There are countless free things to do in Auckland. Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) is a pretty cool city. It has a bit of a bad rap here in Aotearoa/New Zealand as it’s the most populated city in the Country. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great place to visit, it just lacks the charm of a lot of the other cities.
Its size also makes it rather hard to navigate with very confusing motorways and a busy inner city center. However, it is also brimming with life and fun things to see and do! It is a great place for pockets of nature as well and really is a pretty cool city even if some people think its too busy. Not to mention there are quite a few cool things to do that cost absolutely nothing.
This list is a bit of a different take on the free things to do in Tāmaki Makaura. For one, we won’t tell you to go to the pink bike path or to wander around the city. Whilst these things are fun and make for great insta photos (the bridge particularly) they don’t make our top 5 list of things to do for free in Auckland.
Have fun exploring the area for free and keep in mind that you are also on Māori land with 19 iwi authorities being recognised by the Auckland Council. There is a lot of history here and some great places to take it in, especially in nature on the Maunga of Tāmaki Makaura, which leads us to our favourite free thing to do in the city.
Be sure to check out our Instagram to see more of our favourite free things to do!
Maungawhau (Mt Eden)
With a great history and stunning views, this Maunga (mountain) is the top of our list of free things to do in Auckland.
Maungawhau was originally a Māori pā site. Some of the remaining earthworks can still be seen today in the flat terraces and crop storage pits located on the slopes of the mountain. The crater of the Maunga is known as Te Kapua Kai a Mataaho, which translates to ‘the food bowl of Mataaho’. The site, and especially the rim of the crater, is Tāpu, or sacred.
Visitors are asked to respect this by walking only on the boardwalk. Please listen to this and stick to the boardwalk to protect this important and fragile area. It is such a privilege to be able to take in the views from the Maunga and witness the archeological sites here as well. We as visitors have a responsibility to respect that privilege and not take advantage of it by disregarding simple requests to maintain and preserve such important and Tāpu sites.
This incredible Maunga is in our opinion, the best place to get a view over the city and surrounding land. The best part of this is it’s completely free too! Everyone says you have to go to the sky tower, and whilst that is cool, the views from here are so much better.
Takapuna Beach
The beach at Takapuna is our absolute favourite beach in Auckland. It has everything you could want in a beach. Superb views of the ocean and Rangitoto island in the distance, cliffs with rock pools on one end and a great sandy stretch to walk along down the other. There is even a swing attached to a tree on the beach.
If that’s not enough to convince you to visit, it’s also a dog beach, so there is always the chance for a few pets of the cute dogs as you wander along it! For more great beaches in Auckland, check out our top 5 Auckland beaches post here.
Whilst you are in Takapuna, head over to Milford and wander the shops here. There is a lovely indie bookstore here with great book recommendations and blind dates with a book!
Milford is also home to Scrunchie Millers, the best ice cream around! They may not appear on every other travels Instagram as Giapo does, but they also don’t come with the hefty price tag. They have some crazy, cool flavours that change with the season too. Their Easter ice cream was so good! Hot cross bun ice cream, yes, please!
Auckland Botanic Gardens
We visited the gardens for an afternoon stroll, but easily could have spent the entire day here! The grounds are huge with so many different style gardens.
Sure, they are no Hamilton Gardens, but they are still pretty cool. These are your more traditional botanic gardens. They have some great stories to tell and incredible sculptures scattered around the park. Make sure to check the Auckland Botanic Gardens website for events when you are there.
Free entry all year round and ever changing events means this is a great place to visit more than once. We had the most fun exploring the kids’ areas of the gardens as we are big kids at heart! Once we were done wandering, we grabbed an ice cream to eat on the grass and soak in some sun. The park is so big that even though there are lots of people wandering around, it’s easy to find a private bit of grass to sit on.
Visit Devonport
Contrary to what everyone tells you, there is no need to catch a ferry to Devonport. It is not an island, as Tiff fully believed for a while, given how many blog posts were telling us to catch a ferry to visit it!
Devonport is located over the harbour from Auckland city, but still very much attached to the mainland. You can drive there by simply going over the harbour bridge, which is actually pretty cool. Once you are there, it feels like a lovely little holiday beach town. The foreshore is shaded and decked out with playgrounds and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the view.
There are restaurants and cafés galore along with an Indie bookshop and a second-hand bookshop to keep Tiff more than happy! The restaurants along the wharf are lovely to eat at and enjoy the ocean views.
We adored Devon on the Wharf, a Turkish and Mediterranean inspired restaurant that is delicious. They had such an amazing selection of dishes that we ended up going twice!
Shakespeare Park
Spend the day at Shakespeare park. Home to another of our Top 5 Auckland Beaches. Shakespeare park is definitely a day trip. Pack a picnic, your bathers, or as they say in New Zealand, your toggs, and set up for a day outdoors.
This is a predator free sanctuary that is also home to some farmland. There are three different tracks that you can walk around the park offering differing views and scenery.
The heritage trail takes you through lush bushland by a stream and down to a waterfall. The Lookout path is also a must, to see views out to Auckland and the surrounding islands.
After doing these walks, we wandered down to the beach and set up our picnic in the shade of the trees. The water is lovely, and it was rather quiet when we were here. If you are able, you can even camp the night in a van here!
Bonus Day – One of the ultimate free things to do in Auckland
Do the Auckland coast to coast hike!
You start the hike on the west coast of Auckland and meander through suburbs, parkland and gardens to end the day at the city harbour. This was an exceptional way to see so many free sites in one day. You climb up different Maungas and get wonderful views of the whole Auckland area.
As the hike is a suburban hike, you don’t have to carry too much with you either. It’s easy to stop at a cafe for lunch and there are water fountains in the parks to fill up your bottle.
We had a lot of fun in Auckland mainly doing these free things! We didn’t spend much when we were here as a lot of the things we wanted to do were walks. Covid was still pretty prevalent when we were here, so we didn’t do much that involved being too close to other people. These were our favourite free things to do, but there is definitely more if you are into parks and walking.
Whilst you are exploring the area, why not take an empty tote bag and pick up whatever rubbish you see along the way? It’s a great way to help leave these places looking a little better, and to show your care and respect for the land you are visiting.
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- 5 Must Visit Auckland Beaches
- The BEST New Zealand Freedom Camping Spots
- Eco-Conscious Travel Tips That Anyone Can Implement
