Photo: George Strang
Kia Ora and welcome to Aotearoa, you’ve chosen impeccably well for your overseas adventure! Chances are you’ll be landing in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), our largest international airport and link to the big wide world! Here for a few days and not sure what to do? Luckily, you aren’t short on options in New Zealand’s largest city.
What is Auckland best known for?
What sets Auckland apart is its reputation as the city of sails, with a strong maritime culture as a city nestled between 2 oceans with (mostly) good weather. That, and being a cultural melting pot that produces a smorgasbord of cultural and culinary offerings for you to indulge in. Oh, and did I mention that despite it being a metropolitan city, you can reach lush forests, island getaways, and black sand beaches in less time than it takes to watch a movie?
Image source:Sulthan Auliya / unsplash
Is 3 days in Auckland enough?
It can be, but I’d opt to spend a little longer if you want to go on day trips and explore the best the region has to offer! 3 days will give you one day out of the city and 2 to explore central, which might be enough for you.
Here are my picks for the 17 best things you can do in Auckland:
1. Walk the city
Wherever you go in the world, the best way to explore a new place is invariably on foot. Whilst Auckland is a vast swathe of suburban sprawl, downtown Auckland is more than walkable, with the Viaduct precinct, Queen Street, Britomart, and K-Road all ready for you to explore. The Auckland Domain is nearby and houses a large park, museums, and conservatories. Suburbs like Herne Bay, Ponsonby, and Grey Lynn are on your doorstep for a more charming suburban feel, with lively cafe scenes where you can recharge those batteries with a flat white and a cheese scone.
2. Visit Waiheke Island
Ahh Waiheke, a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Picture rolling green hills, dense native New Zealand bush, secluded beaches nestled in intimate bays, topped off with as much wine as you can handle. That’s right, on top of being a nature escape for Aucklanders, it’s also full to the brim with vineyards, bachelorette parties, and the New Zealand elite. Some call it the Island of Wine (I wouldn’t, but follow your heart). You can also head out on an organised wine tour for the ultimate fun filled Waiheke experience.
Image source:George Strang
3. Hit the beach
You’d have to be silly not to go to at least one of Auckland’s many nearby beaches during your time in the region! Unlike much of Europe, our beaches are sandy, dramatically beautiful in summer or winter, and so big they’re never full. Piha and Muriwai are popular destinations on the West Coast, whilst the famous black sand of Raglan is a 2-hour drive south. Regardless of where you choose to go, the beaches of Auckland will serve you well. Tie it in as a part of your Ultimate New Zealand tour with Contiki! The beach is always more fun with friends.
4. Go for an adventure
Get out of town you scamp! Hire a car, rent a bicycle, kayak even! New Zealand is a country for the intrepid, with the most beautiful moments of your life waiting to unfold the moment you decide to get out of your comfort zone. Heading north can take you to camping getaways, kiwi sanctuaries, unpopulated beaches, hikes through dense forest, and crystal clear blue lakes. Heading south can offer you… well essentially the same, so you really can’t go wrong! Matakana, Leigh, and Tāwharanui are a good starting point to wet your whistle. Looking for a longer adventure? Read here for the ultimate 3 week New Zealand itinerary.
5. Bungee jump off the Sky Tower
Why not kill two birds with one stone by heading up the iconic Sky Tower to its rotating cafe in the clouds, then jumping straight off? You get an unparallelled view of the city and get to tick off a bucket list experience! Don’t fret, you’re harnessed in and perfectly safe the whole way down, a guidewire preventing you from straying off course. Where else on the planet can you plummet from an inner city structure, buildings flying by on your way down, watching all the boring little people sitting in their boring little offices doing ‘work’. Not you, Spiderman. Today you’ve conquered the world! Don’t want to do it alone? Do it on New Zealand Sun and Steam with your new Contiki pals!
Image source:Andy Bridge / unsplash
6. Walk up one of the many volcanoes
You don’t need to be a geology aficionado to appreciate the fact that our largest city was built on what is essentially a hotbed of volcanic activity. There are approximately 53 volcanoes that make up Auckland’s volcanic field, many of which sit undeveloped as city parks for your hiking pleasure! Start with the better known ones like One Tree Hill, Mount Wellington, or Rangitoto, all of which are easily summited (Rangitoto being the largest, and requiring a ferry ride). Will they erupt? The chances of volcanic eruption whilst you’re there are incredibly low, but not impossible as they’re not extinct. If you’re anywhere in Auckland, you’re not exempt from danger, so you may as well go for a stroll.
7. Take a walk on the wild(life) side
Who doesn’t love a good zoo trip? There are few experiences in life where you can go to a place and absorb life’s natural wonders, spanning continents and millenia of evolution. Too many kids? Fair enough, try Cornwall Park in Epsom/Mt Eden/Greenlane for a farm-park experience like no other! Witness cows and sheep grazing in their happy place, while people stand and watch them eat grass and relieve themselves. Tie it in with a walk up One Tree Hill, which sits within the park grounds.
