Auckland
Maungakiekie was the largest and most spiritually significant Māori pā (fortified village) prior to British arrival. At the top of this volcanic cone (at…
Must-see attractions in Auckland
Kingsland & Mt Eden
From the top of Auckland’s highest volcanic cone (196m), the entire isthmus and both harbours are laid bare. The symmetrical crater (50m deep) is known as…
Parnell & Newmarket
This imposing neoclassical temple (1929), capped with an impressive copper-and-glass dome (2007), dominates the Auckland Domain and is a prominent part of…
City Centre & Britomart
Auckland's premier art repository has a striking glass-and-wood atrium grafted onto its 1887 French chateau frame. It showcases the best of NZ art, along…
Auckland
Housed in a gorgeous 1879 mansion with views to One Tree Hill and the Manukau Harbour, this arts centre is endowed with contemporary NZ art from an…
Auckland
At this modern, spacious zoo, the big foreigners tend to steal the attention from the timid natives, but if you can wrestle the kids away from the tigers…
Auckland
North Head was a Māori pā and is still a fortress of sorts, with the navy maintaining a presence. It's riddled with tunnels, started at the end of the…
City Centre & Britomart
The 'mighty Civic' (1929) is one of only seven ‘atmospheric theatres’ remaining in the world and a fine survivor from cinema’s Golden Age. The auditorium…
City Centre & Britomart
The impossible-to-miss Sky Tower looks like a giant hypodermic giving a fix to the heavens. Spectacular lighting renders it space age at night and the…
City Centre & Britomart
Built in 1856, this stately building was the colony's seat of power until 1865 when Wellington became the capital. The construction is unusual in that it…
Parnell & Newmarket
The Wintergarden, with its fernery, tropical house, cool house, cute cat statue and neighbouring cafe, is in the Auckland Domain.
Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium
Auckland
In this topsy-turvy aquarium sharks and stingrays swim over and around you in transparent tunnels that were once stormwater tanks. You can also enter the…
Auckland
Parents bring their children to this picturesque park for the popular playground. It’s a pleasant picnic spot and a good place to get acquainted with…
Viaduct Harbour & Wynyard Quarter
This museum traces NZ’s seafaring history, from Māori voyaging canoes to the America’s Cup. Recreations include a tilting 19th-century steerage-class…
Parnell & Newmarket
Covering about 80 hectares, this green swath contains the Auckland Museum, sports fields, interesting sculpture, formal gardens, wild corners and the…
City Centre & Britomart
Auckland's most recent installation of public art is this replica 'state house' – a form of public housing popular in NZ in the 1930s and 1940s – erected…
City Centre & Britomart
Hugging the hill on the city’s eastern flank, Albert Park is a charming Victorian formal garden overrun by students from the neighbouring University of…
Auckland
Politics, harbour views and lush lawns combine on this pretty headland with a chequered history. An elaborate clifftop garden mausoleum honours Michael…
Maungawhau Visitor Experience Centre
Kingsland & Mt Eden
Opened in late 2019, this excellent visitor centre showcases the geological and Māori cultural history of Maungawhau/Mt Eden. Highlights include an…
Parnell & Newmarket
These formal gardens are blooming excellent from November to March. A stroll through Dove-Myer Robinson Park leads to peaceful Judges Bay and tiny St…
City Centre & Britomart
The University Clock Tower is Auckland's architectural triumph. This stately ‘ivory' tower (1926) tips its hat to art nouveau (the incorporation of NZ…
City Centre & Britomart
Auckland’s Catholic cathedral (1907) is one of the city's loveliest buildings. Polished wood and Belgian stained glass lend warmth to the interior of the…
Auckland
The navy has been in Devonport since the earliest days of the colony. Its history is on display at this well-presented and often moving museum, focusing…
Parnell & Newmarket
Next door to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, this wonderful wooden Gothic Revival church (1886) has a burnished interior and interesting stained-glass windows.
Auckland
Mt Victoria was a Māori pā and is still a fortress of sorts, with the navy maintaining a presence.
Kingsland & Mt Eden
On Mt Eden's rocky eastern slopes, this mature garden is noted for its camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas.
Auckland
This technology boffin's paradise is spread over two sites and 19 hectares. At the Great North Rd site look out for former Prime Minister Helen Clark’s…
Parnell & Newmarket
Auckland's Anglican cathedral is a hodgepodge of architectural styles, especially compared to St Mary's Church next door, a wonderful wooden Gothic…
Auckland
This 64-hectare park has more than 10,000 plants (including threatened species), dozens of themed gardens and an infestation of wedding parties. By car,…
Auckland
Near the excellent children’s playground, this observatory offers regular stargazing and planetarium shows that aren’t dependent on Auckland’s fickle…
Parnell & Newmarket
Built of volcanic stone, this 1857 home displays the watercolours and memorabilia of the Reverend Dr John Kinder (1819–1903), headmaster of the Church of…
Auckland
A classic colonial mansion (1863), Alberton featured as a backdrop for some scenes in The Piano. It's a 1km walk from Mt Albert train station.
Auckland
A great vantage point for gazing over Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. Traditional Māori carvings honour important historical chiefs.
Parnell & Newmarket
Built in 1864 for a clergyman, this storybook cottage is an exceptionally well-preserved example of an early colonial house.
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
This reproduction of Michelangelo's Moses was made from marble from the same quarry as the original.
Parnell & Newmarket
Tiny St Stephen's Chapel was built for the signing of the constitution of NZ's Anglican Church (1857).
Parnell & Newmarket
A marvellous Carpenter Gothic house (1862), sitting amid lush, landscaped grounds.
Auckland
It's a bit dull by international standards, but Rainbow's End has enough rides (including a corkscrew roller coaster) to keep the kids happy all day.
Karangahape Road Art Gallery Trail
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Filling the spaces between ethnic restaurants, hip wine bars and vintage-clothing shops, Karangahape Rd is home to the highest concentration of studios…