EdnaAverage

Hi Kiwi people,

Have to leave Oz for a few days to allow offshore grant of PR so going to spend 4 days in Auckland. Haven't managed to find an Auckland specific guidebook so would appreciate some good suggestions on to things to do from locals. We're a 30 something couple, no kids and will be staying in Auckland but open to doing a few day trips to places up to say 2hrs away. The weather for next week looks a bit variable so a couple of indoor as well as outdoor suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Edna

nelsonpom

Check grab a seat and get a cheap flight to Welly or Nelson Only joking sure someone will be along soon to assist you better ......

littleal

Ferry to Devonport

Waitakere park for bush walks & Karekare beach to see where they filmed The Piano

The botanical gardens have a sculpture festival on.

The museum is OK. Climb a volcano and get a good view of the city - we did One Tree Hill.

george toni

sit in traffic for hours

leave.

fly south

have a great time

MooMoo290373

Im told Auckland Zoo is a must, have`nt been ourselves yet !!!

sarahw

Kelly Tarltons to see some baby penguins, catch the ferry and walk up Rangitoto, go to Waiheke and check out the vineyards, go body boarding at Piha, go up Sky Tower on a clear day, try the Whale & Dolphin safari.....etc etc

EdnaAverage

Thanks guys, getting a bit of vibe that Auckland isn't all that from some of you!

Would love to see more of the country, ie meet some non JAFFAs but this is a short notice trip that's really all about getting very hard won stickers in the passports and seeing a few things in Auckland to fill in the rest of the time.

Edna

helinuk

Come down to Mount Maunganui/Tauranga, Rotorua. Lots to do.

kiwinow

Depends what you want to do.
For wildlife and scenery - Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World is cool with a perspex tunnel under sharks, stingrays, penguins etc. You can do a scenic flight over the area as well - there used to be a sea plane. The Viaduct is cool. Piha Beach is scenic - swim between the flags! There are some great wineries - winery tours if you're into that. Great beaches and hot pools to the north at Orewa. Waiheke Island is an arty spot, interesting to spend a day. For exercise drive to Cornwall Park and walk (or run) up One Tree Hill - awesome scenery and views. In South Auckland there is Rainbows End theme park if that's your thing and a great Pacific Centre where you can buy pacific crafts etc. To the south maybe Waitomo Caves would be interesting or Rotorua thermal district - a bit more than 2 hours perhaps, but worth the trip.

I'd suggest when you get here you should check with the locals where the good night spots and restaurants are, and if there are any shows on. Go to the local i-site, which is the visitor's info centre and see what takes your fancy. People who live there a while get a bit jaded and can't see what tourists see. The problem with Auckland is that it doesn't have a great centre like Wellington - it's all spread out and lots of people seek their entertainment in the suburbs.

Newfies

Sky Tower and the casino they have some really cheap betting machines if you only fancy frittering away a dollar or two.

All the eating places in Auclkand of an evening are at the basin which is about 10 minutes walk from Sky tower or a few minutes in a cab which will cost about $8.

One tree Hill

Kelly Tarlton.

Auckland Museum Which is a fantastic building which you can see clearly from Sky Tower.

Howick Historic Village is very pretty and has a nice Cafe there.

For a little bit of travel there is Sweet Factory in Taupiri or further afield Rotorua has pleanty to offer.

Auckland specific sites have a look at this link for the top 50 things to do in Auckland
http://www.aucklandnz.com/index.php/...&id=1436&book=

Good luck and enjoy!
Anna

P.S Congrats on the stickers in your passports

scrubbedexpat094

If the weather's not so good then you might like to head upto Snow Planet at Silverdale, approx 35 mins north of Auckland.

I would strongly recommend a day trip to Tiritiri Matangi Island & have the guided tour. You need to take a packed lunch with you, though you don't have to carry it around with you. Load it into the special truck as soon as you arrive & it gets taken to the lighthouse for when you get there. More details etc. are available on http://www.360discovery.co.nz. This site has info about a number of trips they offer which might also be of interest to you.

There are lots of Regional Parks around Auckland which are great for a walk, also Piha & Muriwai are worth a visit.

I think a trip up the Skytower is a must. I would also recommend the Auckland war Museum. It's a really excellent museum. I would recommend you to take in the 1/2hr Maori Cultural Show whilst there. One of my faves, is to head to the volcanoes area & enter the house. I'll say no more

There are great places to eat around the Viaduct Harbour & also on Parnell Rd. Parnell & around Mission Bay.
Hope you have a good time. Auckland has loads to offer, you've just got to know where to look

Newfies, we went to that sweet factory at Taupiri & it was utter cr@p

nero

Great advice - it really is about knowing where to go, there are some superb places to visit and not all are known about by visitors. Visiting a number of the islands that surround Auckland is great on a good day. If you have a car escaping the city is recommended for part of your time. The Waitakeres are great for tramps, a canoe trip from Puhoi can be fun, and most of the Regional Parks are excellent and can be totally desserted with views across the Hauraki. If you have no car then a bike ride along Tamaki drive to Mission Bay, Kohi then St Helliers can be fun - there is a bike route. If you wish to go a diiferent route you can ride out to the Te Atatu Peninsula which has some great views but it can be a bit of a ride if you are not used to riding. If you like sailing take a trip out on one of the old America cup yachts or if you want a more sedate affair take the old Hamilton steamboat around the harbour. Heaps to do, but really depends on what you like.
Have fun

whitesand

I suggest you don't spend too much time in the city centre as it's rather dull. Get one of the buses from the centre to Ponsonby (only five minutes away) and walk around there and you'll see some interesting pubs and restaurants.
Or take a trip over the bridge to the North Shore. If you don't want to go far, then you can easily spend your time on the North Shore. Takapuna, just across the bridge, is a great place to eat and drink and also has a really good beach and pleasant areas for walking around.

Stay on the North Shore and drive all the way up keeping to the road beside the coast. This gives great views of the beaches and all the bays on the way. You're sure to be impressed by these views. There's also lots of shops and cafes in those bays there.

You can then come back using the inland roads and the country areas.

I think you'll get a better sense of Auckland if you go to those places than simply going to the tourist spots.

Lily77cat

it really annoys me how people just put down auckland and us "jaffas"!!

it is a lovely city as cities go and as mentioned above there is lots to do and see in and around auckland.

i am surprised people have been so nice and told you what is good to do as you were not very complimentary about the place where we all live!

down south might be pretty but it is also very run down in places and my god you are remote from anywhere and thats not everyones cup of tea!

we were quite dissapointed with a lot of the places we visited down south as with anywhere the guide book can really over do it and when you get there it isnt all its cracked up to be!

nelsonpom

Don't be so sensitive, most comments are meant tongue in cheek and of course are down to individual taste. Pretty boring if we all thought the same and wanted the same.