16 Free Things to do in Auckland City
Auckland City has been the buzziest city in New Zealand. There are so many things to do without traveling too far from the centre. After combing the shops and enjoying drinks at bars, there are volcanic cones to climb, scuba diving, beaches to swim at, and parks to enjoy. Don’t miss a thing! You are plenty of free things to do in Auckland! Here are 16 Free Things to do in Auckland City.
After checking out this blog, you’ll realize that you cannot visit all places in this city in just a couple of nights. Set out and explore and you’ll see what this city has to offer while staying on budget with our list of free and cheap things to do in Auckland.
Free Things to do in Auckland City
This city has a great transport system, starting from the ferry terminal to the bus network. You can explore the larger region of Auckland, check out: Auckland – Guide for Backpackers.
1. Get educated at the Auckland museum
You can get the entry to the Auckland Museum for NZ$25 unless you have proof of an Auckland address, which allows you to enter for free. You will get lost in this museum with all its interactive exhibitions, like the “shaky” volcano exhibition. The renowned Auckland Museum is an amazing place to learn about all things in New Zealand.
2. Coast to Coast walk
If you want to see the best of central Auckland on foot – the coast to coast walk encapsulates parks and the volcanic cones of Mt Eden and One Tree Hill, providing picture-perfect views of Auckland city. If you don’t feel like doing the whole thing, you will get all the major highlights between the One Tree Hill and Auckland Domain.
3. Enjoy traditional Maori sweet treats
Have an authentic Paraoa Parai, the traditional Maori Fried bread served with ice cream at Giapo. You can get this for just $14 dollars. That’s a delicious local cuisine and a cheap thing to do all in one go.
4. Get a taste of the south pacific
New Zealand has a rich cultural influence from the South Pacific. Located right next to islands like Tonga, Fiji, and Vanuatu, which are popular cultural and holiday spots for New Zealanders, New Zealand is a great place to experience the vibrant island traditions. At Four Shells Kava Bar you can try the famous island drink called Kava. Kava is the traditional drink made with ground-up roots and a lot of patience. Though it tastes bitter but is very more-ish and will make you want to head to the islands to check more South Pacific culture.
5. Take a free walking tour
Get a free orientation of Auckland Central from a local! This will help you find out where the best places are to eat and party, the top places to visit, what events to go to, all on the backpacker budget. This is a 2-hour tour, which will make you fall in love with this city and you’ll not want to leave the City of Sails.
6. Walk to silo park anyway!
Earlier also when the Silo Cinema event wasn’t on, this area of Auckland is pretty cool to walk to. There are silos of water features, sculptures, a basketball court and plenty of places to sit, relax and contemplate how awesome you are.
7. Go on a “Cheap As” bar crawl
This Frenzi Bar starts at The Camel Bar, where you get 4 free drinks in 4 bars (and sometimes includes a free hotdog) just at NZ$10. At night also you will have a party games where you could win big prizes!
8. Enjoy a free movie in the park
During the summer months, you can watch a movie projected onto a silo at the Silo Cinema. Situated in Silo Park, across from the Viaduct Harbour, the cinema event takes place every Friday or Saturday of the summer. It is a great place to enjoy the Auckland community atmosphere and browse the night market and eat at food stalls.
9. Taste tea for free
You can taste free hot tea and ice tea at T2 on Queens Street. There are many tea aromas to stick your nose into too. IT will make your day if you love trying out different varieties of tea.
10. Browse the Auckland art gallery
You can also visit Auckland Art Gallery to get the glimpse of Auckland culture. General admission for New Zealand residents is free, but some exhibitions you need to pay for. Fro international visitors the fee is NZ$20. The gallery is on the edge of Albert Park a nice park for a stroll.
11. Visit the maritime museum
Explore this place for a reasonable price where you can discover New Zealand’s relationship with the sea. As well as interactive exhibitions, the interaction reaches a new level with the harbour cruise. Although more expensive than the rest of the activities mentioned on this list, the Maritime Museum cruise is one of the cheapest cruises around the harbour. Cruise out onto the water up to the Harbour Bridge, to get incredible views of the city. You may even see some crazy people bungy jump above you. Entry to the Maritime Museum is NZ$20 or free for Auckland residents. Both museum entry and cruise is NZ$50.
12. Visit Devonport from Auckland city
A quick ferry ride for only NZ$15 return can take you to Devonport. From here, you can get awesome photos of the city skyline, explore the tunnels at North Head, visit the Navy Museum for free, and swim at Cheltenham Beach.
13. Lounge on the beach at mission bay
Auckland’s most popular beach during the summer, it’s a good place to have some ice cream, frozen yoghurt and go for a dip.
14. Catch a $5 movie
You can watch the “Cheap Tuesday” version of movies. The tickets are between NZ$10-12. At the Academy, you can watch a NZ$5 flick all day Wednesday! Alongside popular releases, Academy also shows art-house and foreign-language movies. This is one of the 16 Free Things to do in Auckland City.
15. Say hello to the residents at western springs park
By residents we mean, ducks, geese, swans, eels, pukeko, and more! The Auckland Zoo might be in proximity, but there’s plenty of wildlife to see in Western Springs for free. This is one of the 16 Free Things to do in Auckland City.
16. Enjoy some cheap eats
City life often encapsulates eating an obscene amount of food, especially when there are so many tempting aromas around. In Auckland, you can eat on the cheap! Also you can play keno in Auckland if interested.
