North Shore, Auckland
From Takapuna and Milford beaches to Long Bay Regional Park and the play centres around Albany, the North Shore is packed with family-friendly spots. Here are the best places to take the kids — with ages, prices, and facilities.
Covering Takapuna, Milford, Devonport, Albany, Browns Bay, Long Bay and nearby. 11 of the spots in this area cost nothing to visit.
What North Shore is like with kids
The North Shore is where Auckland families go for the beach. The east-facing coast from Devonport up to Orewa is sheltered by the Hauraki Gulf, so the water is calmer than the west and the sand shelves gently — you can let a three-year-old paddle without holding your breath. Takapuna, Milford, Long Bay and Browns Bay all have grass, toilets and a playground within sight of the water, which is what actually decides whether a beach day works with small children.
North of the motorway the character changes. Shakespear and Tāwharanui are fenced open sanctuaries where sheep graze beside the track and you can hear birdsong that has largely gone from the rest of the city. They take a full morning rather than an hour, and they reward it. When the weather turns, the Shore has the city's best-value indoor pools.
If you only go to three places
The highest-rated spots in this area, whatever the age of your kids.
- 1Tāwharanui Regional Park
3–17 · Free · about 240 min
- 2Shakespear Regional Park
0–17 · Free · about 180 min
- 3Wenderholm Regional Park
0–17 · Free · about 180 min · Pram-friendly
4.8Rug up for a wild coastal walk and explore the rock pools at low tide.
4.8Rug up for a coastal headland walk and watch the surf roll in.
4.7Rug up for a sheltered bushwalk and a calm wander along the estuary.
4.7Rug up for a coastal cliff walk and spot rock pools at low tide.
4.6Wrap up to explore the muddy rock pools and watch boats on the harbour.
4.6Bundle up for a long shore walk and let kids play at the splash pad area.
4.6Climb Mt Victoria for views, then warm up in cosy village cafes.
4.6Rug up for a windswept shore walk and watch the waves roll in.
4.6Rug up for a shore walk, explore rock pools and watch the surf.
4.5Rug up for a brisk shore stroll, then warm up with hot chips nearby.
4.5Rug up for a sheltered native bush walk on quieter winter trails.
4.5Rug up for harbour views, hot chocolate, and a climb up Mount Victoria.
Cosy indoor pools for cold rainy days, swim laps or let the kids play.
4.2Permanently closed since 2018 and demolished in 2023. For geothermal pools in winter, Parakai Springs is the one that is open.
Warm indoor climbing for wet winter days, hours of cosy challenge.
4.0Cosy indoor pool for cold rainy days, family swim out of the weather.
The star winter soak: warm thermal pools and slides while it's cold outside.
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 North Shore17
Places nearby where taking the kids is easy — highchairs, changing tables and room to move.
November Cafe
Vietnamese / Cafe
Mairangi Bay cafe crossing brunch with Vietnamese — pho and bun cha, then carry the coffee down to the beach
Stone Oven Cafe
Bakery / Cafe
Devonport bakery-cafe with a kids' corner you can settle into for a whole morning — brunch prices run high
Bomi Bakery Cafe
Cafe · $
Asian-style bakery in Browns Bay turning out new breads constantly — the rice bread is the one to try
Salty Pidgin Northcote
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Upmarket Northcote bistro looking over the harbour — book ahead, and expect to park a short walk away
The Milford Cafe
Cafe / Brunch · $$
A Milford local of long standing, close to the beach, live music some nights — the owners know everyone
The Vic Devonport
Pub Food · $$
Gelato and a drink at Devonport's 1912 picture house — time it with a screening, or take the cone up Mount Victoria
Corelli's Cafe
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Devonport all-rounder that stays open after the village shuts — the eggs benedict and potato rosti carry it
Jam Organic Cafe
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Organic-leaning Takapuna cafe on Hurstmere Road — the protein hotcakes and smoothies are what bring people back
Torpedo Bay Navy Museum Cafe
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Harbour-front cafe inside the Navy Museum with a playground out the door and free parking — pair it with the galleries
Fields Cafe
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Roomy Albany cafe with a deep cabinet and outdoor seats — weekday mornings stay quiet enough for a pram and a conversation
Takapuna Beach Cafe & Store
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Beachfront tables looking out to Rangitoto, gelato counter and a food store — roll the pram straight off the sand
Paper Moon
Cafe / Bistro · $$
Mairangi Bay bistro where dessert is the event — the chocolate bomb melts at the table; the kitchen slows when full
Devon On The Wharf
Cafe · $$
Right inside Devonport Wharf beside the ferry gate — harbour views and somewhere to sit the moment you step off
Valentines North Shore
International Buffet · $$
All-you-can-eat buffet in Glenfield with a live cooking station, child pricing and a play space — come hungry
The Postman's Leg
Gastropub · $$
Glenfield gastropub with a children's area and a schnitzel worth ordering — a solid local rather than a destination
Sugar at Chelsea Bay
Cafe / Brunch · $$
Cakes at the working Chelsea sugar refinery in Birkenhead — the raspberry lamington is the one, and the park is right there
Lone Star Albany
American / Family Restaurant · $$
Albany family restaurant with its own playroom and colouring sheets on the table — book, it fills at dinner
Getting there and parking
Most of the Shore is a 20–40 minute drive from the city over the Harbour Bridge, and traffic back into town on Sunday afternoons is the part people underestimate. Devonport is the exception and the nicer trip: the ferry from downtown takes about twelve minutes, prams roll straight on, and the village, beach and Mount Victoria are all walkable from the wharf — no parking to think about at all. Beach car parks at Takapuna, Milford and Long Bay fill early on hot weekends; the regional parks further north have far more room.
Worth knowing before you go
- Shakespear and Tāwharanui are predator-free sanctuaries behind a pest-proof fence. Check bags and pushchairs for stowaway mice before you go in, and leave the dog at home — dogs are not allowed inside.
- Long Bay is a marine reserve. Rock pooling and looking are fine; taking shellfish, fish or anything else is not.
- Milford and Long Bay have the best rock pools, and they only appear at low tide. Check the tide before you commit the morning to them.
- Devonport works better as a ferry trip than a drive — the village parking is tight and metered, and the ferry is the part kids remember.
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