East Auckland
East Auckland — Pakuranga, Botany, Howick and the Pohutukawa Coast — has some of the city's best parks, calm beaches and the Lloyd Elsmore pool for wet days. These are our favourite family outings on this side of town.
Covering Pakuranga, Botany, Howick, Cockle Bay, Half Moon Bay, Flat Bush, Maraetai and nearby. 6 of the spots in this area cost nothing to visit.
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What East Auckland is like with kids
East Auckland's beaches are among the gentlest in the city. Maraetai, Beachlands, Cockle Bay and Eastern Beach all face the sheltered inner gulf, so there is no surf to speak of — the water is shallow a long way out and the sand is firm enough to push a pram along. Every one of them has grass, a playground and a picnic spot behind the sand. If you have a baby or a toddler, this is the side of town with the calmest, shallowest water — still keep little ones within arm's reach.
The trade-off is that the east has fewer wet-weather options than the rest of Auckland. Lloyd Elsmore covers indoor swimming, and Howick Historical Village is the closest thing to a rainy-day outing — you can duck into its cottages and schoolroom, though much of it is outdoors. It is a reconstructed colonial settlement with costumed villagers, which lands better with school-age children than with preschoolers.
If you only go to three places
The highest-rated spots in this area, whatever the age of your kids.
- 1Howick Historical Village
3–17 · $8/child · about 120 min · Pram-friendly
- 2Half Moon Bay Marina
0–17 · Free · about 120 min · Pram-friendly
- 3Duder Regional Park
3–17 · Free · about 180 min
4.7Explore historic cottages and gardens bursting into bloom this spring.
4.6Watch the boats head out on warming spring days and stroll the coastal path.
4.6Spot grazing sheep and cattle on the farm loop and picnic by the fresh spring shore.
4.6Picnic on the grass and skim stones across the calm spring bay.
4.5Picnic on the grass and beachcomb the shore on fresh spring days.
4.4Picnic by the bay and look for crabs on the flats as spring warms up (shellfish taking is banned).
Swim indoors or wander the park as spring blossoms open all around.
4.3Fly a kite and picnic by the bay as spring days grow warm.
Age, in practice
Easy with a baby or toddler
Pram access, open from birth, and short enough to finish before a nap.
Places with a minimum age
Everything else in this area is open to all ages.
If it rains
Indoor options in this area, so a bad forecast does not cancel the day.
Family restaurants in East Auckland9
Places nearby where taking the kids is easy — many have highchairs or a changing table; each card shows which.
The Tearooms at Shamrock Cottage
Cafe / High Tea · $$
High tea in a historic cottage at Cockle Bay, walkable to the beach and Howick village — a proper pot, not a bag
Howick Village Cafe
Cafe · $$
Howick village all-day cafe, loud and reliable — weekends book out, and the menu has stayed the same for years
Beachlands Cafe
Cafe · $
Beachlands local near the water with a wide cabinet and honest prices — a stop on the way out to Maraetai
Hawthorn Dene Historic Country Cafe
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Down a long driveway in Botany, a vintage country house with room outside — locals pair it with the plant barn nearby
Luna Tea
Chinese / Malaysian · $$
Chinese-Malaysian plates and bubble tea at Highland Park — big portions at a price that suits a family order
Hello Sailor Restaurant & Bar
Kiwi · $$
Half Moon Bay dining room facing the marina — masts out the window, and a menu that reaches past the usual
Daruma Sushi Botany
Japanese / Sushi · $$
Sushi-go-round in Botany that keeps small children watching — pricier than it looks, so check before ordering platters
HIPPO Cafe
Cafe / Play Centre
One of Auckland's better indoor playgrounds with a cafe attached in Huntington Park — well kept, and priced accordingly
Maraetai Beach Cafe
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Straight across from Maraetai Beach with a terrace — an unassuming room where staff greet the locals by name
Getting there and parking
The east is a straightforward drive from the city, and the beaches out toward Maraetai and Beachlands are a further twenty minutes past Howick on a road that stays coastal most of the way. Parking at all four beaches is free and rarely a problem outside the hottest summer weekends. Half Moon Bay is worth knowing about for a different reason: the ferry to Waiheke leaves from there, which turns a beach morning into the start of an island day if you want it to.
Worth knowing before you go
- These beaches are tidal and the water goes a long way out. Low tide is best for shell hunting and rock pools; high tide is what you want for actual swimming. Check which one you are getting.
- Cockle Bay is named for what is under the sand. Kids can dig and look, but the bay is closed to all shellfish gathering — put everything back.
- Every east-side beach here is stroller-friendly right down to the sand, which is the main reason to choose this side with a baby.
- The east has the fewest indoor options of any Auckland region. If the forecast is bad, plan around Lloyd Elsmore or Howick Historical Village rather than driving out and hoping.
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