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Locals call it the “City of Sails,” and you’ll know why before your plane even touches down. From the air you can see many of the city’s 70,000 boats bobbing in the crystal-clear waters of Waitemata Harbour. If you want to meet locals, your best bet it to profess a love of sailing. And you'd better have a thing for beautiful beaches, as there are dozens within a short drive.

Auckland/ Tāmaki-makaurau is the largest city in New Zealand/ Aotearoa, with a population of just over 1 million. Over 200,000 inhabitants here are Pacific Islanders, which makes it the largest Polynesian city in the world. Maori make up about 15 percent of the county's population. Before the arrival of Europeans, Maori society had no particular taboo about homosexuality. Takatapui, the Maori term for “intimate/devoted companion/partner of the same sex,” has been adopted by many in the gay community.

Relationships between men had been a familiar part of life before the arrival of the Europeans, but British law made sex between men illegal after the islands became a colony in 1840. In 1986 gay sex was decriminalised. Same-sex civil union laws came into effect in 2005, and in 2013 this became the fifteenth country to allow same-sex couples to marry. Some members of parliament are now openly gay.

The gay community here is incredibly welcoming to newcomers. In February, thousands of gay boys and girls turn out for the annual Auckland Pride Festival with a Saturday parade down Ponsonby Road, followed by the Sunday Big Gay Out. Bear New Zealand Week takes place each February, hosted by Bear New Zealand.

 

Getting here

Auckland International Airport is about 13 mils southwest of the city. Several shuttle bus companies will get you downtown. Taxis cost NZ$38-75 fixed fare to the CBD. SkyBus, Auckland’s airport transfer service from Auckland City and Auckland Airport, operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with departures every 10-15 minutes during prime hours. Tickets, available online, from the bus driver (cash only), or airport ticket machines, start from NZ$18 each way for an adult.
 

Getting around

Some locals complain that Auckland isn’t as friendly to pedestrians as it could be. True, but it still has many cities beat by a mile. One good way to see downtown is the red City Circuit bus, which loops around the area. The best part: it’s free! See Auckland Transit aka AT, for train, bus and ferry information. With an AT HOP card you can pay for one entire journey from A to B, instead of paying for each bus or train separately. If you're thinking of renting a car, remember they drive on the left side of the road here.

For cycling options see the at.govt website, with trail and route maps, and rules of the road. NextBike operates a local bike-share program, working with local landowner and business partners around town. Onzo has around 1540 dockless bikes around the city. Download the app from the App Store or Play Store. Sign-up, top up your account balance, find a bike, scan to unlock it, and ride - for abut $1 an hour.

 

Neighborhoods

Much of gay nightlife in Auckland, from neighborhood bars to dance clubs to dinner-and-a-drag-show venues, is in the Newton neighborhood around Karangahape Road (locally known as K’ Road) and Ponsonby Road.

 

What to do

For a night at the cinema The Gecko (23-B Wallace St) screens independent and international art films to the south of Auckand, in Motueka. See our events tab for more listings.

 

Currency and Money

The local currency is the New Zealand dollar, known colloquially as the kiwi because there’s an image of the bird on the coins. ATMs are easy to find in the downtown area.

 

Media and Resources

The gay magazine Express has a news and cultural coverage. 

Pride NZ website explores the voices of past and present queer New Zealand through hundreds of audio interviews, archival footage and sound recordings of local LBGTI events.

Bears NZ have ongoing events throughout the year, including their big Bear NZ Week in February, the same week as the Auckland Pride Festival, with parade down Ponsonby Road and Big Gay Out celebrations in Coyle Park.

Mika, author of the world’s first gay haka, is a Māori artist and entertainer with three decades of innovative work spanning stage, film, television, fashion and music.

For LGBTQ+ hotline, counselling and support services, see OUTLine NZ. Ending HIV NZ, a nonprofit community organization, provides testing, STD and PrEP information, and sponsors events.

For general news and information see the NZ Herald.

For map locations, phone numbers and website links for the businesses listed below, and more, see our gay Auckland listings tab.

 

Going out

Caluzzi Cabaret Restaurant (461 Karangahape Road), interactive, award-winning drag caberet show and dinner club, dazzling costumes, DJ and disco.

Eagle Bar (259 Karangahape Rd), mixed gay bar/lounge, entertainment, games, bears nights.

Encore Entertainment (350 Karangahape Rd), dining, cabaret entertainment, comedy and dinner theater occasions; occasional gay nights.

Family Bar (270 Karangahape Rd), popular drag show bar, diva stars and Nancy Boys Dance Company, DJ music, karaoke, open nightly until 5am, next door Saloon Bar.

G.A.Y (262 Karangahape Rd), gay cocktail bar and dance club, DJs, drag and variety shows, afterparties.

