A flying visit to Auckland, New Zealand

A lack of time and money plus a lot of recommendations to prioritise the South Island meant that we didn’t spend as much time in Auckland as I’d have liked to or gone up further north to the Bay of Islands. But what we saw of Auckland I really loved! We were lucky to have beautiful sunshine while we were there which made walking around the city that much more enjoyable.

Walking around the city

I picked up a New Zealand guide in the airport when we arrived which detailed a self-guided walking tour, and this was really great! Free walking tours do operate in the city on the weekends, but we were there mid-week so the self-guide info was really handy.

The rough walking tour route:

– Start bottom of Queen Street near the train station.
– Turn left up Shortland Street and then right up High Street where there are cute shops, cafes and pubs down the little lanes.
– Detour up Victoria Street to Alfred Park, which is really pretty. From here you can see the Sky Tower and the university’s old art building.
– Head back to High Street, which becomes Lorne Street and ends at the art gallery.
– Go along another block to Aotea Square, which is the arty area next to the town hall and is really cute!
– Head up to the Sky Tower and Sky City before wandering down the hill and across Victoria Park to the Viaduct Harbour. Once across the footbridge you’re not far from the train station where you started.

I really enjoyed the city views with the Sky Tower from Alfred Park and the harbour. We stopped in a little rooftop bar for a beer while we were in the harbour, it’s so nice there!

City views from Mount Eden

Our little wander around the city took about an hour but we weren’t quite done with walking for the day! As it was such a nice day we headed out of the city for the hour walk from the city centre to the top of Mount Eden. This is one of many volcanic peaks in Auckland and it was really cool to see the crater at the top! And the views were just amazing with 360 degree panoramic views of the city. We spent a good while taking it all in and taking pictures before heading back. If you don’t fancy such a long walk you can drive within 10 minutes of the summit. I’m told that One Tree Hill has equally as good views, but we didn’t have a vehicle at this stage and it was a bit further out the city.

We spent the evening catching up with Jenny who showed us a lovely English style pub – the Shakespeare. George particularly liked this place as they have a micro brewery behind the bar where they brew their own beer. I enjoyed a burger the size of my head here and we came a close second on the pub quiz and won a $25 bar tab voucher! Not quite the $80 we won on Magnetic Island but I suppose that’s what you get for coming second ha!