My daughters love riding and we are so pleased to have discovered Sonshine Ranch, a Christian camp…read morefor boys and girls who love to ride. The facility is amazing with wide open fields for horses to ride on as well as four horseriding arenas. The barn was recently renovated and is a really modern place for groups to gather for meals and sharing time. The sleeping quarters are just fine, 10 per cabin. There is also a new playground. Staff are so friendly, very welcoming and ever once have my girls missed home when they've been there. The 4 day 3 night holiday camps are just amazing, including horse riding sessions and activities involving archery, rock climbing, glow worm trail, confidence course, orienteering, flying fox, rope swing, camp fires, etc. The sunrises and sunsets are beautiful.

A lovely place to visit and walk around the gorgeous lush tropical like native NZ gardens and walk…read moreto the top of the hill and look at the amazing views over Auckland and out to Devenport and further. There is even a resident hen, and gold fish in the pond, which gives the place a lovely homely feel. The entry store has some great gifts too.

I came here for the first time with a couple of my girlfriends late last year. I didn't even know…read moreit existed to be honest but it does, this beautiful garden in the middle of the city. We came around the end of tulip season but still got to see the tulips and so many other beautiful flowers as we wandered through the gardens for over an hour. There are also native birds which you can hear singing amongst the trees, it is really idyllic. There is also a waterfall and if you want to take your walk to the next level a path that requires 'appropriate footwear', worth it though for the view. Eden Garden is a nice place to visit, even if just the once so you can experience the beauty of nature that lay hidden within Auckland city.

Even though the Stardome is now named after a benefactor (can't be helped I guess), it is still as…read morecool as it ever was. The staff don't mind if you just wander in and have a look around and the foyer alone has enough to amuse the kiddies for at least half an hour, probably longer. During the school holidays they run all kinds of fun stuff and if you haven't been before, it's unlike anything else you can do around the town. You absolutely have to be organised and book in advance and maybe the movie is a bit dated, but it's fascinating and presented in a way that makes astronomy accessible to everyone - even 3 year olds. There's an arty crafty session where the kids get to make their own (artistically questionable) souvenir but the highlight is that the film is shown Cinema 180 style on the ceiling. A bit hard on the neck but SO worth it. You can hire the Stardome for functions but when I looked into booking it for an event, I ran in to the problem of how to keep kids from playing unsupervised in the lobby so that's something to consider. I'm ashamed to say I have never been here in the evening and actually looked through that giant telescope at the night sky. I intend to do it every Winter but late nights out in Winter just don't seem to happen. This is the year.

We were thinking about what show we should pick and have chosen "The winter sky". It was just…read moreamazing, to see what stats and planets we can see with our naked eye from Auckland. At least in good weather. After the show we went outside to see the Saturn through telescopes. Not the Zeiss one, but smaller. I saw the Saturn through the telescope for the first time and it was the biggest happy moment I have had in years! You can actually see the planet and the rings! Super cool! We haven't had a chance to use the Zeiss telescope because of the weather, but we are definitely going to do this next time.

When my sister and I arrived at Enchanted Forest Mini Golf a few weekends ago, we were wowed! From…read morethe range of holes and facilities, to the friendly owner who was very helpful and chatted to all of his customers. This was really great considering I haven't received this kind of service at other mini golf places around Auckland. We really enjoyed the variety of holes. Sounds weird I know but Enchanted Forest Mini Golf seriously has two of the coolest holes we have ever seen! The first one you have to hit your golf ball through chains - it sounds harder than you think! The second hole was unique for sure. The hole is completely surrounded by netting. The aim is to hit your ball as hard as you can (it sits on a raised platform), and if possible, hit the bullseye up top, ultimately to get a 'hole in one'. Again, it is harder than you think, but it is loads of fun! Plus, all the kids around us really enjoyed it! Another highlight is that the space around the mini golf course is very large! There is a shop where you purchase your tickets and other things like cold drinks and ice creams. There are also plenty of tables and chairs, plus you can use their BBQ's located onsite (free to use if you play one round of mini golf). This would be perfect for a birthday party or family gathering. An added bonus is that there is a Countdown right next door - easy to stock up on food beforehand! I guess the only negative would be that it is a little rough around the edges but it definitely feels like you're in a forest (or bush!). Interesting fact - the space used to be a park, and instead of removing everything, they have kept all the original trees and plants which is nice to see - we even saw a Kauri tree! Overall, Enchanted Forest Mini Golf is the best I have tried in Auckland so far. The added bonuses (unique 'net' hole, BBQ's, supermarket next door and location) really make this mini golf worth going to, not just to play a few games, but also to get a group of family and friends along and have a BBQ lunch or dinner afterwards!

