New Zealand’s largest city has been my home town for more than half my life, yet I haven’t really covered it in depth on this blog. Until now!
Many overseas visitors see Auckland as simply the gateway to New Zealand and skedaddle through the airport to the South Island or disappear off on a road trip to Northland, the Coromandel or further around the North Island – anywhere but hang out in the city!
It’s understandable though, as New Zealand has so much to see and do and there are lots great New Zealand tours to explore Aotearoa – the land of the long white cloud – as named by the first Maori explorers to land here.
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But let me tell you the best things to do and all the reasons to stay at least a few days in Auckland.
Auckland’s nickname is the City of Sails, which will make perfect sense the minute you see the boats sailing in the Waitematā Harbour or bobbing in the marinas.
But what makes Auckland special is that you can be in the city centre one minute and on an island, a wine trail, or a beach within the hour.
Use this post as a hub for your Auckland ideas. Bookmark it and come back to it later. Don’t try and do everything, just select the things that jump out at you – and then I think you just might love this city as much as I do.
So here are some of my favourite things to do in Auckland, and where I like to take my out of town friends and family.
Firstly, the dining scene in New Zealand surprises and delights visitors. And very soon the first Michelin Guide for the country will be released. In it will be some local faves, so I will give you a heads’ up about where to go for amazing food in Auckland.
Secondly, the landscape here is amazing for one single city. Auckland stretches from the Hauraki Gulf on the Pacific Ocean side to the black sand beaches of Piha and Karekare on the western Tasman Sea coast.
But a good place to start is in downtown Auckland, around the central business district and waterfront. This is where first-time visitors get a real feel for the city.
The Auckland Ferry Terminal is beside the cruise port and at the bottom of the main shopping street, Queen Street. It is the gateway to Waiheke Island, Devonport and Rangitoto Island, and more. You can check out ferry timetables at Fullers 360.
On a clear day, this part of Auckland is all sparkle – ferries cutting across the harbour, people out for brunch, and the Sky Tower piercing the clouds above as the ultimate reference point.
The Sky Tower is still one of the most popular attractions in Auckland – for a reason. The observation deck on New Zealand’s tallest building offers panoramic 360-degree views of Auckland from 186 metres above street level, and on a good day you can see all the way across the city, harbour and volcanic landscape. You can also dine up here at a rotating restaurant. Check out Orbit 360˚ Dining for views with your two or three courses.
Adventure junkies can step out onto the SkyWalk, which wraps around the tower’s outer ring for those who dare walk on it, or bungy down to the ground then calm yourself down at one of the bars or eateries on Federal Street.
Auckland’s Dining Scene
Here are some top places for a fine dining “Michelin” experience:
Ahi is owned by Ben Bayly, and means ‘fire’ in Maori. The menu looks odd at first glance as many ingredients you might not recognise and I found the descriptions don’t do the dishes justice. The food is outstanding and being located in downtown’s Commercial Bay, the shopping mall with rooftop dining, it’s very easy to get to.
Tala was voted #1 by respected Auckland magazine Metro and will certainly get a Michelin star. It is fine dining Samoan food by owner/chef Henry Onesemo. Tala means ‘story’ in Samoan. It is located in Parnell and they offer two set menu “journeys”.
The French Café is an institution in Auckland. It’s been here forever and is now owned by award-winning chef Sid Sahrawat. It is located in Eden Terrace and they offer a test kitchen menu on Tuesdays for $80 for 8 courses. During the rest of the week they have a la carte and tasting menus. This is a great spot for a wedding or private function too in a separate dining room with its own kitchen.
In the CBD you are spoiled for choice:
Britomart is anchored by the train station and is also the hub for city buses. All around this three-block area are restaurants and bars ranging from a gastro pub to great Italian food. But for arguably the best ice cream in New Zealand, take a short walk across to Giapo on Gore Street where owner Gianpaolo makes art in a cone!
The Viaduct sits around a marina, edged in hotels and apartments with restaurants underneath and is a lively spot for dining and enjoying a sunset drink. You’ll find Irish pubs and the ever popular Soul Bar and Bistro. A great place to stroll and people-watch too!
Wynyard Quarter is just a walk over the footbridge from the Viaduct marina – if the bridge is not up waiting for sail boats to pass through! You’ll find pubs and casual eateries as well as great seafood at the Auckland Fish Market. This fresh fish market has been part of the Auckland’s seafood story since 1904.
Commercial Bay: Surprisingly this multi-level shopping mall, at the bottom of Queen Street and near the cruise terminal, has a rooftop food hall which offers delicious cuisine from all over the world, as well as proper sit-down restaurants if you’re looking for a waited-on experience.
Mission Bay is a gorgeous beachside village about a 10-minute drive from the CBD. Selwyn Reserve sits next to the sand and is a wide open park for picnics and a game of frisbee or touch rugby.
