picnic alfresco, go for a walk, watch the sunrise or sunset or just get away from it all, here are the top suggestions for reconnecting with nature and filling your wellness cup.

They say that dogs are like their owners—who’s to say your pooch isn’t also partial to a low-fat puppaccino and a catchup with the crew? 

Here are 52 things to do in Auckland this winter that will (almost) distract you from missing summer.