Things to do with a 6-year-old in Auckland
January 15, 2016 11:13 PM Subscribe
I have a couple of days to hang with my awesome 6-year-old nephew in Auckland, NZ. What should we do and where should we go?
I will be sans car, but fortunately the little guy reckons buses and trains are great fun. Obviously there'll be a fair bit of hanging out at home and goofing off, but I'd like some options for kid-and-auntie adventures too.
I will be sans car, but fortunately the little guy reckons buses and trains are great fun. Obviously there'll be a fair bit of hanging out at home and goofing off, but I'd like some options for kid-and-auntie adventures too.
Best answer: Since he loves transportation the classic afternoon out is MOTAT.
posted by shelleycat at 12:10 AM on January 16, 2016
posted by shelleycat at 12:10 AM on January 16, 2016
Oh, and if he likes animals take the tram from MOTAT and go to the Auckland Zoo. It's a big, interesting zoo. Both of these things are accessible by pubic transport and very popular with kids your nephew's age.
Rangitoto is very cool but be aware that there is no food or water available on the island and this time of year it will be scorching. For a harder to get to island trip that is more forested and covered in amazing birds you could look at Tiritiri Matangi (basically my favourite place in the entire world), but I don't know what public transport getting there is like and I seem to remember the ferry is quite expensive. Whereas Rangitoto is very accessible.
posted by shelleycat at 12:48 AM on January 16, 2016
Rangitoto is very cool but be aware that there is no food or water available on the island and this time of year it will be scorching. For a harder to get to island trip that is more forested and covered in amazing birds you could look at Tiritiri Matangi (basically my favourite place in the entire world), but I don't know what public transport getting there is like and I seem to remember the ferry is quite expensive. Whereas Rangitoto is very accessible.
posted by shelleycat at 12:48 AM on January 16, 2016
I was talking to my husband about this question and he reminded my of Kelly Tarlton's. If it's the kind of thing your nephew seems into (fish and penguins) it is super cool. It's also eye-wateringly expensive so take that into consideration.
posted by shelleycat at 12:57 AM on January 16, 2016
posted by shelleycat at 12:57 AM on January 16, 2016
When my daughter was 5 she *loved* Kelly Tarlton's, so that's a good call. The Auckland museum is also excellent.
posted by gaspode at 6:14 AM on January 16, 2016
posted by gaspode at 6:14 AM on January 16, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! Rangitoto is fantastic, but I remember climbing it at maybe 8 or 9 and whining a lot because the walk was so steep and so far (until we got to the top, when of course I was like, "hell yeah, we climbed a VOLCANO!"). Anyway, I'm not sure if the little guys legs's will be too happy with such a big climb - maybe when he's bigger :)
I'm also interested in fun things to do that are maybe a bit lower key - like a cool kid-friendly cafe, or a kooky place to go exploring, or a particularly fun playground. The big attractions look really fun, but I'm wary of wearing him out with too much Big! Exciting! Stuff! on both days - it'd be nice to have some time to just noodle about in interesting places, too.
posted by embrangled at 8:06 PM on January 16, 2016
I'm also interested in fun things to do that are maybe a bit lower key - like a cool kid-friendly cafe, or a kooky place to go exploring, or a particularly fun playground. The big attractions look really fun, but I'm wary of wearing him out with too much Big! Exciting! Stuff! on both days - it'd be nice to have some time to just noodle about in interesting places, too.
posted by embrangled at 8:06 PM on January 16, 2016
Best answer: Mt Eden has amazing views from the top after a not-too-difficult walk, often cows around during to look at, and a playground at the bottom (around the side near the dog park I think). It's a good place to hang out for a bit. The fish and chips in Mt Eden village are good too if a bit overpriced last time I was there. There will be bus stops along Mt Eden Rd and I think a train station nearby. One Tree Hill is the classic for this type of trip, but the park is huge. Mt Eden is more manageable and, surprisingly, taller.
There are many great parks and beaches for walking along too. Personally I like Myers Park along the back of Queen St, start at K Rd and end up down by the Civic car park. Take a picture with the weird goat statue. Then you can go to a movie on Queen St on the way back to the bus stop (there should be stops around Symonds St or K Rd and in the middle of Queen St, depending on which line you take).
Taking a ferry across to Davenport followed by a wander around North Head and stopping in a cafe before ferrying back was the classic day out when I visited Akl as a kid. Public transport to britomart (or near by) exists so getting to the ferry is easy enough.
posted by shelleycat at 12:44 AM on January 17, 2016
There are many great parks and beaches for walking along too. Personally I like Myers Park along the back of Queen St, start at K Rd and end up down by the Civic car park. Take a picture with the weird goat statue. Then you can go to a movie on Queen St on the way back to the bus stop (there should be stops around Symonds St or K Rd and in the middle of Queen St, depending on which line you take).
Taking a ferry across to Davenport followed by a wander around North Head and stopping in a cafe before ferrying back was the classic day out when I visited Akl as a kid. Public transport to britomart (or near by) exists so getting to the ferry is easy enough.
posted by shelleycat at 12:44 AM on January 17, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks guys! We went to MOTAT and both had a fantastic time :)
posted by embrangled at 12:52 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by embrangled at 12:52 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Hike the volcano, I did it in a skirt and Mary Janes, it's an easy hike. 2 hours later, meet the ferry back into Auckland. A VOLCANO!
Enjoy refreshments on the ferry. Wear sunscreen. I got sun poisoning doing this. It was worth it!!
posted by jbenben at 11:25 PM on January 15, 2016