New Zealand's City of Sails

Many people use Auckland for their starting and/or ending points of their New Zealand holiday. It is New Zealand’s largest city and the world’s largest Polynesian city. Although this was our starting and ending points, we didn’t schedule much time here. Auckland was not our favourite city, (that goes to Wellington) but it is still a diverse and beautiful city with plenty to see and do.



The city is not densely populated, and has a population of just over a million people. There is plenty of green space to even out the rest of the "city" parts.

Auckland has its famous icon, the Sky Tower in the middle of the Central Business District (CBD) that is worth a visit for the views over the city.

Visit Auckland’s North Shore for a change of pace. The most accessible area is Devonport, a 15-minute ferry ride away across the harbour. It makes a pleasant day-trip away from the city, a couple hours having a look around, or simply a nice place to have dinner before returning to Auckland.

Auckland is full of green space. Albert Park, just off of the CBD is a lovely escape from the city. You can also try Myers Park or Victoria Park close to the city centre. Go a bit further out and you will find the very large, and popular, Auckland Domain. Semi-formal gardens, flower beds, trees, and ample green field space make this one of Auckland’s finest. It was the city’s first park and remains one of the most popular.

Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour is a rejuvenated area that offers a superb variety of restaurants on a pretty waterfront with residential accommodation in the area as well. We had a great meal at Kermadec located on the upper level of a building in the middle of the development. Restaurants range from Irish and Italian fare to local seafood—something for everyone.

The city offers a wide range of accommodation from the budget backpacking hostels to luxurious hotels for those with more money than I. We stayed in the Hyatt when we arrived in New Zealand and the Crowne Plaza on the way home. Both of them were comfortable, if a little impersonal.

Quick Tips:

When visiting the Sky Tower, buy the Sun and Stars ticket that gives you access to the tower twice, once in the light and once in the dark. We visited at night and whilst it was spectacular, I really wished I would have been able to see it during the day, too.

Check on a car rental and parking versus the price you are going to pay taking a taxi or bus into the city (and back). Often times it is cheaper, especially if you rent from a New Zealand rental agency that will give you an older car for far cheaper than the international chains that deal in new cars.

Don’t plan too much time in Auckland. I can honestly say that Wellington and some of the other rural parts of New Zealand were higher on my list than Auckland. In fact, we have booked a trip for New Zealand again next year and we don’t plan on spending any time here except for transiting since our flights go in and out of Auckland.

Best Way To Get Around:

We didn’t use any public transportation whilst in Auckland. We were only spending one night in AKL when we flew to New Zealand and only had one night on the way home. It was actually cheaper to rent a car and pay for parking at the hotel than it was to take public transportation back and forth between the airport and the city centre.



The city doesn’t have a very good public transport system. You can get most places in the city on foot, although some of it will be a bit of a hike. There are buses that run and a sight-seeing bus that runs between all of the major sights. Ferries are available to take you to Devonport or to numerous islands near the city. Lastly, taxis are readily available, either flagged down or by a booked reservation.

Parking was cheap at our hotels and we found that having a car wasn’t needed in the city, but it was convenient to have the car to leave right away in the morning. A car will definitely be convenient should you want to explore outlying areas of the city that offer quite a bit to see.

Situated in the leafy, hilly University District of Auckland, the Hyatt served as our first New Zealand accommodation. In our fog of jetlag from flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the night before, finding the Hyatt became quite annoying as one-way streets hindered a few turns.

Upon check-in we were asked, "Would you like a view of the harbour or a view of the Sky Tower?" Tough choice since Auckland is surrounded by such beautiful sights. We chose the harbour view since the Sky Tower was on our itinerary for one evening anyway. Lugging our bags upstairs in a state of lethargy, we eyed the bed and gave each other a nod. We took turns in the shower and fell asleep for about 6 hours. Quite a nap, but much needed.

Our room on the seventh floor had a large bed, moss green carpet, wooden furniture, and overall pleasant, traditional surroundings. A well-stocked mini-bar tempted us once we woke up, but one look at the prices deterred us (isn’t that typical?). The hotel also has a spa, gym, indoor pool, restaurant, and a couple of bars, but I can’t give any first-hand account since I didn’t use any of these amenities.

The small, but clean bathroom had plenty of fresh towels available for our use, and enough space to put all of your "stuff" toothbrushes, toothpaste, cosmetics, and the like.

The location is convenient with pleasant Albert Park, the Old Arts Building and Clock Tower and the Old Government House situated a few minutes walk away. A walk to the Waterfront or Sky Tower is only a few minutes more.

