Indoor play centres to explore across Auckland

Auckland has a good spread of indoor places where children can play, skate and work through challenges instead of sitting in front of a screen. This shortlist covers five of them, in Manukau, Albany, New Lynn, Glenfield and Auckland City. To choose, think about what your child enjoys, whether you want a cafe on site, and which part of Auckland is easiest for you to reach.

Manukau City Centre: a playground with a cafe

Chipmunks Playland & Café Manukau is an indoor playground in Manukau City Centre for children aged 0 to 11.

It has its own cafe on site, serving combos, burgers, pizzas, kids' meals and hot and cold drinks, so the family can eat without leaving the building.

Children must wear socks, not shoes, on the play equipment. Socks are sold on site if you forget to bring them.

Birthday parties come in three package tiers. Each one is paired with a party theme and includes a private party room.

Albany: a playground with a nut-free cafe

My Wonderland Indoor playground, café & party venue is in Albany. It has an indoor playground, a cafe, a party room and parking.

The cafe serves allergy-friendly food and organic coffee. The food is baked rather than fried, and it is nut free. The cafe closes before the playground does, so eat early if you are visiting late in the day.

Everyone needs socks here, adults as well as children. Socks are sold on site.

Birthday parties are offered in four packages, which include a themed room and kids' meals.

New Lynn: a playground and an arcade

Happy Time in New Lynn has a playground and a separate arcade area. The arcade runs on tokens. Any tokens you buy and do not use can be left at the front desk for your next visit.

The play area is cleaned at set times each day.

Birthday parties can be booked for the playground, the arcade area or the whole venue, and there is a party room.

Happy Time also has a membership. A themed Member Day is held four times a year, with extra games and prizes for members who show their card.

Glenfield: indoor skating

ActivZone in Glenfield is built around skating rather than a playground. It has a skating rink with a lighting and sound system, a skate shop, a cafe and an indoor sports arena.

Helmets are mandatory at all public skating sessions and at any skating events the venue runs. You can bring your own or hire one there.

Regular sessions include a weekly disco skate and, during school term, a weekly Coffee Club. Both welcome all skating levels. The venue also hosts skate parties with costumes, games and prizes, and it has a party room for birthdays.

ActivZone is right next door to Glenfield Pool and Leisure Centre, which is handy if you want to fit two activities into one trip.

Auckland City: mazes and challenges

Odysseum Auckland is a different kind of indoor outing. It has four attractions, including a sensory maze, an escape-style brain challenge and a horror-themed room.

The horror-themed attraction, the Doom Room, is a dark and scary setting where visitors try to last a little over six minutes. The Doom Room and another attraction called Brain Cell are found only at the Auckland venue, not at the Queenstown one.

Odysseum is New Zealand owned and operated, and it hosts birthday parties. Read about each attraction before you go, and decide which ones are right for your child.

Before you go

• Pack socks. Children need them at Chipmunks, and adults and children both need them at My Wonderland. Both sell socks on site.
• For skating at ActivZone, bring a helmet or plan to hire one.
• Public skating session times at ActivZone differ between school term and school holidays, so check them before you set out.
• Chipmunks, My Wonderland and ActivZone each have a cafe. At My Wonderland, the cafe shuts before the playground.
• At Happy Time, hand any leftover arcade tokens to the front desk so you can use them next time.
• All five venues host birthday parties, so they are worth keeping in mind if a party is coming up.
• Details can change, so check each venue's own information before you travel.