Three things to do when it’s raining in Auckland

I’m the first one to admit that life is not always rosy in Auckland. We have this little thing called winter that is characterised by half-hourly changes in weather from the gorgeous to the downright nasty. But that doesn’t stop Kiwis from getting out there and enjoying life in the big city and neither should it for you. Here are three suggestions to get you started.

Auckland War Memorial Museum

Hop on the Link bus towards Parnell and ask to be let off at the museum. You’ll need an umbrella or waterproof jacket for the walk up the road to the museum building, but once inside you’ll be “sweet as” as we say in New Zealand. The permanent exhibitions provide a great introduction to Maori and Pacific culture as well as geographically specific information about the ocean and land here in New Zealand. There are also interesting visiting exhibitions, a children’s area and a gift shop and café, so you can spend a good long rainy afternoon here.

Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World and Antarctic Centre

It’s fairly small on the worldwide scale of aquariums, but Kelly Tarlton’s can be a great way to stay out of the weather. If you are a family with antsy kids in tow this one is for you. Feeding time at the stingray tank is quite exciting or wait for the sharks to have their dinner hand fed to them by divers. Take a bus from the Britomart station or look out for the free shuttle that departs from opposite the downtown ferry terminal or the Sky City atrium. You can’t miss it. It’s a giant shark.

Tramping in the Waitakere Ranges

Well, you didn’t come all this way to sit around, did you? If you’ve got full tramping gear with you, by this I mean waterproof hiking clothes and boots, you can hire a car to get out west. On the way your first stop should be the Arataki Visitors Centre to get information and maps of the area. And if you wimp out, you can always while away the hours in a café in Titirangi village or peruse the Farmers’  Market on the second Sunday of every month.

[Auckland Museum photo by Kiwi_Flickr on Flickr]
[additional photos courtesy of Marie Szamborski]