3 minute read
Get to know Central Auckland
World-class shopping, buzzing waterfront precincts lined with restaurants, a vibrant arts and culture scene and harbour adventures right on your doorstep.
VIADUCT HARBOUR & WYNYARD QUARTER
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Relax with fine food and wine or a casual meal at one of Viaduct Harbour’s popular restaurants and bars, with the superyachts moored just metres away. The nearby Wynyard Quarter is a revitalised waterfront precinct brimming with harbourside restaurants, a funky play space for the kids and Silo Park with the Silo 6 exhibition space inside a cluster of silo cylinders.
Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter, Central Auckland
QUEEN STREET
Queen St stretches from the waterfront up to K’ Rd. You’ll find everything from familiar chains and top-end designer boutiques to theatres, galleries, cafés and restaurants and nightlife hot spots.
KARANGAHAPE ROAD & PONSONBY
Karangahape Rd (K’ Rd) is where high fashion sits alongside retro, vintage, music and streetwear stores. The nightlife is colourful, with cabaret-style restaurants, karaoke bars and local pubs offering live music.
Ponsonby is one of Auckland’s hippest strips. It’s packed with upmarket boutique stores, chic cafés, stylish restaurants and sophisticated bars.
Shopping in Ponsonby, Central Auckland © Camilla Rutherford
MT EDEN & ONE TREE HILL
There are many fantastic places to enjoy knockout views of Auckland in all its glory. The volcanic cones provide some of the best spots. (Maungakiekie) One Tree Hill has views of the city’s two harbours, the Manukau and Waitematā harbours and is Auckland’s largest cone with three craters.
BRITOMART
Within Britomart’s compact block of cobbled laneways, streets and open spaces are an eclectic collection of cafés, restaurants and flagship designer stores by day, and the bars and clubs of one of central Auckland’s most popular nightlife destinations by night. You’ll also find an official eco-hotel here, The Hotel Britomart.
NEWMARKET & PARNELL
Both Newmarket and Parnell are stylish suburbs where fashion reigns supreme. In Newmarket, shopaholics soak up the main drag of Broadway, the Westfield mega-mall which is also the country’s largest, and Nuffield St, while in Parnell you’ll find brilliant small art galleries dotted among the shops.
© Shopping in Newmarket, Central Auckland
TIME BY THE HARBOUR
Relax on the water’s edge at Queens Wharf and dine at lunch spots found in shipping containers. International cuisine abounds on the Viaduct while the Wynyard Quarter boasts bars, fine food and a fishmongers-come-modern food court at the Auckland Fish Market. Laze on oversized loungers or find the cute Container Library, grab a book and relax in the sunshine.
View of Central Auckland
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AUCKLAND SKY TOWER
The most recognisable shape puncturing central Auckland’s sparkling skyline, the 328m-high Sky Tower is the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere. Head up for a rotating restaurant, a café and viewing deck. The more adventurous can walk around the outer edge on the SkyWalk or leap to the ground below with SkyJump.
Fireworks over Auckland’s skyline © Getty Images
SEA LIFE KELLY TARLTON'S AQUARIUM
Take the underwater travelator tunnel and watch as sharks glide above and around you, visit the Sub-Antarctic penguins, spot tropical fish and view a huge variety of marine life. If you’re up for it, experience snorkelling in a shark cage (only available during weekends).
MOTAT
Explore MOTAT, Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology, where you’ll find interactive exhibitions on the history of New Zealand transport, technology and Kiwi ingenuity. There’s plenty of excitement for the kids here, including tram rides
AUCKLAND ZOO
Auckland Zoo is home to over 1400 animals. Find the new Te Puna café where you can watch orangutans and siamang swing by, or venture to the viewing area at the zoo’s on-site Vet Hospital. Over summer, ‘Zoo Lates’ runs from 17 January until 6 March 2021, when the zoo enjoys later opening hours from 9.30am-8pm.
Tiger, Auckland Zoo, Central Auckland © Getty Images