Across the road is lined in restaurants, bars and cafes, along with a cinema. Grab a take out and take it to the reserve, or dine at Azabu, just behind a children’s playground, which makes it a great spot for families.
Rooftop Bars in Auckland
There are six rooftop bars that I’ve written about in this post, but if you’re downtown near Commercial Bay, then you’re right next to Queen’s, the newest to open it’s cocktails under the stars.
The rooftop at QT Hotel is another favourite of mine, located further around the Viaduct, and I also like Bar Albert at the top of Voco, on Albert Street.
Where to Shop in Auckland
Commercial Bay: Located in downtown Auckland, Commercial Bay is one of the best places to shop if you want everything in one stylish, easy-to-navigate spot. You’ll find international brands and New Zealand designers, beauty, lifestyle stores and plenty of places to stop for coffee or good food on the top floor.
Queen Street: is undergoing a transformation with the new Rail Link stations about to open, and luxury brands moving in down near Commercial Bay. Wander along the street, popping in and out of clothing store, pick up some souvenirs, duck up a side street and check out the stores in High Street too.
Ponsonby Road: this neighbourhood has lots of cafes, restaurants and locally owned fashion and gift stores. Ponsonby Central is a good place to start, filled with more than 20 independent eateries and bars. From there walk left or right and you’ll find many New Zealand designers as well as some great spots for a drink to while away an afternoon, or end the night.
Newmarket: The four-level Westfield mall anchors this central city suburb with lots of international names as well as local brands. Car parking is also free for a couple of hours, but you need to download and register the Westfield Parking app and enter your plate.
Also check out the streets surrounding the mall, like Nuffield, Teed and along Broadway. The rooftop here at Westfield is also filled with great places to eat and drink. Try White and Wong for delicious Asian fusion.
Sylvia Park Mall: This is New Zealand’s biggest shopping mall with free parking all around and plenty of food options. Excitingly for us Kiwis, IKEA has opened just next door and is accessible down at the Farmer’s department store end.
While Auckland’s public transport is often criticised, there is a train from Britomart to Newmarket and Sylvia Park Mall.
Explore Nature in Auckland
But shopping’s not for everyone, so if you want to get outdoors and breathe in the fresh air, you’re spoiled with more options than two or three days will allow.
Auckland’s natural beauty is dotted with islands in the Hauraki Gulf, many of which can be explored by ferry from downtown.
The two most popular and nearby islands are Rangitoto Island, the volcanic island you will see from the waterfront in the Waitemata Harbour. It’s almost perfectly round, so looks the same from wherever you’re seeing it.
You can take the ferry or rent kayaks and paddle out there, then hike to the top of the crater for panoramic views back to the city.
But Waiheke Island has been voted in the top five best islands in the world, by Travel + Leisure Magazine, and is worth at least a full day for winery visits – I’d say stay at least one night!
Take the ferry from downtown about 30 minutes across to Waiheke, the jewel in the aquatic crown that surrounds Auckland. There are so many beautiful bush walks (hikes) and beaches, and the cute little shopping in the village of Oneroa.
There are more than 30 wineries on Waiheke Island, many with restaurants, and more dining options dotted like olives on a pizza around the island.
Some of my favourite wineries are Mudbrick, Cable Bay, The Batch, Tantalus, Man O War and Casita Miro.
You can book a half-day wine tasting tour to some of Waiheke’s best wineries here >
Closer to the city for a walk, a run or a picnic, Mt Eden is one of the 53 dormant volcanoes scattered around the city.
You can drive part way up, then walk about 15-minutes to the summit at the top and be rewarded with 360-degree views of Auckland city and harbour. The village of Mt Eden is also worth stopping in at one of the cafes for brunch and a browse of the shops.
One Tree Hill, which no longer has a tree thanks to a protester with a chainsaw, is another dormant volcano crater and a great spot to go for spectacular views of the city and beyond. There is also a good café here.
Drive across the Auckland Harbour Bridge, or take the ferry to Devonport to visit North Head. This is the perfect place for a day trip. The ferry ride, a meander through the cute village of Devonport, maybe a bite to eat in a café, then walk up to Mt Victoria (another volcanic cone) for great city views.
But at North Head you’ll find underground tunnels, remnants from WWII which is a great place to bring the kids for a run around.
Hit the Beach!
Spanning two oceans and miles of sandy coastline, Auckland can arguably boast the best beaches of any major city!
Piha Beach is out on the west coast and laid in black sand. This is where the Tasman Sea crashes onto the beach and is a mecca for surfers. It’s quite a drive out here, so you won’t find it too populated.
If you want to see a gannet colony, then just along from Piha, you’ll find them at Muriwai Beach. As the crow flies, or should I say gannet flies, these beaches are only about 15km apart, but with the rugged terrain out here, you’ll need to drive a long way inland to see both on the same day. Choose one or the other.