I totally love this place, there is clearly nothing like it in Auckland that I have seen yet thus…read morefar. As a second time visitor and this time taking it in my stride to venture over on my own with the kiddies; I was happily entertained by the kids aged two to eleven( a fantastic note to self that there is something for all ages here). The under four's even have there own zone to enjoy. My first visit here probably was a year ago, and I was attending with children for a five year olds birthday. There are special tables you can hire out for a birthday party, this particular party was catered for by the family in charge, and the kids had a ball! After an hour or so of jumping on inflated castles and running through courses with slides and tunnels the kids gathered for a sit down lunch before running back to enjoy Inflatable world once they had got a bit of food. Not only is this place fantastic for parties but during the first week of school holidays i had three under twelve year olds, and this was my turn to for a bit of fun! The weather may not be so hot outdoors, but at Inflatable its fun and feels sunny! Even in winter you can keep the chills away by sitting under heaters on the chairs provided. A lifesaver for parents and caregivers the kids love it, and you end the visit with very tired ad thrilled kids, who always want to return. The car park is onsite, however gotta be lucky when its busy as they do fill up quick.

Came here for an 8 year old birthday party. It is located in the same building/business as Planet…read moreSport, which initially was a bit confusing as their website had no mention of this. There are heaps of different bouncy castles for te kids to play on, plus a under 5 area which my toddler enjoyed. Toys were in good condition too. You are allowed and encouraged to bring in your own food and drink (no alcohol of course) as there isn't a cafe on site.

What a great find. Awesome kids playground. Lots of features, clean, and well maintained…read more Able to accomodate large groups of children from different age range. There is also an amazing cafe/restaurant attached. Children friendly meals as well as tapa type food for adults. Great place to spend the morning! Ample seating. Good service. The price is a bit on the high side, but just think of it as the entry fee to the playground facility. Highly recommend this place.

"Ivy Cottage and the Enchanted Garden" is exactly that!…read more This is certainly a remote, isolated location for townies, however local for Northshore folk. Never spent anytime in Greenhithe, it's a 30 min drive from Central city, traffic dependant. On arrival, you need to park on the road outside, past the venue due to yellow lines. When entering, you are lead down a fairy path to a small cottage to meet and greet everyone (including the fairies), before the festivities begin. The children have the option of changing into a fairy costume or pirates outfit, if desired. The fairies then take the children around the enchanted forest, looking at all the magical places. The birthday celebrations take place inside the cottage, that is heavily themed as a grotto or fairies den: beautifully captivating. The storytelling continues with biscuit decorating session in the fairy craft room and the children are given a small drawstring bag of fairy dust to take home. This is the only fairy garden in Auckland, definitely a special place to celebrate birthdays and other noteworthy events! Cute!!

Lovely gardens and a oasis of calm and serenity in Auckland. We had gone in October and managed to…read moresee some cherry blossoms as well

Great botanical garden with so many things to see as well as a few other parks joined together. So…read moremany different sections. We couldn't believe this was free and you could easily spend a few hours here. There is also a cafe and art gallery near the entrance. Our favorite section was the rock garden