As the night progresses, many of the restaurants become dance floors. You can even try bungee jumping, catch live performances and go for yacht rides to pep up the night.
The Best Spots for Nightlife in New Zealand:
1. Auckland
As of late, there has been a boom in popular night-hangouts in Auckland. With bustling bars, cafes and restaurants, the Britomart precinct is a nine-block precinct at the centre of Auckland waterfront. A number of dockside warehouses and packing sheds in the Britomart precinct were renovated into intimate public spaces which are perfect to enliven the night.Britomart’s Ortolana and Mexico are restaurants that have warm dining and live music. Viaduct Harbour off the Britomart precinct offers an outstanding view of the waterfront and super luxury yachts become the backdrop. Among the plenty of fine bars and restaurants in The Viaduct, Dr. Rudi’s Rooftop Brewing is perfect for those who love craft beer.
Catch a live performance gig from one of the bars at Ponsonby Road. Known as Auckland’s hippest strip, Ponsonby Central lets one choose from its five-star restaurants, street food and coffee spots. Some other places where the night is replete with fun are Karanagahape Road, Parnell and Kingsland.
A romantic yacht ride out on the glittering waves of the sea is an apt way to spend your night. After a sumptuous dining session, some cruises even allow you to help the crew to sail. Or you can simply sit back and chill through the night.
If you are fascinated by the thought of having dinner from New Zealand’s only rotating restaurant that offers a three sixty degree view of Auckland, then head to Orbit 360° in Skytower. The restaurant is three hundred and twenty eight meters above the ground and rotates once every hour.
2. Wellington
Many bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs are there in Wellington aka the cool capital to enhance the nightlife in New Zealand, that too within walking distance. Hawthorne Lounge, a 1930s themed cocktail bar in Tory Street is a nice place in Wellington to peacefully have a drink along with an intimate conversation. Anyway, the bar is very likely to get filled up with people as well.The dark wooden window full of books in the Library appropriately sets the unusual yet much sought after ambience inside the bar. They have a collection of cheeses, sweet and savoury delicacies, wine and cocktails. Other than cocktail bars, the types of bars in wellington include craft beer bars, sports bars, backpacker bars, Irish pubs, etc.
The entire Wellington is brought together in Cuba Street on the nights of Fridays and Saturdays. There will be street shows, live performances, multi-cuisine food and many other activities that invigorate the community spirit. Wellington’s Cuba Street also consists of numerous clubs, bars and places to eat from.
The Opera House is an exceptional hundred-year-old venue that hosts different kinds of events like shows, performances, launch events, weddings, etc. Visiting the Opera House can definitely be an exciting thing to do while you are in Wellington.
Frank Kitts Park in Wellington Waterfront has a key significance in the history of the nightlife in New Zealand. Established in the late 1980s, the park hosts shows mostly during summer. In Wellington, Tuesday nights are casually referred to as Fire Knights in Frank Kitts Park.
3. Christchurch
The nightlife in Christchurch is fully-fledged at this point because of the sudden surge of bars, cafes and restaurants in the region. Housed in the heritage building in Cathedral Square, O.G.B Bar is known as Christchurch’s best bar. Crowded throughout the week, OGB has uninterrupted live music and an outdoor courtyard.To catch live music gigs at Christchurch, visit Darkroom located on St. Asaph Street. On the first Monday of each month, a magic night gets hosted in the Darkroom which requires a special entry fee of NZD 10. The entry is free on the other days.
There are also multicultural bars in Christchurch such as Mexican, Japanese and Irish bars.
4. Queenstown
Visitors of The Ledge Bungee and Swing in Queenstown are free to try bungee jumping during the night. It is unlike any other bungee jumping location in the country and Queenstown hence adds a flavor of thrill to the nightlife in New Zealand.Queenstown also has a large number of bars and restaurants, especially the ones like Zephyr, Searle Lane and Cowboys are hugely recommended. Searle Lane is bigger and plays live music during the night.
5. Dunedin
Known as ‘Edinburgh of the South’, Dunedin is a student city which claims a part of the sensational nightlife in New Zealand. It is mostly based around the University of Otago, Octagon, George Street and Princes Street. To grab a chilled beer in a viciously comfy setting step into step into the inch bar in Queenstown which is small like its name suggests.The independent music community is prevalent in Queenstown and you can catch their performances at pubs like Pog Mahones, The Pig and Whistle Pub, etc. During a night out in Queenstown, pubs like 10 Bar and Urban Factory are very convenient to meet travelers and students. These pubs and the cocktail bars serve a good pint too.
Mention your favourite aspects of nightlife in New Zealand in the comments below.