Auckland with a 3 year old
February 8, 2012 12:26 PM   Subscribe

Things to do in Auckland with a 3 year old.

Our family will be in Auckland for three days from February 20th. Our plans are wide open - we're staying with friends before heading south to visit family, and our friends will be working during the day. I'm from NZ, but Dunedin, and have only spent more than a day in Auckland on a few occasions, the last being 6 or so years ago, pre-kid. What are some good kid-friendly activities for us? They don't have to be kid-specific, as long as there is something there for her it would all be good. thanks!
posted by gaspode to Travel & Transportation around Auckland, New Zealand (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: The Auckland Museum has a lot of really cool stuff, there are also special activities for kids and a really lovely walking path through the Domain. There're some outdoor concerts that might be of interest as well.
posted by troika at 12:45 PM on February 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


Best answer: My kids (and I) loved Kelly Tarlton's.

We also really enjoyed Auckland Zoo. We fell in love with the baby meerkats, and feeding the giraffe was unforgettable. (You don't realise how big their heads are, until you're standing on a platform at their head-height.)
posted by malibustacey9999 at 1:05 PM on February 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Ha! Both posters totally beat me to the punch! The Auckland museum is this gloriously old and fun building, at least when I was there and it was full of cool kid-related stuff. The zoo is also really nice, very parky and they had excellent shows and stuff on when I was there too.

Younger me also quite enjoyed One Tree Hill - it's quite a nice park, and they have a planetarium and some telescopes!
posted by smoke at 3:26 PM on February 8, 2012


Best answer: Thirding the zoo and museum. I'd also suggest taking the ferry across to Devonport. Three y/o's should enjoy the boat ride, plus there's a nice park and playground there next to the water. Lots of nice shops and cafes for the adults too.
posted by michswiss at 5:12 PM on February 8, 2012


Best answer: The Parnell rose garden.
posted by brujita at 9:36 PM on February 8, 2012


Response by poster: I marked you all as best answers even though we didn't do everything. The museum was great. Totally recommend to anyone with kids -- our kiddo hollered "an ammonite!" when she saw a giant one, and totally recognised the cryolophosaurus skeleton (she's a nerd). The weird and wonderful section was fantastic.

We were staying down the road from Kelly Tarltons so went on a wet morning. Kid really liked it too, although we are kind of spoiled for aquariums in the US NE, so she's been to a bunch of good ones.

We intended to go to Devonport, but were stymied by the aforementioned rain, so that will have to happen on our next trip home.
posted by gaspode at 10:22 PM on February 24, 2012 [1 favorite]


The only appropriate response to that is "Choice Bro!" Glad to hear the museum is still awesome.
posted by smoke at 12:09 AM on February 25, 2012 [2 favorites]


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