Auckland Arts

Experience Auckland's Rich and Diverse Arts Scene

From the Scenic Hotel Auckland in Queen Street, you can easily enjoy Auckland city's wonderfully rich and vibrant arts scene. Home to some of the country's leading arts venues, performers and institutions, you will find a wealth of theatre, dance, music, visual arts, art galleries and museums to choose from – all of which are located near to your city-centre base.

• Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki - Founded in 1888 as 'the first permanent Art Gallery in the Dominion', Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the largest art institution in New Zealand with over 15,000 works including: New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art, works by Maori and Pacific artists, European painting, sculpture and print collections (from 1376 to the present day). Open every day except Christmas Day. (View more about the Auckland Art Gallery.)
• THE EDGE - With venues in Auckland city centre (including Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall, The Civic and Aotea Square) close to the Scenic Hotel Auckland, visitors can enjoy the very best that New Zealand and international artists offer in music, dance, theatre, literature and comedy. THE EDGE hosts a range of Auckland's annual arts festivals including: NZ International Comedy Festival, Auckland Writers & Readers Festival, NZ International Film Festival, Storylines Children’s Literature Festival, New Zealand Festival Of Dance, Auckland Fringe and the Auckland Festival. (View more about THE EDGE.)
• MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) - About 10 minutes drive away from Auckland City CBD is MOTAT, which opened in 1964. This interactive museum with its focus on a fun and visually-stimulating environment is enjoyed by millions of local, national and international visitors every year. (View more about MOTAT.)
• Auckland War Memorial Museum (Auckland Museum) – Located at the top of the hill in the Auckland Domain, this beautiful museum tells the story of New Zealand, its place in the Pacific and its people. It is also a war memorial for the Auckland province and home to New Zealand's top three heritage libraries. You can easily spend hours here viewing the museum's Maori and Pacific collections, natural history resources, historic social and military collections, decorative arts and pictures and live performances. This museum has over half a million visitors every year. (View more about the Auckland Museum.)
• Auckland Arts Festival - This biennial festival is held every other March and is Auckland's premier festival of art and culture featuring programmes of theatre, dance, music (classical, contemporary, opera, cabaret, jazz and cinematic music), visual arts (sculpture, painting, ceramics, installation, performance, video, photography and design), family and children's activities (music, workshops, storytelling, concerts and arts activities), free events and a festival garden. Exhibitions are staged throughout the city, featuring works by local and international artists. (View more about the Auckland Arts Festival.)

If you'd like more information about the local arts scene, then you will find plenty of information on hand at the Scenic Hotel Auckland as well as friendly, helpful staff who can suggest outings, events or experiences that have been particularly well-received by the locals and other hotel visitors.