Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland (3 days, 3 nights –Nov 20-23)

Auckland is a very nice city…and generally is the entry point into New Zealand for most people. Dee Dee and I booked two and a half days to stay here, but could have done the most significant sights within a day and a half. The real beauty, we believe, is outside of Auckland! After being in Sydney and Melbourne for 8 days total, we were a little burnt out on large cities. Yes, every city is unique…but a city is a city.

Visit the Auckland visitors website to help plan your visit. We checked out this site to help with planning what to do.

Where to Stay
Again, when staying in a big city, it's mission critical to be centrally located and not have to spend time/money traveling to the major sites. Unfortunately, the city center is accessible by taxi or airport shuttle only from the airport. But once you get to the city center, you can walk almost everywhere. The key in Auckland is to stay as close to the Quay (the ferry dock) as possible.

We searched for the best hotel rates near the city center on Trip Advisor. We got a rate of $120-ish NZ for the Hyatt which is the best rate we found. The hotel is a little older and is on top of a hill (which sucks on the way back up) up from the Quay…but we got a great rate.

What to Do
The city is really well laid out and has a very European flavor with many high-end boutique shops, restaurants and cafes. Be sure to spend some time walking around High St and Vulcan St in the CBD (Central Business District) and the Viaduct Basin near the Quay which is the home to the Americas Cup. Even from my perspective, as a dude, there are some really cool shops and cafes to hang out in.

The best attraction we found is an hour ferry ride from Auckland to Waiheke Island. Plan to spend a day here at the very least. Imagine Napa Valley wineries with an island setting. It’s possible to book yourself on a wineries tour from the Quay in Auckland, but Dee Dee and I found it more enjoyable to NOT be on a tour and take the island bus or a taxi to the major wineries. The bus system is easy and cheap and tickets are easy to buy in the ferry terminal on the island. Besides, we’ve been to Napa a zillion times…so we don’t need to see a lot of wineries there. We highly recommend just doing one winery, Mudbrick, that is very unique and special. You do need to take a cab to the winery for it’s tucked away where the buses don’t venture. Cabs are waiting at the island ferry terminal and it will cost roughly $10 NZ to get there. You may want to make reservations for Mudbrick’s restaurant. If you can, get there by 11:30am to beat the tourist bus lunch crowd. You will be BLOW AWAY not only by the views from the restaurant, but by the food and wine. Even Dee Dee was impressed with the wine and she has “snooty-paloooty” tastes.

After lunch at Mudbrick, take a cab to Oneroa Village to pick up a bus out to Onetangi Beach. The bus ride out takes about a half hour as you twist through neighborhoods. Onetangi is a great place to relax and take a nap…so be sure to take a beach towel if possible.

Another great place to visit is the Auckland Museum. The museum has the largest collection of Maori culture artifact, art and crafts. I knew nothing about the Maori and learned a lot about this group of people who are still very much part of the New Zealand political establishment and economic structure. We recommend going to the museum just to see the Maori exhibit only and then going somewhere else. Walk through the gardens on the way out of the museum and you will most likely see cricket being played. The museum is easy to get to via the bus. Buy a bus ticket from a corner market and the person behind the counter will tell you what to buy.

A visit to the Sky Tower is a must as well. We learned that people actually bungee jump off the tower during the day! If you’re into that…it could be cool. Sky Tower is a complex that holds restaurants, bars and the casino. The casino is kind of a joke compared to Las Vegas casinos…or even Reno casinos. Dee Dee and I went to the restaurant at the top called Orbit, which is a rotating restaurant. We recommend visiting the Sky Tower in the evening, making reservations for Orbit at 6:30pm and just enjoy watching the sunset over Auckland. The view from the Sky Tower is fantastic…and the restaurant is surprising not that expensive compared to what we spent at Mudbrick!

Where to Eat
It’s strange that most of our favorite attractions in Auckland revolved around food! Auckland is full of many great restaurants and cafes so you will undoubtedly find places to go on your own. However, we recommend eating at….

Breakfast
There is a great café off of Vulcan St that has indoor/outdoor seating. We can’t remember the name..but it’s the only one on Vulcan!

Lunch
Mudbrick (See above for details)

Dinner
Orbit (See above for details)
The Occidental Belgian Bar and Cafe

There are a lot of Belgians in Auckland..and thus a lot of Belgian restaurants. The Occi has a HUGE selection of beer and a muscles prepared all the traditional Belgian way…be careful, you have to order by the bucket!