I like tea

Thinking of having a holiday in the North Island flying into Auckland.

1) What would you recommend to see in the city?
2) How easy is it to get around given I won't have a car ?
3) Which places outside of Auckland would you recommend to see and are these possible with train or bus transport.
4) Recommendations for a good hotel / hostel in city centre that's cheap.

Thanks

Purrball

2) Not very
3) Depends on how much time you have to spend in New Zealand. Three days is going to be a different experience than three weeks. Also, if you're arriving straight from the UK, you'll be jetlagged as hell for the first few days, making extensive sightseeing a bit of a strain until your body clock adjusts.

Much also depends on what kind of things interest you. For instance, if taking a look at Maori history and culture is your thing, then you might end up in different places than if you're interested in New Zealand flora and fauna or if all you'd like to do is to chill on nice beaches, then you're not going to be interested in climbing mountains. So, it would help if you were a bit more specific about your time, your interests and your general budget.

TripAdvisor is quite good for many of your questions. For getting around the North Island, much like I did, then train isn't really an option unless you want to take the scenic train from Auckland to Wellington. Check out The Man in Seat 61. For coaches, which I thought were a great way to see the scenery, especially from the front seats on the top deck, there's Intercity and Naked Bus for starters.

If you really want to experience New Zealand from a local's point of view, you could also consider CouchSurfing.org and if you strike up the right deal, people will only be too happy to take you for an explore and show you some of the local spots.

Coming back to getting round in Auckland without a car, I'll give you an example of how awkward it can be. I'm in a suburb, I wanted to get out to the airport the next day. The nearest bus stop was about a 20 minute walk away, none of the express coaches to the airport stopped in the suburbs, so it would have taken about 90 minutes to get into town, then another long trip out to the airport. Total time including waiting for connections: about four hours. Got a lift from a friend instead.

Assanah

The only place I can think of that you can reach by ferry and there is a reasonable bus connection or you can do it by foot are some of the Hauraki Gulf islands. You could book a wine tour on Waiheke Island or visit rare birds on Tiritiri Matangi or go to Rangitoto.
You could take the ferry to Devenport - nice views of the city and the gulf, a few nice cafes. Walk up Northhead and/or Mt. Victoria for nice views.

RedDragon2008

http://www.aucklandnz.com/destinations

Catchafire

Accommodation - we have used the BBH network of hostels. They tend to be quite and geared toward the independent traveller.

http://www.bbh.co.nz/ha214/Backpacke...w-Zealand.html

How long will you be in Auckland?

There are a number of tours you could also join.

I like tea

Thank you all for replying so swiftly and the advice.

I will check out the information you have supplied and perhaps adapt my ideas to what is partical. Maybe arrive in Auckland do a few tourist things on my own then go on an organised tour for a few days. My problem with these is the single suppliment they charge which is often very expensive and not really justified.