Where We Have Been - New Zealand - Auckland

The Auckland region is much more than just Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. It spreads across a surprising amount of rural land and forest—both native and exotic—and it packs in many of the perks of a reasonably big city, like great restaurants and plenty of entertainment. The trade-off, of course, is the traffic, which can be genuinely diabolical, and public transport that is all too often not up to the job.

But step outside the central city and you’re into a completely different Auckland: stunning beaches (including some top-level surf breaks), fantastic fishing, forests you can bike through, and even opportunities to deer stalk and pig hunt.

It’s also a place that plenty of Kiwis love to tease. Aucklanders get called JAFAs (“Just Another F’ing Aucklander”), while the rest of the country is convinced Aucklanders think New Zealand ends at the Bombay Hills.

It’s home to roughly a third of the country’s population, but on a global scale it still doesn’t feel especially huge. It’s also home to the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Sky Tower—and if adrenaline is your thing, you can even jump from the Sky Tower.

What does make Auckland stand out is its geography. It’s one of the few cities in the world with major harbours on two different coasts: the Waitematā Harbour on the east, opening out to the Hauraki Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, and the Manukau Harbour on the west, opening to the Tasman Sea—both with port facilities. Then there’s the Kaipara Harbour to the north-west, one of the largest harbours in the world, which adds another impressive waterway to the mix.

Auckland’s nick name “City of Sails” comes from its iconic location and it has plenty of access to the water.

While we don’t consider Auckland any more special than plenty of other cities around the world, it is a place we’ve sort of called home. For years we were prepared to go as far as saying, “We live in the country near Auckland… but we are not Aucklanders!”

That said, there are parts of Auckland we genuinely enjoy—especially Viaduct Harbour and the Wynyard Quarter down in the city centre. This is where the bases for the America’s Cup, SailGP, and various round-the-world yacht fleets have been set up. If you’re keen, you can even go for a ride on one of the New Zealand America’s Cup challengers.

It’s also just a great place to spend a summer afternoon: wandering the waterfront, admiring the luxury boats (often full-blown superyachts), then kicking back with a cold one and sampling a bit of local cuisine.

One amazing place about 45 minutes north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge is Gibbs Farm, a privately owned property.

Set on the edge of (and partly within) the Kaipara Harbour, it’s an impressive open-air sculpture park made up of huge, larger-than-life works spread across rolling farmland. And then—because they can—there are also a few exotic animals roaming around, including giraffes, emus, zebras, alpacas, Highland cattle, deer and American buffalo/bison.

Apart from the shock factor the first time you spot the sculptures (a number can be seen as you head south on SH16, around 15km north of Kaukapakapa), it’s also a little humbling to realise this is a private endeavour—yes, backed by a very wealthy family—who choose to open it up to the public on scheduled open days (generally the third Thursday of each month). Local groups such as schools and Girl Guides often sell tickets for these days as a way to raise funds.

As an interesting footnote, Alan Gibbs has invented a number of amphibious vehicles, including the Gibbs Aquada—which Richard Branson (of Virgin Group fame) used for a cross-English-Channel trip—and the Quadski, a cross between an ATV and a jet ski.

There are a number of islands within easy reach of Auckland, with ferries running from the city. These include Rangitoto (climb the volcano) and Kawau (visit Governor Sir George Grey’s Mansion House) both great for day trips and exploring on foot. Waiheke is larger and a hugely popular weekend escape for Aucklanders, especially for sampling the local produce—well-known vineyards like Cable Bay, Man O’War and Mudbrick, distilleries such as Waiheke Distilling and the Waiheke Whisky, and an ever-expanding range of craft breweries, including Alibi Brewing and Waiheke Brewing. (You can, of course, find excellent vineyards, craft breweries and distilleries without ever leaving the mainland.)

Further afield—around 4.5 hours by ferry—and for the more adventurous, is the remote and rugged Great Barrier Island.

Tip: While it’s a reasonably sized city, don’t expect world-class public transport. It works well enough for some trips, but it can be limited, slow, and patchy—especially once you’re outside the central areas—so it’s worth planning around that (and allowing extra time if you’re relying on it).

Closing Thought: While the Auckland region is largely centred on the city—which, in many ways, is much like any other city in the world—it has enough going for it to justify a short stop.