Visiting Aotea Arts Quarter in Auckland city centre (CBD)

Get to Aotea Arts Quarter in Auckland city centre (CBD) by public transport

Bus services during the day and night

Most bus services in Auckland run between:

• 5am and 11pm from Monday to Friday

• 6am and 11pm on weekends and public holidays.

Around half of city centre buses run at least every 15 minutes or more frequently during most of the day.

The full bus network covers:

• the city centre

• Wellsford and Point Wells in the North

• Helensville in the Northwest

• Waitakere Township in the West

• Maraetai in the East

• Pukekohe South in the South.

Most of these locations can be reached in one or two bus trips.

Night bus services

Night bus services operate on Friday and Saturday nights from midnight until late and they are a great way to get home from the city centre. Find out more about the night bus service.

Auckland CBD has multiple different bus routes. Download a map showing all the routes serving the city centre and where to connect to other services.

Train services

Waitematā (Britomart) is the central city’s station, linking to a broader network of train and bus services across Auckland. Aotea Arts Quarter is a 10-minute walk along Queen Street from Waitemata station.

The City Rail Link (CRL) project is currently under construction and due to be completed during 2026. Two new stations are also being built in the city centre. The locations are:

• in Auckland city centre, underneath Albert Street with entrances on both Wellesley and Victoria Streets (Te Waihorotiu Station)
• off Karangahape Road (Karanga-a-Hape Station) with entrances on Mercury Lane and Beresford Square.

Rail closures will occur during CRL construction. We recommend you pre-plan your journey using the Journey Planner or download the AT Mobile app and receive real-time alerts.

Ferry services

The Downtown Ferry Terminal on Quay Street connects the city centre by ferry to many locations around Auckland. It is a 10-minute walk to the Aotea Arts Quarter.

Download the Auckland ferry network map (PDF, 250KB)

Some services run until just after midnight. Find out all ferry timetables.

Tools to plan your journey

Download the AT Mobile app to plan and track journeys across our bus, train and ferry services, including on foot or by bike. Use it to check live departures from your closest stop, compare routes and get service alerts.

You can also use the Journey Planner to find public transport services to and from your destination. You can download or print timetables and view trainline and ferry status.

Payment options

You can pay by contactless debit or credit card, smart device or an AT HOP card. Contactless payments are available on AT scheduled bus, train and most ferry services. Fullers360 Waiheke and tourist ferry services are excluded from contactless payment options.

Read more about using contactless payments on our bus, train and ferry services.

Train and ferry tickets can also be purchased using cash, debit and credit cards from a ticket machine or a customer service centre.

There are concessions and discount fares available, including a $50 weekly fare cap and child and senior fares. Concessions are only available when using the AT HOP card.

For more information, see our public transport guide for new travellers.

Coming from the Auckland airport

To find out how to get to the city from Auckland airport, see the Auckland Airport’s transport page.

Contact us

For help with public transport or AT HOP call 09 366 6400 or 0800 103 080, Monday to Friday, 6am to 8pm. Weekend and public holiday hours are 8am to 6:30pm.

Drive to Aotea Arts Quarter in Auckland city centre (CBD)

There may be temporary road layouts and traffic management changes in the city centre. These are related to the City Rail Link project, Watercare wastewater upgrades and other network improvements.

If you want to find out more about current road closures, which may impact your travel plans, visit our Roadworks and disruptions page.

To help you avoid construction and restricted areas, we have created maps to guide you through the city. The recommended driving routes are marked in blue and include directions when arriving from the north, south, east or west.

Restrictions on Queen Street and authorised vehicles only

Queen Street between Wellesley Street and Wakefield Street is an Authorised Vehicles Only area (AVO).

The AVO area is only to be used by:

• buses
• motorcycles
• mopeds
• bicycles
• goods vehicles
• emergency service vehicles.

This restriction applies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The infringement fee for unauthorised vehicles entering this area of Queen St is $150. To avoid driving into this section of Queen Street, follow the recommended driving routes.

Parking near Aotea Arts Quarter in Auckland city centre (CBD)

If you are planning to drive and park in the city centre, you can check the:

• Parking in central Auckland webpage showing real-time parking availability for the Civic and Victoria Street AT car parks both located in the city centre
• AT Park app to find real-time on-street and AT undercover parking availability and convenient payment options.

The following parking map shows all mobility parking spots and over 20 car park buildings in Auckland city centre (CBD) for public use. They are all within a 2- to 10-minute walk to the Civic theatre.

Download the map to click the parking icons and access that carpark’s website. You can find the number of spaces available, opening hours and other useful information.

Picking up and dropping off passengers

This map shows approximately 40 locations in the Auckland city centre where you can safely pick up or drop off passengers.

Taxis and rideshare operators can also use these pick-up and drop-off locations, including some loading and servicing zones.

Locations that are acceptable for pick up and drop off are:

• paid on-street parking spaces, where you can park for free for up to 10 minutes
• shared zones
• the Civic carpark.

The Civic carpark is close to the Civic Theatre, Aotea Centre, Aotea Square and Auckland Town Hall. There are two pickup and drop-off areas located on level 1 as you enter from Greys Avenue or Mayoral Drive. The driver must always stay in the vehicle. Designated spaces for loading and unloading passengers are signposted and clearly marked in yellow.

Read the signs

When you understand and follow the signs, it will help you avoid any risk of infringement penalties when dropping off or picking up passengers.

Loading zones can be used to drop off or pick up passengers. The vehicle must not be left unattended for more than the time displayed on the sign.

Be aware of any time-of-day or other restrictions, such as ’Goods Vehicles Only,’ which are displayed underneath the general loading zone sign.

Accessibility and mobility parking

To find accessible parking in Auckland, the mobility parking map shows all designated parking spaces. This includes additional features, such as the type of park (angle versus parallel on-street) and time restrictions.

Recommended mobility parking near Aotea Arts Quarter

Close to several key entertainment venues, the Civic carpark has 20 mobility parking spaces available:

• Level 1, opposite Aotea Centre entry doors: spaces 244 to 248 and 207 to 210 (next to the yellow booth)
• Level 1, Town Hall corner: space 271
• Level 1, Sky Metro corner: spaces 9 to 13
• Level 2, Town Hall corner: 2 spaces
• Level 3, Town Hall corner: 3 spaces

These spaces are clearly marked with standard mobility signage.

There is a 2.08-metre height restriction in this building. It may not be suitable for larger mobility vehicles. For further information, such as opening hours, parking rates and the location of a pick-up and drop off zone, see the AT Civic car park webpage.

Recommended pick-up and drop-off locations for passengers with mobility needs

The Civic car park

Entry is from Greys Avenue or Mayoral Drive, Auckland City Centre.

A designated area is on level 1 as you enter the car park. These parking spaces are signposted to make it easier for the passenger and the person picking them up to find each other.

The designated parking spaces from 1227 up to 1239 and from 1004 up to 1008 are strictly for immediate pick up and drop off only.

The carpark is monitored by a license plate recognition system. If you need to park for longer, please use the mobility parks available and pay for your parking using the payment machine or the AT park app. The entry, exit and payment system use your vehicle license plate number, rather than a paper ticket.

Helpful links

Whaikaha Accessible Travel – specific service information for people with access challenges and those with limited mobility.

AT Park app – avoid the need for a paper ticket entry and instead create an online account and app to pay for parking in Auckland.