Family friendly things to do in Auckland these school holidays: Downtown markets, workshops, street parties and more

This weekend, our guide to Auckland arts , culture and events , is particularly whānau-focused. The school holidays have quietly crept up on parents and caregivers and jump-scared them into either scrambling for entertainment options or scrambling for childcare solutions. We’ve collated a list of our top picks for school holiday activities across the city, plus one or two just for grown-ups.

1) Motat: Search and Rescue Motat (the Museum of Transport and Technology) might just be the most reliable place for school holiday fun. It’s an easy outing for parents – there’s parking up at the Aviation Hall, then you can take a fun tram ride, complete with dapper ticket handlers, down to the main site on Great North Rd – and there’s always something new for the kids to discover and learn. The theme for the holiday activities this April is Search and Rescue.

Visitors will learn about the science of survival, navigation and outdoor safety as well as having a go at Morse code, geocaching and an ultraviolet hide and seek. On Easter Sunday, if you’d like to distract your little chocolate fiends from their loot, Motat is hosting a Live Day with an emergency first response theme. There will be local community heroes, Motat’s collection of historical emergency service vehicles, steam train rides and blacksmith demonstrations.

When: April 12 - 27 (Motat Live Day, April 20). Where: Motat, 805 Great North Rd, Western Springs, Auckland..