When I first decided to visit New Zealand, Auckland wasn’t really on the list of places I wanted to see. I had no idea what there was to do, and when it comes down to it I’m really particular about my cities. Being the most convenient place to fly into from Sydney however, when it came time to book the tickets it made sense to start exploring the country from there.
I’m so glad I did. Auckland is a small city, with the character and intimacy of the other cities around the world I’ve come to love. Even the airport has personality – if that isn’t a sign of a great little city I don’t know what is!
If you’ve been keeping up with me on Instagram or Facebook, then you’ll know that when my father and I arrived in Auckland, we took the long way in. Though the airport bus stops right outside the hostel we were staying at, we managed to get off the bus over 5km early. We spent our first afternoon in New Zealand hiking through West Auckland whilst I became incredibly thankful that I didn’t pack too many books.
It took us a few minutes after getting off the bus to realise our mistake. Walking to the top of a hill in what we figured was vaguely the right direction to get our bearings we could see the harbour in the distance, and the tall Sky Tower marking the CBD.
‘Uh, dad? I’m pretty sure our hostel is almost directly under that.’
Two hours after we left the airport, we finally arrived at our hostel.
Despite being a long walk that we didn’t have to take, I quite liked being introduced to Auckland slowly. The detour set a theme for our time in Auckland. We took the long way more than once, and slowly learnt to like the small things in the North Island’s largest city.
- Auckland is small. Like really small. And I don’t just mean in terms of physical size, though that certainly is part of it. The streets were empty when we walked through the CBD at 8am, traffic is almost non-existent, nothing ever seemed crowded. We couldn’t help remarking on it at the time and it’s a trend that keeps repeating everywhere in New Zealand. New Zealand is the least densely populated country I have ever visited.
- Mt Eden really does give spectacular views of the city, but if you’re walking through the long grass (highly recommended for an exploratory feel), put on insect repellent. I came up in hives by the afternoon and they took a very long time to start healing. Even now the bites retain a scar-like appearance.
- Auckland is an incredibly walkable city. My father and I walked everywhere, from our ill-fated initial bus ride, to traipsing all over the city on the next day. If walking isn’t really your style or you’re facing time constraints make sure you do walk from the base of Mt Eden to the top, through the historical gardens in the Domain, and along the harbour foreshore.
- Auckland has some really, really great boats in its harbour. From racing yachts and cruisers to Peter Blake’s Steinlager II and a massive luxury yacht that was moored on the very end of the waterfront wharf. Do yourself a favour and wander along the waterfront. Even if you’re not that into boats, you’ll appreciate the views across the harbour.
- Auckland loves to celebrate. Whilst nowhere else in New Zealand that I visited had even begun to erect Christmas decorations, we were welcomed into Auckland on November 18th by an absolutely giant Santa-and-reindeer fixture taking over the side of a multi-storey building. As a bonus, the festive decoration dominated the view from our hostel window.
- New Zealand loves to celebrate their successes. Walking along the foreshore of the Auckland Harbour it’s difficult to miss the huge hull of the boat nicknamed Black Magic that most recently won the America’s Cup for New Zealand. Take a browse in the Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum and you’ll notice a huge section dedicated to New Zealand’s sailing successes. As well as showing off New Zealand’s first winning boat in the America’s Cup, the museum offers a tribute to the life of sailing legend Sir Peter Blake.
- It’s not hard to get out of the city centre. Going hand in hand with Auckland’s tiny size compared to cities like Sydney is the ease with which one can get outside the city itself. Auckland is almost devoid of suburbia. Coming from Sydney, where the suburbs of the city leave nary a green space for a good 40km outside the CBD, coming across farms 20 minutes after leaving Auckland proper was a refreshing change.
Sadly I lost half of the photos I took in Auckland including those of the foreshore and the gorgeous Domain when I accidentally overwrote the folder the files were sitting in. Let it be a lesson to back up your photos and then do not touch them!
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