Don’t plan on eating breakfast here unless you really want to spend a lot of money. The buffet priced out to be approximately $20 ($30NZD) per person. We walked over to Denny’s (yes, the same as the US) and spent that much on two of us for the same quality food.

I would recommend the Hyatt because of its location and price. Being a chain hotel with mostly business guests, it was a bit cold and unfriendly, yet it was suitable for what we needed.

Situated near the foot of the Sky Tower, the Crowne Plaza is located in the heart of the city. It sits on top of a major shopping complex, Atrium on Elliott with a variety of shops and restaurants. Attached to this complex is a large car park charging only $5NZ on the weekend and $15NZ weekdays should you have a car with you. The lobby of the hotel has a New Zealand souvenir shop for your last-minute souvenir purchases.

We checked in at the front desk and got an upgraded King bedroom due to our Gold status with Priority Club. The porters took our bags up to our room so we could go park the car. The car park was located just off the entrance to the hotel. The car park ticket had to be taken to the front desk to get out of the car park to get the cheaper rate.

Once we got up to the room our bags were waiting for us. This clearly wasn’t a King room, but it didn’t matter to us, so we went ahead and unpacked our things. Our room seemed a bit dated with a drab brownish bedspread. The room also had a blue and beige striped upholstered chair and sofa which had a rip in the cushion. Everything else was in good repair, but it just seemed dated compared to the rest of the hotel. The bathroom had a bathtub/shower with big fluffy towels and most importantly it was clean.

The hotel itself had great amenities: washer and dryer for guest use, sauna, fitness centre, high-speed Internet, restaurant and bar along with the standards such as iron, coffee and tea facilities, and hairdryer. The hotel is quite large, with 352 rooms with two floors designated Club floors with Executive Rooms and Suites. Guests in these rooms can use the Executive Lounge for evening cocktails and breakfast.

Breakfast was a standard big hotel breakfast buffet with cereals, pastries, eggs, bacon, sausage, a Japanese selection, yogurts, and plenty of fresh fruit. Plates were cleared with a smile and coffee and tea were plentiful.

We didn’t really check out the amenities at the hotel. Since it was our last day we felt really down and had a hard time keeping in the spirit of our travels. We were tired from 2 weeks of traveling, and at this point we had a couple of very long flights ahead of us. After breakfast we finished packing up our suitcases and headed out to the airport.

Overall, I would recommend the Crowne Plaza if only for the location. The hotel itself was really nice. If you are a shopper and have time the shopping centre under the hotel will keep you occupied for hours.

I normally wouldn’t write about Denny’s, especially when the food was the same as any other Denny's. I write only because it was a half-decent 24-hour restaurant.

After our 6-hour slumber the day before and 11-hour time difference we were bound to be up early. Yep, before 4am. Why not go out for breakfast (we weren’t spending $30NZ for the hotel buffet)? I wondered if the Denny's was open this early.

As we walked towards Denny’s we passed several 24-hour bars with people spilling out the door and others going in to continue their streak from the night before. Scantily-clad women wearing completely insensible shoes tried slowly made their way up the hill so we made our way around them. We approached Denny’s, relieved to find that they were open all night and that we would have a nice hot breakfast. A few Maori males stumbled up the steps ahead of us to the first-floor restaurant and seated themselves.

We were seated at a booth on the other side of the restaurant—away from the many tables of drunkards. Our semi-quiet, drink-free area was soon disturbed by a large group of Japenese and Maori youth. At least they were quiet.

After browsing through the menus and deciding on the French Slam we waited for someone to take our order or at least someone to acknowledge us, does anyone work here?

I finally went up to the front to ask about taking our order. The guy at the counter yelled "Matt!!!" at the top of his lungs to the kitchen and promptly nobody came out so he came to our table and asked what we would like. Our food arrived in good time and looked and tasted just like the food you get at Denny’s in the US. Palatable if a bit greasy.

The music started out at an acceptable level, especially for those working the night shift and trying to stay awake. It was a bit funky so we didn’t mind. A bit of techno/house music never hurt anyone. As we sat there the music started to get louder and louder and even louder until it was difficult to hear each other talking. This is Denny’s, not a nightclub…and it was 6am. Towards the end of the meal it quieted down a bit and the music seemed to change to something gentle and soothing. Nope, just the beginning to another set of rocking music. No hanging about here, time to pay the bill and then find some peace and quiet.

Coffee ended up being free because they forgot to charge us. On top of that, they didn’t charge us the 10% Bank Holiday fee that is so rampant throughout NZ. We actually made it out of there for a decent price.

Overall, I would recommend Denny’s for a quick, filling breakfast at a good price. It is the same quality you would find at Denny’s in the US. Beware of the loud music and drunk people early in the morning.

After our much needed 6-hour slumber at the Hyatt when we first arrived, it was time to go out for something to eat. The splendid view from our room encouraged us to start looking at the Viaduct Harbour area. After a few minute stroll we started surveying our choices: Italian, seafood, Irish pub, etc. Some places were really crowded, others quite empty. After reading about 10 menus, we chose Kermadec, a seafood restaurant located above The Loaded Hog. A nice terrace beckoned us from below.

We waited for a moment at the door to be seated and when we didn’t catch the attention of anyone we approached a waiter to be seated. With the terrace on our minds we asked to be seated out there. "I’m sorry, we aren’t serving food our there right now, only drinks and dessert". Our friendly waitress, Phillipa (Phellipa in NZ tongue) seated us at a corner table as close to the terrace as possible. After such a long nap I needed to feel the fresh breeze to wake me.

Our first New Zealand meal. Let’s get something nice. Tom ordered grilled tuna and I the fish burger (not deep-fried, either!). With these we had a bottle of mineral water and a bottle of Montana Chardonnay. Other than the drinks being overpriced, the food was pretty good.

The restaurant itself seemed quite nice. Wood and glass with a terrace overlooking the harbour. You really can’t go wrong, can you? Note the columns of wood that look like tree trunks. They are passage columns telling the story of the voyage of the Maori people and their struggles with settlement. The bases of the columns record the marks of the Maori chiefs that signed the Treaty of Waitangi (a very important document in NZ history).

The diverse menu offered a variety of fresh fish such as Orange Roughy, Salmon, Tuna, Hapuka, and Monkfish—something for everyone. Our meals came with French Fries (or chips—they use both terms here) and by the time we were done eating there was no room for dessert. Our bill came with a comment card so Tom obliged and filled it out telling them that the food was really good, but they charge too much for drinks. He also mentioned the terrace. We partly chose the Kermadec for the terrace and then we couldn’t sit out there. Disappointing, but not enough to leave to find another restaurant.

After breakfast at Denny’s we started walking back to the hotel to pack up our things and check out. Between the city centre and the Hyatt in the University district, is the lovely Albert Park. We climbed the footpath up the side of the hill through native trees to the flat area at the top. At the top we found flower gardens surrounding a water fountain and a statue of Queen Victoria.

The land where Albert Park sits is the Symonds Street ridge which was formed when 60,000 years ago a volcano erupted and a thick layer of ash covered the area. This park has served many purposes over the years to become what it is today.

A village called Rangipuke flourished here until the arrival of the Crown in 1840. Crops were grown here with irrigation from the spring near the High Court. Albert Barracks were built in 1845. Civil war between the Mâori and the Pakeha (the term used for non- Mâoris or foreigners) broke out when Governor Grey issued the 1863 Proclamation declaring all natives (Mâori) must pledge allegiance to the Queen or withdraw to the Waikato in the south. This civil war disrupted the relationship between the Mâori and Pakeha that was tough to build in the first place. By the 1880s most of the old barracks were cleared away and footpaths and gardens were established as well as the fountain.

The park has many natural features worth mentioning. You will find oak trees honouring 16 battleships in the fleet of the US Navy’s Great White Fleet, Moreton Bay fig trees, and Mexican washingtonia palms (or California fan palms). My favourite, the ombu tree that sits near Princes Street is native to Argentina. Its huge roots sit above ground and provide a shady place for a rest. Or you could use the park bench that sits right next to the tree!

The Queen Victoria statue near the fountain was unveiled to commemorate the sixtieth jubilee of her reign in 1899. The fountain pool used to be stocked with carp but I found it completely empty of anything, even water.

At the pedestrian entry point along Princes Street is an area of bedding plants with a pretty flower clock. I could make out the clock among the flowers, but going into winter, the hands of the clock had been removed. It was constructed here in 1953 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to New Zealand.

The Park has many other features such as a meteorological observatory that has been providing readings of weather since 1909. Albert Park house has a collection of clocks and ceramics donated to the city by Bruce Wilkinson. Watch for several sculptures situated throughout the park.

I would highly recommend taking a stroll through Albert Park. It is definitely an oasis from the city, a beautiful green space and especially quiet early in the morning.

Family $44
Students/backpackers $15
Sun and Stars (day and night entry) $26
Adults $21 (both viewing decks)
Child $8
Phone: +64 9 363 6000

Sky Tower, Auckland’s icon, is the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere. At 328m it is taller than the 300m Eiffel Tower. Sky Tower is part of SKYCITY, New Zealand’s largest casino, as well as a hotel, theatre, restaurants, and a convention centre.

Besides a tourist attraction, the tower is also used for broadcasting and telecommunications. Not only can you ride up to the top to take a look at Auckland, but you can also do the Sky Jump, a cable-controlled Base jump of 192m, or the Vertigo climb that takes you up the Sky Tower mast and a 15-minute climb from the upper observation deck to the first crow’s nest on the mast.

We started our tour by going right to the Sky Deck at the top (extra $3NZ). Seamless glass set at an angle gives you outstanding 360º views over Auckland. There were very few people up here with us—all the better—we didn’t have to fight for glass space.

An older guidebook I read mentioned an outdoor observation deck. According to the guide I asked, "…too many people tried or actually did jump so they had to make some changes."

The Main Observation Deck, below the Sky Deck, has all sorts of information concerning weather, construction, and other features to keep you busy for some time. It is also on this level that you will find the glass floor panels where you can look down to street level.

There are never-ending facts and figures about this tower. Here are a few since they go on and on:

It took 2 years and 9 months to build the tower
The main structure of the tower is a reinforced concrete shaft measuring 12m in diameter.
The tower was built to withstand winds up to 200kmh (125mph)
There are 1267 steps from the base to the Sky Deck.
You can travel up Sky Tower by lift in 40 seconds

Orbit, a revolving restaurant, and The Observatory are located at the top of Sky Tower if you want to pay for the pleasure of dining in the sky.

The area around Sky Tower seemed a bit dodgy at night. There seemed to be plenty of people just sort of milling about on the side streets and there were a few moments when we felt quite uncomfortable.

Overall, this was a fun activity to do in Auckland. I would recommend it, especially if you have kids. Going up the tower at night was great because everything was lit so brilliantly, but if I did it again I would go for the "Sun and Stars admission" so I could see Auckland during the day as well. It is an impressive tower, but it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be considering it is visited by so many thousands of people every year.

Sky Tower

Devonport, one of Auckland’s oldest suburbs, was founded in 1840 by European Settlers. It sits on the North Shore on the end of a peninsula that juts out into the Waitemata Harbour. A regular ferry service runs from the CBD (Central Business District) of Auckland to Devonport taking only about 15 minutes. A Naval Station is located here in Devonport and is one of the oldest tenants.

This little town is a wonderful place to just wander. Grand houses, a tree-lined waterfront, abundant restaurants, antique shops and book stores will fill your day before you know it. With plenty of shopping and green space to balance it out, Devonport is a must-see part of a visit to Auckland.

Our day actually started out in Dunedin and after a flight back to Auckland we picked up our rental car at Auckland’s Airport and decided to drive straight out to Devonport. It was our last day in New Zealand and it was a bright sunny day, Devonport seemed like a great end to our holiday.

There were plenty of spaces available along the busy streets. We found a space and parked for a couple of hours while we had a look around and grabbed lunch.

Lunch was a place called Manuka. It was recommended to me by a friend. Although the food was excellent, I have never had such horrible service anywhere. The waitresses couldn’t manage a smile or any friendly pleasantries. When one waitress brought new cutlery to the table between courses she didn’t even speak to us or make eye contact. We sat outside at the awning-covered tables like most other patrons. They weren’t all that comfortable and you had to watch out for the little nuisance sparrows flying around and landing on the chairs and by your feet and you also had to take notice of the large sea birds flying above your heads…I think that is why they have the awning, just don’t sit too close to the edge. I had coconut crusted prawns that were out of this world, but the service was a real downer. I would recommend the restaurant for the food, but be forewarned that we had incredibly poor service. For the price you pay for your meal, you would expect much better than we got.

After lunch we wandered up Victoria Road to a used book shop called "Hard to Find (But Worth the Effort)" where we spent a considerable amount of time just browsing through thousands of book on every available topic. We even ended up buying a few books to take home with us. Visit them on www.hardtofind.co.nz.

Just across the road from Manuka is Jackson’s Muzeum, you can’t miss it, British and New Zealand telephone boxes sit atop and in front of this large white building. This has become an institution in Devonport. Not so much a museum as a repository of everything and anything collectible accumulated by Bryan Jackson. The museum has fought with the council and it has been open and closed and open again. Whilst we were there it appeared to be open, although we didn’t plan on going in. It also appeared to be for sale. There were large signs describing items within the museum and how much they are worth on their own, but that all of these items were to be sold as part of this collection as they really needed to be kept together.

Whilst in Devonport you have to take the steep walk up Mount Victoria to get the best views of Auckland. This hill was once the site of a Maori pa and fortified village.

Stop at the tourist office and pick up your copy of "The Old Devonport Walk" to guide you through the city with a map and descriptions of buildings, churches, streets, museums and other things along the way. The Tourist office is located at 3 Victoria Road.