Every year almost all the houses on Franklin Road in Freeman’s Bay are decorated with lots and lots of Christmas lights. It has become very popular to go for a walk down this street in the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas to soak up the Christmas atmosphere. If this is your first Christmas in Auckland, it is definitely worth going along to have a look. Expect to see lots of people there. The lights have become so popular that there are now people selling snacks and glow sticks on the street. You might also see people singing Christmas carols. It is a fun and festive place to be at this time of year.
When to go
After dark (of course) during the couple of weeks before Christmas. The lights are switched off at 11 p.m.
How to get there
Freeman’s Bay is in Central Auckland and is easy to get to. Just catch a bus to the corner of Ponsonby Road and Franklin Road and walk down, or if you are feeling like a bit of exercise, bus to the corner of Victoria Street and Franklin Road and walk up. Ponsonby Road is full of bars, restaurants and cafés, so you could go for dinner first while you wait for it to get dark.
The map below shows where Franklin Road is in relation to the school. (You may need to click the “-” button to zoom out and see the 2 places more clearly.)
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Find the best bus route and schedule on or Auckland Transport‘s website. Don’t drive down Franklin Road during this time because you’ll get stuck in a traffic jam – the rest of Auckland will be there to see the lights too.
You can see some of the lights here in this photo album.
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