Escape HQ — Attraction in Devonport-Takapuna

We visited Escape HQ as a group of 8 on Sunday, the 15th of September, for the “Udder Graziness” escape room at 10 a.m.

They have a large reception area with tables and water, which is perfect for waiting if you’re arriving separately and need to wait for others. The first arrivals chatted with the receptionist, who was friendly, kind, and greeted us immediately.

She was the perfect escape room guide. We could easily communicate with her via walkie-talkie whenever we needed help. She responded quickly and clearly was keeping track of our progress throughout the hour. She didn’t require lengthy explanations when we called for assistance, which made a significant difference to our experience.

I chose this room because the farming theme is so unique. I prefer family-friendly themes over scary ones like murder or mental patients, so I’m grateful they offer such options.

The room was thoughtfully designed with engaging puzzles, and some of the props were custom art pieces. Unlike many escape rooms that rely heavily on padlocks, this one was well-balanced, which we found impressive. It was clear a lot of effort went into not just the theme and puzzles but also the construction of various elements. I particularly enjoyed the big cow and the creativity of the fence.

This room featured a to-do list, which was a great guide during the hour. However, it wasn’t always obvious what had happened when we solved a clue. For example, the receptionist had to come inside and tell us we had completed the room!

Perhaps having too many people in one room made it hard to hear the escape door unlock, and we only noticed she was there because she spoke. It would be helpful if a sound or music played to indicate that we had solved the escape room.

A few people mentioned wishing they had been provided with pen and paper. While I don’t think it was necessary for this particular room, I can appreciate that some people need to write things down to think thoughtfully.

Overall, Escape HQ was excellent. While eight people was a bit tight, a group of five would be ideal for this room. I’ve been to several escape rooms from different companies, and this one has been my favorite so far! We will be back again.

I recommend going on a Sunday morning, so you can enjoy the market down the street afterward and take advantage of the free parking at Toia...

We recently celebrated our daughter's birthday at Escape HQ, and we had an amazing time participating in the 'Jail Break' escape room challenge! The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, making sure that our group of varying ages and skill levels was comfortable and ready to have fun.

The 'Jail Break' challenge was a blast. The puzzles were challenging and engaging, and our team had to work together to solve them and escape from the jail cell. The theming and decor were fantastic, and it felt like we were really in a prison trying to break out.

The entire experience at Escape HQ was well-organized and exciting. The staff was always available to provide hints and guidance when we needed it, and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and energy. It was the perfect way to celebrate our daughter's birthday, and we all had a great time.

Overall, I would highly recommend Escape HQ to anyone looking for a unique and thrilling experience. The 'Jail Break' escape room was just one of many challenges they offer, and we can't wait to come back and try the others. Thank you, Escape HQ, for making our daughter's birthday celebration so memorable...

Went here for my birthday party with my friends for the prison outbreak. Without any spoilers: Good. After we finished we took a photo either the props and stuff on the couch and found out that if our post gets the most likes on Facebook, then we get another escape room completely free. Well those things never happen, right? But we still sent it to all our friends to like and somehow we ended up winning! So we came back for another escape room to do the Udderly Ridiculous! Then we came AGAIN to do the Blizzard one. (Not for free.) It just goes to show how much we like these escape rooms. A lot of effort gets put in into making these escape rooms interesting and unique. One small tip from me for escape rooms is… Don’t be afraid to ask for hints, you might think that’s cheating but it just means instead of spending the whole hour only doing a quarter of the room and getting really frustrated, you can have a satisfying experience finishing the escape room because one something seemed hard you got a...