Auckland, New Zealand

SEE + DO

Viaduct Harbor, the waterfront area with restaurants, bars, and views, is a good place to walk around.  Auckland is known as the City of Sails so I’d recommend doing at least one water activity during your visit:  go on a sailing excursion, harbor dinner cruise, or take the ferry to one of the suburbs or Waiheke Island. 

 The Auckland Domain is a large peaceful park where many concerts and other events are held.  At the top of the park is the Auckland War Memorial Museum where you can learn about Auckland history and the Maori culture.  

Vulcan Lane is a pedestrian lane off of busy Queen Street with restaurants, bars, cafes, and street performers. 

Parnell Village is a lovely neighborhood with historic buildings, nice views, boutiques, cute cafes, and restaurants.

Sky Tower is touristy but it offers nice 360 degree views.  It also has a café and restaurant.  For the adventurous, you can base-jump off the tower. 

Britomart precint is described as a “mixed-use” area with historical buildings, public spaces, restaurants, bars, cafes, and designer boutiques.  

Devonport is charming suburb accessible by ferry from the central business district.  It has colonial architecture, art galleries, and beaches.

Mount Eden, a dormant volcano, is the highest natural point in Auckland so you’ll get panoramic views of downtown Auckland from here.  Take a stroll through Mount Eden Village afterwards.

If you have time, take a day trip to Waiheke Island for relaxation and wine tasting. 

EAT + DRINK

Harbourside is a nice seafood restaurant in the ferry building.  If the weather is good, ask for a table on the patio deck to enjoy harbor views.  

Ostro is a modern upscale restaurant in the Britomart precint with lovely views of the harbor.  The menu was thoughtful and the seafood dishes were well prepared.  It also has a good wine list. 

Ebisu is a contemporary Japanese restaurant also in the Britomart precint.  We stopped in for lunch and it was filled with mostly local business people (I think we were the only tourists there at the time).  We had bento boxes which were a good value.

Also, consider venturing outside the central business district to Devonport, Parnell, or Ponsonby which have good restaurants.

Wine: Be sure to order local wine with your meals since New Zealand produces some of the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc.  New Zealand Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are also well-regarded.  Look for high quality Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough, Chardonnays from Hawke’s Bay, and Pinots from Central Otago.

Coffee:  New Zealand has a strong coffee culture so you’ll find many good coffee spots throughout Auckland.

Ice Cream:  Try the local Kapiti Store.

SHOP

Queen Street is Auckland’s long shopping street where you’ll find pretty much everything.

For local designers and boutiques, check out Britomart.

SOUVENIR IDEAS

New Zealand lanolin and manuka honey products

TIPS 

Since New Zealand’s winter corresponds to US summertime, an ideal time visit is the end of fall (May) or beginning of spring (September) when the temperature is pleasant.   The peak high season is November through March.


Thanks for reading!