Aotea Square

The Aotea Square, in Auckland

The Aotea Square is the largest public square of the centre of Auckland, a vast paved space that gathers the New Zealanders during the fairs, festivals, concerts and markets. The Auckland audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this lively esplanade, surrounded by the town hall and the Aotea Centre, one of the great cultural places of the town.

The great cultural forum of the city of sails

You are on the Aotea Square, a vast esplanade that regularly gathers the New Zealanders during fairs, music festivals, concerts, markets or political gatherings. Freshly renovated in 2010, it is the largest open square of the town centre, able to host today up to twenty thousand people. It was officially opened in 1979, and conceived to surround itself with the town hall, the Myers park and the Aotea Centre, the great building that is on your left. The latter is one of the main cultural centres of Auckland, hosting conferences and shows; completed in 1989, it reveals works of art inside. The square bears a Maori name, Aotea, that recalls the culture of the first people of New Zealand, and it is marked at its entrance by a great sculpture, the Waharoa, a traditional gateway that makes it a gathering place in the manner of a marae. Over the year, the Aotea Square comes to life with the rhythm of the great events of the town: Christmas markets, light festivals, open-air concerts and community celebrations. Lined with trees, benches and cafés, it is also a place of pause in the heart of the urban effervescence, a stone's throw from Queen Street. A civic and cultural heart of Auckland, a square of all the gatherings, the Aotea Square is a fine stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you discover the largest public square of the centre of Auckland, opened in 1979 and renovated in 2010, able to host up to twenty thousand people during the festivals, concerts and markets; surrounded by the town hall, the Myers park and the Aotea Centre, a great cultural centre completed in 1989, it is marked at its entrance by the Maori sculpture Waharoa. The Aotea Square is the civic heart of Auckland. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Aotea Square lies in the heart of the centre of Auckland, near Queen Street, reachable on foot. It is a public square freely accessible, lined with the town hall and the Aotea Centre, animated by numerous events throughout the year. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What is the Aotea Square in Auckland?

The largest public square of the centre of Auckland, opened in 1979 and renovated in 2010, that gathers up to twenty thousand people during the festivals, concerts and markets; surrounded by the town hall, the Myers park and the Aotea Centre, a great cultural centre completed in 1989, it is marked at its entrance by the great Maori sculpture Waharoa.

Where is the Aotea Square in Auckland?

In the heart of the centre of Auckland, near Queen Street, in New Zealand.