8. Surfs up!
Tubular dude! It’s so rad you want to become one with the big blue beautiful ocean by riding her gentle waves. Try places like Muriwau, Piha, and Bethell’s Beach for the best surf, unless you want to head out of Auckland for the day and tie it in with a summer adventure!
Image source:George Strang
9. Eat your way through the city
Believe it or not, New Zealand is something of a culinary haven, with good food around every corner. Ok not every corner, but you get the picture. As a cultural melting pot of over 1.5 million people, so many cuisines are yours to indulge in. With a large contingent of migrants from across the world, from Iceland to Indonesia, we have been blessed with restaurants bursting with flavour and family recipes passed down through generations. Federal Street in central Auckland or Mount Eden would be good suburbs to start looking in, depending on what you’d like to eat. For more guidance on the kind of food to look for in Aotearoa, have a more in-depth read about New Zealand cuisine.
10. Go to a rugby game
Rugby is Aotearoa’s most popular sport by a longshot, akin to a religion in some communities. It starts from the age of 5 or 6, right through school and often into club play as an adult. Whether you’re a lover of sport or not, you’d be silly not to try a game! It’s a winter sport, so best enjoyed around the middle of the year. If you can catch an All Blacks or Super Rugby game, you’re in for a treat, with a (hopefully) lively atmosphere for you to immerse yourself in! It’s a brutal, often violent, but beautiful sport you really need to see in the flesh.
11. Get artsy
While Wellington might be known as the creative capital of New Zealand, Auckland certainly isn’t lacking either. Journey under the magnificent timber canopy of the Auckland Art Gallery and explore some of the best art in the nation. From antique works by Goldie through to contemporaries like Colin McCahon, explore the past, present, and future of Aotearoa through creative expression.
12. Take a hike
New Zealand is a country you come to for its scenery more than its cities. So do your body and soul a favour and take in the views on a hike! From an hour long jaunt along the cliffs of Muriwai, to the rolling fields of Shakespear regional park, you really can’t go wrong. If you’ve got some more time on your hands, look into the Tongariro National Circuit, a multi-day hiking and camping trail mere hours from Auckland (and one of the great walks of New Zealand!).
13. Embrace history
While Auckland might not be the nation’s capital, it certainly isn’t devoid of history and culture. You can travel up to Waitangi to see the birthplace of our nation’s founding document, or take pleasure in any number of the city’s wonderful museums, such as the Auckland War Memorial Museum in the domain, or the Maritime Museum in the Viaduct precinct. Walking up One Tree Hill in Mount Eden will also take you into the midst of a historic Maori Pa site, with formed terraces still visible to this day. You can do all this and so much more as a passenger prince or princess on tours like Contiki Northern Choice!
14. Embrace your inner dad at MOTAT
Speaking of history, why not embrace the history of transport and technology like a true Dad would. You don’t have to identify as a male to give Dad energy, just imagine yourself with white New Balance sneakers, cargo shorts, a polo, and a fanny pack and you’ll be away! Head to MOTAT, the Museum Of Transport And Technology, for a day of everything planes, trains, and automobiles. Be sure to buy something from the gift shop that you would like, but you know your imaginary partner and children would hate.
15. Bird watch
Aotearoa’s flora and fauna is some of the most beautiful on the planet (but I am biased). Lush, dense, old growth native forest teeming with birdsong from the many native bird species that flutter and perch their way through the canopies above. With over 200 species present in New Zealand, 170 being native, you’ve got your work cut out for you when it comes to spotting them all! Tiritiri Matangi Island is an ecosanctuary that flourishes with many of the nation’s rarer species, so make the trip there from Auckland to start ticking them off! Good luck with the elusive Kiwi by the way.
16. The weekend getaway
From the Bay of Islands to the sunny Coromandel, Auckland is perfectly situated for a weekend getaway like no other. It’s a national pastime and one of the best things you can do in New Zealand, particularly in the summer!
17. Befriend a local
As Kiwis are relatively friendly people, this shouldn’t be too hard to do. Head into a local pub, start a conversation in line at the cafe, chat to the guy next to you at the rugby game. Chances are, that person will be delighted to have a conversation, and might give you some local recommendations for whatever part of the country you’re in!
Hopefully you’ve realised that Auckland can be the best start (or end) to your adventures through Aotearoa! Trips like New Zealand Panorama and Real New Zealand will take you through the country with a whole lot of new friends waiting to be made! Don’t believe me? Read no further than this glowing review of the Panorama trip. Just remember that the best things to do in Auckland, like any city, are the ones that work for you.
