Auckland's sights fall into two groups: the cultural institutions of the city centre and Parnell, and the volcanic cones and parks that give the city its shape. Auckland War Memorial Museum, on Observatory Hill in the Auckland Domain, is the place to start, with its Māori and Pacific collections and war memorial galleries. Below it, the Domain's Wintergardens are free to visit. In the city centre, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki offers free entry to its collection, and the Sky Tower gives an overview of the whole isthmus from 186 metres up.
For views without a ticket, climb Maungawhau / Mount Eden or Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill, both former pā sites, and combine the second with a picnic in Cornwall Park. On the waterfront, the New Zealand Maritime Museum tells the story of Polynesian voyaging and America's Cup yachting, and residents of the Auckland region enter free. Families should allow a day at Western Springs for Auckland Zoo and MOTAT, which are linked by a heritage tram, and a few hours for Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium on Tamaki Drive. Most attractions open around 9.30am or 10am, so plan outdoor viewpoints for early morning or late afternoon light and museums for the middle of the day or a rainy spell.
10 places · Updated November 12, 2026
Our top 3 attractions in Auckland
Attraction
Neoclassical museum and war memorial on Observatory Hill in the Auckland Domain, home to major Māori and Pacific collections, natural history galleries and the Halls of Memory.
View details — Auckland War Memorial MuseumAttraction
The 328-metre telecommunications and observation tower at the heart of the CBD, with glass-floored viewing decks, a revolving restaurant and the SkyWalk and SkyJump.
View details — Sky TowerAttraction
New Zealand's first permanent art gallery, set in an 1887 French Renaissance building with an award-winning 2011 extension, holding over 18,000 works with free general entry.
View details — Auckland Art Gallery Toi o TāmakiAttraction
The highest natural point on the Auckland isthmus, a 196-metre volcanic cone with a deep crater, Māori pā terraces and free 360-degree views of the city.
View details — Maungawhau / Mount EdenAttraction
Auckland's oldest park, set in an ancient volcanic crater, with the 1920s Wintergardens glasshouses, a fernery in an old quarry and duck ponds below the museum.
View details — Auckland Domain and WintergardensAttraction
A 182-metre volcanic cone that was once the largest pā on the isthmus, surrounded by Cornwall Park's farmland, gardens, cafés and the historic Acacia Cottage.
View details — Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill and Cornwall ParkAttraction
Waterfront museum on Hobson Wharf telling New Zealand's seafaring story, from Polynesian voyaging to Sir Peter Blake's America's Cup yachts, with heritage harbour sailings.
View details — New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a TangaroaAttraction
Not-for-profit zoo at Western Springs with more than 1,400 animals, a large New Zealand wildlife precinct, Sumatran tigers, orangutans and a working wildlife hospital.
View details — Auckland ZooAttraction
Aquarium built inside old storage tanks under Tamaki Drive, with a 110-metre underwater tunnel, sharks, rescued turtles and a colony of king and gentoo penguins.
View details — Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life AquariumAttraction
Two-site transport and technology museum at Western Springs, linked by a heritage tram, with aircraft, trams, trains, a pioneer village and a hands-on science centre.
View details — MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology)