Auckland

Hotels - premium

Hilton Hotel

A hotel on a wharf, floating like a ship above the best restaurants, next to the CBD? Genius. Enjoy the view. Watch the people. Don’t fall in the water.

Things to see - Beaches

Muriwai Beach

Half an hour from downtown and a million miles from anywhere lies the most beautiful black-sand beach; home to gannets, surfers, paragliders, horseback riders and several stranded 4-wheel drives.

Things to see - historical sites

War Memorial Museum

Auckland War Memorial Museum is a piece of history in itself. Constructed in 1929, it oozes significance and there’s some pretty unstuffy stuff inside it too.

Dining - drink after dinner

Britomart Country Club

New Zealanders are famous for inviting you to their homes, then straight outside again – into the garden. Enjoy this quaint tradition at the largest courtyard bar in the country.

Fitness - good running route

One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) is a 182 metre volcanic peak in central Auckland. A run to the top will certainly get the heart pumping!

Dining - lunch with friends

The Tasting Shed

Eat like a gannet among the vines at The Tasting Shed. What’s a gannet, you ask? Continue enroute to Muriwai Beach and you’ll find out.

Things to see - Natural Wonders

Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium

Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium is a bit of an underground attraction – but head on down amongst the penguins and sharks and you won’t be disappointed. Unless, of course, the sharks get out.

Shopping - something for yourself

Britomart Shopping Precinct

Britomart is a fabulously revitalized downtown precinct; full of fashionable and functional shops so good you’ll probably need to buy yourself a chair to sit down in.