ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MOTAT CAFE AUCKLAND

INSIDE: Ultimate Guide to Motat Cafe Auckland Araroa Tearooms.

MOTAT, the Museum of Transport and Technology, is a full day out in Auckland with kids.

You’ll need to refuel at least once.

Enjoy kiwi treats & good coffee at the MOTAT Cafe in the historic Cropper House building.

Visit the MOTAT Cafe to enjoy lunch or traditional kiwi fare in delightful heritage building surrounds.

Read the guide below for details on this Auckland cafe.

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MOTAT Cafe Auckland

The Araroa Tearooms at MOTAT Auckland sells good coffee, including all the regular coffee options, plus:

Hot Chocolate
English Breakfast Tea
Herbal teas, and
Chai Lattes.

You can purchase snacks including cronuts, muffins, Kiwi lolly cake, and cakes from the counter.

There’s not a huge selection of quick eats, and the range is quickly depleted by the hungry hoards, so head to the cafe earlier in the day if you can.

But there’s food to order too.

See below for the menu.

RELATED: Ultimate Guide to MOTAT museum

It’s the place to find all the NEED TO KNOW information on:

Auckland MOTAT prices and MOTAT hours
how to get to MOTAT, and where to park at MOTAT museum
What to do at MOTAT transport and technology museum
the MOTAT Aviation Hall, and
details about the MOTAT tram
a sneak peek into the MOTAT shop

Auckland MOTAT Cafe Menu

There’s also a full lunch menu to order from, or you can choose something from the cabinet.

Prices have returned to being really reasonable (and not over priced) since the new management has been in place, especially as cafes in New Zealand are generally more expensive than at home in Australia.

The Araroa Tearooms menu includes:

granola bowl
poached free range eggs on rye toast
a free range omelette with goats cheese and proscuitto
crispy squid rings
warm Rueben sandwich on rye filled with pastrami and braised cabbage
chicken schnitzel burger on brioche

The Nourish Bowl full of veggies and topped with tahini is a winner for vegans and vegetarians at this New Zealand cafe in Auckland.

There’s also sandwiches, pies, hot chunky chips served with aioli, and salads.

Children’s Menu at MOTAT Araroa Tearooms

Kids can choose from the dedicated MOTAT kids menu featuring:

Mac and Cheese
crumbed chicken fingers
battered fish with potato nuggets, or
a delicious and healthy grazing platter with carrot sticks, cheese, grapes, hummus, crispy pita, raisins and rice crackers.

That last option?

YUM!

There’s also ice cream sundaes for those who finish their meals without whingeing.

Araroa Tea Rooms Cafe Seating

Nab a table inside the historic building to stay in the warm.

Or if it’s a sunny day, there’s an undercover patio section outside for bigger families and small groups.

Find extra seating out front too.

THE INSIDE SCOOP: MOTAT Araroa Tearooms

Correct at time of publication on Roam the Gnome. Please check with venue for updates. We apologise in advance if there have been any changes we are unaware of. All prices in NZ dollars, unless otherwise stated

MOTAT Address: The MOTAT cafe is located at MOTAT – Find it at 805 Great North Road and Meola Road, Western Springs in Auckland.

Unfortunately, you DO need an entry ticket to MOTAT to visit the cafe restaurant.

MOTAT Cafe opening hours

10am – 3:15pm
Tuesday to Sunday

NB: MOTAT is closed on Mondays

How to get to MOTAT Museum of Transport and Technology

By Car, Bus & Bike: Click here for details

Motat Parking:

Park for free at MOTAT 2 Aviation Display Hall
Purchase your MOTAT entry ticket here and catch the MOTAT vintage tram to and fro between the two sites for FREE.
Find limited parking at M1 on Stadium Road and along Great North Road.

MOTAT tram timetable

Trams run every 30 minutes, or more frequently at peak times

Please check the Tram Schedule for the day at the Meola Road tram station when you arrive.

MOTAT trams run between M1 and M2, through Western Springs Park, past Auckland Zoo, The Auckland Performing Arts Centre and Western Springs College.

The tram journey takes approximately 10 mins each way.

MOTAT Map

Toadstool Rating – MOTAT NZ Cafe in Auckland

There’s been a huge improvement in service and food options in the last year or so.

Looking for More Things to Do in Auckland New Zealand for Kids?

Click the blue links for more Auckland activities below.

peter owen

Thursday 9th of January 2020

Very bad, hamburger buns burnt. The filling was poor, absolute crap. No plates or cutlery provided, even though I told them I was eating there. Coffee served in a takeaway cup. The worst cafe I've been too very disappointed, not coming back

Amber

Sunday 12th of January 2020

I'm sorry to hear that Peter. I hope you spoke up and let the staff at Motat Cafe know your thoughts. The only way they can improve is to hear feedback from customers. Thanks for letting me know about your experience.

gina

Thursday 22nd of August 2019

sorry missed typed it was one tea not 11

I'm sorry to hear that Gina. I hope you said something, as feedback and constructive criticism is invaluable to most businesses who want return customers. I hope it didn't ruin your day there. MOTAT is so much fun!

Mrs G A Blackford

A group of us were at the cafe on Tuesday morning, service was very bad, my friend and i ordered 1 mochaccina 1 hot chocolate, the others on the table ordered 11 english breakfast tea,1 cappuccino,and a slice ,the hot chocolate and mochaccino came first,just warm and no head on them,the coffee arrived with cake but no tea,after 15mins the wife ask were her husbands tea was andthe wait staff was rather rude to her and said they were doing the orders in the way they were ordered as the wife pointed out the coffee and tea were ordered together, and she had already drank her coffee, which like our drinks was not hot, they waited again and then the wife went into the cafe and ask for the tea only to be told there was only one tea ordered and that had been delivered she told them how much they had paid for their order and it was the price of coffee tea and cake so he finally got his tea, around 30 mins late, and to top it off it was not english breakfast I do not know if the staff are training, but they certainly need someone with them that know how to make the drinks and to teach them the correct way to speak to customers, who in this case were very polite to them .Sorry could not recommend this cafe to any one

Ray

Thursday 11th of July 2019

Cold chips and the pies were only slightly warmer. Not ideal.

Friday 12th of July 2019

Sorry to hear that Ray. Must have been a bad day? Hope you said something. Constructive feedback is always useful! Have a great day. Amber