LetsGoKids

Dinosaur Discovery Track
2025-04-02 - 2025-10-31 | Auckland Zoo Te Whare Kararehe o Tāmaki Makaurau, 99 Motions Road, Western Springs, Auckland, 1022, New Zealand
Travel back in time on our Dinosaur Discovery Track to experience some of the awe-inspiring creatures that lived up to 250 million years ago and learn about their connections with animals we care for here at the Zoo today and are helping to conserve in the wild.
This immersive educational experience in the Zoo’s former elephant habitat features 25 large-scale animatronic dinosaurs made by world-leading dinosaur creators, The Dinosaur Company.
These spectacular replicas move and roar (some even spit water!) and represent the rich diversity of life from our planet’s intriguing Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods of the Mesozoic Era between 252 – 66 million years ago!
“Although most dinosaurs went extinct the best part of 65 million years before the first humans evolved, they nevertheless have this incredible ability to intrigue and fascinate us about animals and epic wildlife. For many of us – including me – dinosaurs are a potent gateway drug that lead to a lifelong connection to nature and to conservation,” says Auckland Zoo director, Kevin Buley.
“Over the seven months that our Dinosaur Discovery Track is here, we hope that we inspire new audiences about not just extinct species, but to also get them excited and motivated about all those wildlife species that are still with us, and now desperately need all our help to stop them going the way of the dinosaurs and disappearing forever.”
Among the 19 dinosaur species you’ll encounter are the fabulously feathered Utahraptor (with babies) water loving Baryonyx, Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex) and rhinoceros-like Pachyrhinosaurus.
Interactive activities
As you explore the Track, you can try your hand as a palaeontologist and take part in fossil digs (this includes accessible height digs for wheelchair users) and via your phone, scan QR codes for dinosaur audio guides and augmented reality experiences.
There’ll also be Dinosaur Rangers roaming the Track to chat with, and free daily dinosaur keeper talks at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.45pm exploring dinosaur evolution, extinction, and how the dinosaurs’ legacy lives on!
Key info

Open Wednesday 2 April until Sunday 31 October 2025
Open daily from 10am – 5pm
Located in the former elephant habitat on the Africa Safari Track
Entry is free with an Auckland Zoo general admission ticket or an Auckland Zoo membership

Dinosaur membership
A Dinosaur Pass membership gives you unlimited entry to the entire Zoo including the Dinosaur Discovery Track for six months from date of purchase. Be in quick, unlike the tuatara, this pass will go extinct soon!
Available for purchase from 1 April till 30 June 2025.

TANIWHA
2025-06-26 18:30 - 2025-07-13 20:00 (Pacific/Auckland) | Herald Theatre, 50 Mayoral Drive, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Taniwha follows young Mereana and friends as they protect a taniwha from the urban development destroying its home.

With a score by award-winning composer Leon Radojkovic, invoking the spirit of 80s and 90s adventure flicks and Miyazaki anime, Taniwha is an audacious Aotearoa adventure for the whole whānau – a tale of courage, community, environmental guardianship, and fighting for what’s right.
Taniwha bursts onto the stage in vibrant technicolour, packed with live music, puppetry, and videography.
Suitable for anyone aged 5 and up.

Wairarapa Festival of Christmas
2025-06-27 - 2025-07-26 | Greytown Village, Main Street, Greytown, New Zealand
A month of festive cheer rolls into Wairarapa.

Greytown is getting ready for one of the country’s happiest mid-winter celebrations. The Wairarapa Festival of Christmas is an extravaganza blending northern hemisphere charm with Kiwi flair. The month of festivities includes lights, laughter, and fun for all ages. This year’s theme, ‘Christmas Carnival’, applies to events including a Light Up Tractor Parade, Illumination Night Walk, and Kids Circus School Programme. There are also street parties, house tours, live music, and fireworks.
The main street in Greytown provides the hub for many activities across the four weeks. It will offer twinkling lights, themed shopfronts, delicious street food, and live entertainment. The mid-winter Christmas magic will be enhanced by the promise of a special snow delivery, too. Get ready to have a cracker of a celebration.

Dragon Trainer Quest at the Sky Tower
2025-06-28 09:30 - 2025-07-13 18:00 | Skycity Auckland, 87 Federal Street, Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Prepare to take flight – let your little Vikings soar into the Sky Tower for school holiday fun!
How to Train Your Dragon, the live action movie is NOW in the cinemas and Sky Tower has started its Dragon Trainer Quest programme.
Complete training missions and give the kids chance to prove how fierce of a Viking they can be, all at the highest point of Tāmaki Makaurau!
Fly high with imaginations at the Sky Tower, where every child can become the next dragon trainer!

School Holiday Fun at Butterfly Creek
2025-06-28 13:00 - 2025-07-13 17:00 | Butterfly Creek, 10 Tom Pearce drive, Auckland Airport, Auckland, 2022, New Zealand
Looking for an unforgettable family day out these school holidays?
Embark on an epic adventure with Myths, Monsters & Mischief at Butterfly Creek! Step into the world of magical creatures in our Mythic Creatures exhibit, then meet some of our real-life dragons—like the Bearded Dragon and Water Dragon. Get up close with legendary beasts, watch our cheeky otters and curious meerkats in action, and don’t miss the thrilling Croc Show at 1pm daily!
Kids can take on the Dragon Quest for a chance to win awesome How to Train Your Dragon prizes, plus there’s colouring stations, face painting on Fridays, and exciting animal encounters happening every day.
It’s the perfect mix of fun, learning, and adventure for the whole whānau—only at Butterfly Creek these school holidays!
