Source: Auckland Council
Hop into action! Easter and the school holidays are on the horizon and there are plenty of activities around Tāmaki Makaurau during Easter to keep kids (and adults) entertained. From egg-citing Easter egg hunts to city centre art trails and hiking trails, here are some great ways to make the most of your holidays.
Frolic & Play in Auckland
Why look beyond the Bombay Hills for your Easter getaway when you can experience world-class parks right here in Auckland? Our 28 regional parks are the jewels in Tāmaki Makaurau’s crown and and provide the perfect backdrop for scenic walks, picnics and barbecues this Easter.
Many of our regional parks and local parks are working farms where stock graze. Discover life on the farm at Ambury Regional Park in Māngere, where you can see sheep, goats, cows, pigs, horses, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and peacocks. The park is named after the Ambury Milk Company, which ran a town milk supply farm on the site from 1893-1965 – today, families can visit the milking and shearing sheds on the Family Farm walk, which has pushchair and wheelchair access around the animal enclosures.
If visiting Karamatura Falls in Huia, stop by the Barn Paddock Campsite at historic Karamatura Farm to see pigs, chickens, ducks and a vintage tractor.
See local sheep grazing at the Barn Paddock campsite in Huia.
Highfield Garden Reserve has been home to donkeys since the 1960s when the property was an orchard and flower farm owned by Alison and Ted Roberts. The family gifted 8.5ha of land to the people of New Zealand in the 1980s for use as a donkey reserve, allowing animal lovers to visit for free to feed the resident donkeys carrots or apples.
This reserve sits between Snells Beach and Algies Bay. Follow the 60 minute walk to enjoy good views of Algies Bay, Snells Beach and Scandrett Regional Park from the lookouts.
Whether you’re planning to cosy up in a corner for some holiday reading or looking for some fun activities for kids during the break, Auckland Council Libraries are a hub of entertainment. Adults can read their way through the library staff picks lists or the longlist of finalists of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards before the winners are announced on 15 May.
Keep the kids occupied these holidays at Auckland City Libraries.
Don’t forget to check out the Besties Collection. Bestie is a collection of new and bestselling books available at our libraries. There are no holds or renewals on Bestie books, so you can pick one up and read it right away!
Kids can enjoy events at library branches across the region, including an Easter Egg Maze at Ōtāhuhu Library (16 April) and Easter-themed Wriggle and Rhyme sessions (on 7 and 8 April) at Parnell Library.
Nature-loving kids can learn how to build a bug hotel (14 April) or get hands-on at the Jellyfish Slime Sessions (23 April) at Highland Park Library (book online).
Plus, look out for Auckland Zoo and Auckland Council Libraries’ conservation sessions taking place at libraries across Tāmaki Makaurau. Check out your local library’s website for more information on Easter and school holiday events happening near you.
Combine your love of art with a dose of vitamin D by walking the Karangahape Road to Queens Wharf Art Path, a 5km stroll that celebrates Auckland’s heritage and culture through dynamic public artworks and sculptures. The walk gets off to a colourful start with Janet Lilo’s banana lightbox artworks Don’t Dream It’s Over on Karangahape Rd and further down the street are two cartoon-like sculptures Twist and Thief by Tanja McMillan (street artist and illustrator also known as Misery) in collaboration with John Oz. Twist depicts a girl dancing with an elephant recalling the Ridgeway Circus which was on the roof of the former George Courts department store in the 1960s, while Thief draws on a time when the area was surrounded by fields filled with farm animals and the street was lined with fruit and vegetable shops.
Twist by Tanja McMillan and John Oz is part of the Karangahape Road to Queens Wharf Art Path.
Continuing through the city the path takes you past Waharoa by Selwyn Muru, Aotea Square’s iconic gateway sculpture built from macrocapa and copper sourced from heritage Waitangi wharf piles, which welcomes visitors with the spiritual forces of the sea, sky and land.
Further along the path you’ll encounter A Māori Figure in a Kaitaka Cloak – when Molly Macalister created this bronze statue on Quay Street in the late 1960s, it sent ripples through the art world. She was the first woman in Aotearoa to receive a public art commission and worked closely with local iwi Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to complete the sculpture.
The trail ends with Michael Parekowhai’s The Lighthouse / Tū Whenua-a-Kura on Queens Wharf. This full-scale 1950s state house is designed to be viewed through the windows, and the inside features a light installation as well as a steel sculpture of Captain Cook titled The English Channel.
Egg hunts are a popular Easter tradition that has a rich history. Pagan and early Christian societies first used eggs to symbolise new life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and decorating eggs became a popular tradition in the Middle Ages to mark eggs laid during Holy Week. The first egg hunts started in Germany in the late 1500s and over the centuries they became popular in Europe when royalty such as Queen Victoria adopted the tradition.
Easter activities at Howick Village.
Here in 21st-century Tāmaki Makaurau, the egg hunt tradition is alive and well with many egg-cellent events to enjoy. Green Bay Community House’s Early Easter Extravaganza kicks off (on 11 April) with fun and games including a scavenger hunt and Easter crafts. Soak up some of Auckland’s history while enjoying festive fun at the Howick Historical Village Easter Extravaganza (on 20 April). Families can explore the colonial era village and gardens by following an Easter trail – kids that collect all the clues will receive an Easter egg.
Booking is strongly recommended, only a limited of door sales will be available on the day. Book on Eventfinda.
