Auckland Attractions

Auckland has a huge range of attractions, from the tallest free-standing building in the Southern Hemisphere to up-close encounters with penguins and sharks.

Auckland's needle-like Sky Tower is the city's most prominent landmark at 328 meters high, New Zealand's highest building. If you're looking for a place to snap the perfect city panorama then the observation deck here (reached by zooming up to the top of the building in a glass-elevator) is just the place to get your camera out, with views spanning into the distance for 80 kilometers on a clear day. Adventurers can also try SkyJump – New Zealand’s highest base jump – or the incredible SkyWalk, where you’ll walk around the outside of the Sky Tower on a platform high above the city for some extreme sightseeing.

If you are visiting with your family, say hello to the sharks at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium which allows you to get up-close-and-personal with life under the water. For the thrill seekers, ride the rollercoasters at Rainbow's End. Visit Auckland Zoo which is home to 135 different species and over 1400 animals and sits next to pretty Western Springs Park. 

Spot sea life on the Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari, try your hand at sailing a former America’s Cup Yacht, or catch a ferry to the seaside village of Devonport for ice cream, beach walks and history.

For more green space head to one of Auckland’s beautiful parks - take in the Auckland Domain and its lovely Winter Garden greenhouses. Cornwall Park and Mount Eden have already been mentioned as spots to go, and pay a visit also to Albert Park near Auckland University and the good playgrounds at Myers Park or Silo Park for the kids. If you enjoy manicured gardens, the Parnell Rose Gardens are lovely for a wander and a walk down to Judges Bay. Eden Gardens is a beautiful garden in an old quarry on the side of Mount Eden and further south the Auckland Botanic Gardens is 64 hectares of garden in Manurewa.