Garnet Station (85 Garnet Rd, Westmere) women's espresso bar and queer sanctuary, open daily 7:30am to midnight, internet radio station. Serves organic Chiasso coffee and gluten free cakes.100% organic coffee and milk

Grand Central (126 Ponsonby Rd), general-public maistream bar, live bands, smokers' alley, dancing until 5am.

Limelight Drag Cabaret presents mixed-crowd drag cabaret shows at various venues around town.

Phoenix Cabaret (258 Karangahape Rd), burlesque and drag shows, singers, Vegas-style dancers; Urge Party events.

Q Theatre/ Citizen Q (305 Queen St), offbeat plays in three theater boxes with Arts Festival and Pride Festival events; restaurant/cafe and bar breakfast, lunch, and dinner, coffeehouse snacks.

Shanghai Lil's (212 Ponsonby Rd), gay-friendly wine bar and lounge, live music bands and piano bar entertainment

SPQR (150 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby), LGBT-friendly restaurant and bar, friendly staff (mostly gay).

Urge former Karangahape Road club, men for men party nights at venues including the Phoenix and The Dog's Bollix; leather, bears, cruise, underwear parties.

Zack's (421 Parnell Rd, Parnell), gay-owned neighborhood bar, craft beers, wines, cocktails, food, live music, big-screen TV RuPaul’s Drag Race!

CLOSED: Legend Bar/ Club (373 Karangahape Rd); Staircase Bar (25 Cross St), LGBTQ cocktail bar/ dance/ nightclub; The Tin Room (25 Cross St), LGBTI club DJS, gogo boys, male strippers; Varsity Bar/ Twist (262 Karangahape Rd).

Besides the bars, Karangahape and Ponsonby Roads are home to a number of casual and inexpensive ethnic restaurants, including Thai, Japanese, Malaysian, Lebanese, Italian, Mexican and South Asian regional cuisines, with meat or veggie/vegan options. For some suggestions see our restaurant & cafe map listings.

Sauna and Sex Clubs

Basement (12 Canada St, Newton), men's cruise playground & adult store; porn lounge, douche and showers, TV lounge, free internet, dungeon, bondage bed. Each 2nd Tuesday Leather/Rubber Night.

Centurian Sauna for Men (18 Beresford Sq, off Pitt from K Rd, Center), private rooms, 3-level theater, maze, TV, sunbed, spa pool. dry and steam sauna, internet, open daily, weekends until 6am; events include first Thursday naked "Orgy Night."

The Grinder (348 Karangahape Rd), adult store, magazines, videos, toys, cruising area, open 7 days. Former Den K-Road, rebranded for gay market.

Lateshift (25 Dundonald St, basement, Newton), large cruise club for men, maze, glory holes, amateur video cubicles, pool tables and games, TV and porn videos, internet, orgy area, nude sessions, open weekends all night until 10am.

The Wingate Club (76 Wingate St, Avondale) Sauna, Spa in West Auckland, swimming pool, large grounds to wander naked if you choose. Open 7 days Midday until late.

In Hamilton, south of Auckland, GuyZ men's bathhouse has sauna/steam facilities, Jacuzzi, bunkrooms, porn videos and cruise area/glory-holes, just off Victoria Street.

 

Accommodations

Gay Auckland B&B (14 Parkfield Terrace, Grafton; 64 9-550-4286), gay household double bed room on quiet tree-lined street near K Rd scene; hot breakfast, hot spa pool, free WiFi, guest laundry. See more gay guesthouses at the Gay Stay New Zealand website.

Great Ponsonby Bed & Breakfast (30 Ponsonby Terrace; 64 9-376-5989), small, chic b&b, on quiet Ponsonby cul-de-sac near bars and cafes. Choice of five cooked breakfasts: from smoked salmon scrambled eggs to Greek omelet with feta cheese.

JUCY Snooze (62 Emily Place; 64 9 379-6633) budget downtown alternative, sleep in a pod, eight pods per room, each like a mini room, comfy, spacious, self-contained with storage locker, power supply, USB charging port, lighting, fan, temperature control, WiFi connection and blind to close for privacy.

Palm Beach Bungalows (Waiheke Island; 64 9-372-5146), four romantic self-catering beachside bungalows and cottages, a 5-minute walk from one of the best beaches on the island.

Quest Ponsonby (68 Ponsonby Rd; 64 9-360-4240), serviced apartment accommodations near gay venues, restaurants and shops.

See more hotels & guesthouses at our Auckland map & listings pages.

 

In Rotorua, an hour south of Auckland, in the heart of a thermal area with world-renowned spas, Guysers Gaystay (1406C Pukuatua St), is a gay men's B&B with two stylish rooms, each with bathroom, plus a clothing-optional hot tub, spa pool, and WiFi.