For white sand beaches, Mission Bay is a short drive from downtown and I’ve mentioned it above as one of my picks for a good meal (it’s where my husband and I had our first date!).
But the beach is also lovely and swimmable, as are the nearby beaches of St Heliers, also lined with cafes and restaurants, Kohimarama and Okahu Bay.
On the North Shore, and especially if you are in Devonport, I like Cheltenham Beach for a quiet sunbathe or a picnic in front of a strip of Victorian style homes. It sits at the foot of North Head, so a nice add-on if you’re up there for the city views.
Takapuna Beach is very popular on the North Shore, mainly for its many shops and eateries, but it has a lovely beach for a swim or a walk too.
A bit of Culture in Auckland
The Auckland War Memorial Museum sits proudly in the Auckland Domain, and houses wonderful displays of indigenous artefacts which provide a good understanding of New Zealand’s history and Maori culture. There is also a large scale marae – meeting house, for a cultural experience.
Also take the kids to the entomology collection, a veritable bug library where they can pull out drawers of fascinating specimens and shriek in delight – or fear!
The Auckland Domain is a huge outdoor park akin to New York’s Central Park, which often hosts free summer time concerts in the band rotunda, as well as the famous Christmas in the Park which draws over 200,000 – yes it’s summer then!
If you do visit the Domain, there is a lovely café here, the Wintergarden Café, nestled beside a creek. There is also parking around the museum and café.
Floral fans should take a stroll through the glass houses of the Wintergardens. Orchids, native New Zealand plants and other tropicals all thrive in here, and if you’re lucky the very smelly Sumatran Flower, also known as the Corpse Flower for its rotten smell, will be in bloom!
Back in the city and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, is New Zealand’s largest art institution and spans four floors of exhibitions right in the heart of the city.
It’s a lovely contrast to the museum: taonga (treasure) and history in one, contemporary and classic art in the other.
Travelling to Auckland with Kids?
I take my nieces and nephews to these places, and they make perfect rainy day activities too:
Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium: About a ten-minute drive from downtown, SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium is one of our most beloved attractions, built inside disused sewage storage tanks.
It was the first aquarium to use curved acrylic tunnels and moving walkways where sea life swim overhead. See thousands of marine animals and hundreds of species, from sharks and stingrays to seahorses and turtles.
Penguin fans like my niece Zoe will love that Kelly Tarlton’s is also home to the largest sub-Antarctic penguin colony in the Southern Hemisphere as well as New Zealand’s only Turtle Rescue Centre.
Book your Kelly Tarlton’s tickets here >
Auckland Zoo: Set in 17 hectares (42 acres) just minutes from the city center, Auckland Zoo is home to the largest collection of native and exotic animals in New Zealand.
See the elusive, nocturnal kiwi, and reptiles like the tuatara, found nowhere else in the world. You can also book behind-the-scenes experiences for special encounters with giraffes, red pandas, lemur, or just enjoy wandering through areas like the South East Asia habitat to see cheeky monkeys and huge orangutans swinging high above.
Weta Workshop Unleashed is located in the Sky City Precinct, right in central Auckland, and is an immersive walk-through of Oscar award-winning Richard Taylor’s clever work on films like Lord of the Rings, Avatar and other movies that you will know, but not realise his team have created the props for.
Below is Jeff, the animitron who acts as security guard and greets you on arrival.
Book Weta Workshop tickets here >
All Blacks Experience is a great option for rugby fans, located just a floor below Weta Workshop and is another interactive experience. You’ll even get to face down the famous All Blacks haka in front of a huge screen!
If you don’t get to a real game at Eden Park, this is the next best thing.
Book All Blacks Experience tickets here >
I have still barely scraped the surface of things to do in Auckland, as the city has over 300 suburbs (neighbourhoods) and I could write another whole post on just the one I live in.
But for a good place to start, I hope you will find some great things to do here in my town.
Where to stay in Auckland
If you like a rooftop bar that you don’t need to get an Uber home from – check out Voco Auckland City Centre, with Bar Albert on the rooftop. This IHG hotel is a block to Queen Street in one direction, and the Sky City Precinct in the other.
QT Auckland is also a great hotel and has another rooftop bar that I like. It also has award-winning Esther restaurant on the ground floor and is located between the Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Quarter.
The Hotel Britomart is a modern hotel in a beautiful old building in the Britomart precinct. It is home to award-winning Kingi restaurant, and this whole area is surrounded in more great places to eat and drink. It’s also near the Ferry Terminal and Queen Street.
M Social is superbly located for easy walking to the ferry, the Viaduct, Wynyard Quarter and Queen Street.
Sky City Hotel is in the perfect spot for many of the activities I’ve mentioned above, as well as the casino if you like a flutter of an evening.
The new Sky City Convention Centre is located beside it so if you’re in Auckland for a conference, you might like to stay in the brand new Horizon by Sky City.