Auckland is fun and full of energy!

You ever have the experience where you are walking down the street and you feel like you’ve been there before? Déjà vu! You may think you have been there before, but you haven’t, but, you’re sure you saw that coffee shop before?!  Auckland is that city for us.  It reminds us so much of our home, but at its full potential.  Auckland is fun and full of energy – read this post to find out more!

Back in 2014, we were heading on a cruise around the North Island and South Island of New Zealand, embarking from Auckland.  We decided to spend a few days ahead of time in Auckland to see more about this city we had heard so much about.  If you want more information on extending your cruise, check out our posting on extensions here.

The flight to Auckland from Vancouver, BC was a smooth one. We flew Cathay Pacific with a short stopover in Hong Kong.  Landing in Auckland at about 6am in the morning, we were well rested after enjoying our comfortable seats in Premium Economy.  Up till this flight, we rarely slept as well on a flight.  For this first visit to Auckland we had booked via Agoda a room in one of the hotels.  Up on the 25^th floor of the Chifley Suites, we enjoyed a magnificent view of the Sky Tower, and the City Centre (CBD) as well.   

Our three days in Auckland were jam-packed with walking and enjoying the great harbour and restaurants.  We knew we would make it back here!  It is so vibrant. Check below for our recommendations.

Recommendations

Flights

On our second trip to Auckland in 2019, we opted for a direct flight from Vancouver to Auckland via Air New Zealand.  We lucked out over the Christmas holidays with seeing a ticket sale (check out their sight regularly as there are some great deals!) for the spring and decided ‘why not?’.  We decided to give a go to their Sky Couch seating, and had a very enjoyable experience with it.  Keep in mind we are mid-height.  It may not be feasible for taller folks.  Take a look at the measurements!  

Accommodations

In addition to Chifley Suites, we tried a rental in 2019.  Returning for a week in the spring, we rented Best Nest Apartments in Viaduct through Booking.com.  The location – right in the harbour – was excellent.  The accommodation was well appointed and had a great ambiance.  There is no view – we knew this when booking.  Honestly, it didn’t really phase us.  Next time, a view would be great, but, being right in the CBD on the viaduct was enjoyable.

Activities in this fun-filled city

There was so much to see and do here! Auckland really is fun and full of energy.  The below are only some of the activities we enjoyed:

Hop on ferry to the islands:  so easy and inexpensive.  On both visits to Auckland we enjoyed wine tasting days on Waiheke Island.  One via a company called Ananda Tours visiting 5-6 wineries with lunch, and one self-directed through the hop-on hop-off bus.  You have to start early and be firm with your timing at each winery for the self-directed option – otherwise you loose track of your day! Easy to hop on these tours from the harbour tour stands.

Auckland War Memorial Museum:  beautiful and well appointed, it has beautiful grounds and is convenient to get to via the train or walking if you don’t mind a few hills and paths on your way from the CBD.  The architecture is stunning and the tours were educational and engaging.  Highly recommend!

Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium:  this was my first viewing of a penguin IRL and I loved it!  A well laid out, interesting aquarium a short bus ride from the CBD.  (or take a hop-on hop-off bus like we did!).

Sky Tower:  The view is worth the cost!  When we were there, you could pay to go to the viewing deck and the cost went towards your drinks/snacks in The Sugar Club! 

Wine Tours:  NZWinePro provided a fantastic day of wine tasting for us in 2019.  His wealth of knowledge and experience in the field as well as his great relationships with the wineries made this a memorable day!

We also spent so much of every day walking!  The city is a pleasure to explore and as we enjoyed beautiful end of summer weather, we were happy to stay outside and enjoy it.

Eating

Being in the inner harbour of the CBD, we had a lot of restaurants to choose from. Amano is fantastic and a real treat. Soul Bar & Bistro has a great vibe, excellent food and service, and the wine was sublime – all the local pinot noirs were there! On Ponsonby Street, if you’re out for some shopping, Prego has amazing lunches – we enjoyed stuffed zucchini flowers and an individual pizzas. We enjoyed many more – suffice to say, I don’t think we had a bad meal!

In addition to this post on the fun and full of energy Auckland, check out our posting on the amazing wildlife we enjoyed in New Zealand.   And, make sure you check out our post on Knowing where you’re going so you can plan to have a successful vacation!