Top 10 Places to Go in Auckland
Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand. Its sheer diversity makes choosing places to go in it for a top ten list difficult, but here’s our attempt:
1) The Domain
The Auckland Domain is a massive park near the city centre. It contains the Auckland Museum and some lovely gardens. The museum building is suitably impressive and, of course, you should have a look around the inside too. The Domain Wintergardens make for a wonderful picnic spot, although there is a very nice café right next to them. This café, it might be worth noting, has an ice-cream hut attached to it. There are also plenty of ducks and pigeons to feed.
2) The Viaduct Harbour
Walking around Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour is always worth it. Start at the Ferry Building at the bottom of Queen Street and proceed all the way around to the Wynyard Quarter. There are lots of fancy bars and restaurants along the way, as well as various quirky features and fabulous harbour views. The Wynyard Quarter has an old-fashioned tram, a fish market and a pretty cool playground, alongside some old silos that have been turned into works of art. Whilst you’re down at the harbour, why not go ahead and book yourself a dolphin safari? You might even get to swim with them!
3) The Sky Tower
Of course, you have to go up the Sky Tower. You won’t get better views of Auckland than from the top of the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest building. We dare you to stand on the see-through parts of the floor! There’s a café up there with decent ice-cream, as well as a more expensive revolving restaurant. The food at the revolving restaurant is absolutely worth the price, though. You can also experience the thrill of walking around the outside of the top of the Sky Tower, or of jumping off it entirely – attached to cables, of course.
4) Howick Historical Village
This is one of the best historical villages in New Zealand. In it, you can get a real feel for what life was like in Auckland in the nineteenth century. On top of being educational, Howick Historical Village is simply a pleasant place to walk around. There’s also a good onsite café. Keep a look out for live days, where people wander about in costume and perform historical tasks, and special events such as village fêtes.
5) Cornwall Park
Cornwall Park is fairly unique for a city park in that it is home to lots of sheep and cows. It also has a couple of cafés, a quite awesome avenue of trees, a historic homestead, a planetarium and a hill with an unusually interesting past. U2 sang a song about One Tree Hill, which definitely doesn’t have one tree on it. Cornwall Park is especially great for families with small children, but people of all ages will find it surprisingly delightful.
6) The Zoo
Auckland Zoo is one of the best zoos in the world, from the excruciating cuteness of the red pandas, otters and meerkats, to the magnificence of the lions, tigers and elephants. Kids love crawling through the meerkat tunnels and feeding the giraffes; adults love interacting with the native New Zealand parrots in the aviary. It’s one of the few places you can easily catch a glimpse of New Zealand’s precious kiwi, and it’s next-door to a technology museum called MOTAT.
7) Waiheke Island
If you like wine, art galleries and walks with sea views, get yourself on the ferry to Waiheke Island. An easy daytrip from downtown Auckland, Waiheke is home to approximately thirty vineyards, offering tastings, tours and top-notch dining. We recommend having a wander around Connells Bay Sculpture Park, but there are adventurous activities to be found on the island as well, such as ziplining, diving and horse riding. You can take a car to Waiheke, although there are buses, and a shuttle service from the ferry.
8) Mission Bay
Situated on Auckland’s east coast, Mission Bay is a delightfully old-fashioned seaside spot. The beach is perfect for families with young children, having a playground, calm waters and a fountain you can splash around in. There’s a whole row of restaurants and ice-cream parlours along the seafront, and the horizon is dominated by the island volcano of Rangitoto. Strolling along Mission Bay at night is especially pleasant, with the twinkling city lights – not to mention the fountain being lit up all pretty.
9) Rangitoto
Speaking of Rangitoto, catching a ferry to the island volcano makes for another fantastic daytrip from downtown Auckland. Make sure you take a hat, sturdy shoes and plenty of water and sunscreen. Climbing to the top is relatively easy and takes about an hour. On the way, you’ll encounter lava tunnels and lava fields, and the crater at the summit will take your breath away. Note that there are no shops or cafés on the island, so you’ll have to take everything you need with you.
10) Mt Eden
Mt Eden is an extinct volcano that overlooks a charming Auckland suburb of the same name. Mt Eden, the suburb, is filled with colonial architecture housing boutique shops and cafés. We recommend having a look around it before climbing the hill for some great views. Also, nestled at the foot of Mt Eden, there’s a beautiful garden called, rather fittingly, Eden Garden. It’ll cost you $10 to explore; kids get in free.
Honourable Mentions:
Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium
See the Top 10 Things to Do in West Auckland
Book Your Stay at the Rainforest Retreat