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Bookmark & shareTwo Volcanoes Walk
This 5km (3mi) walk takes 2.5 hours, but can be extended to 6km (3.5mi) and three hours by including the Navy Museum.
Take the ferry from central Auckland to Devonport, a quiet suburb of wooden Victorian villas which is almost entirely surrounded by water. You can detour left past the naval base to the Navy Museum if that interests you, or head up Victoria Rd with its many well-preserved historical buildings, and browse the art and craft galleries, cafés, bookshops and antique shops. Then walk up the extinct volcanic cone, Mt Victoria, to the panoramic viewpoint and hidden artillery on the top.
Return to Kerr St and then walk along Vauxhall Rd to sandy Cheltenham Beach. Enjoy the view of Rangitoto Island (Auckland's youngest volcano) as you walk along the beach before turning right into Cheltenham Rd and then left to North Head. This is another volcanic cone with extensive defence relics and coastal views from the summit. Walk down and back along King Edward Pde, with views of central Auckland, to the ferry wharf.
A Top Day in Auckland
A good day in Auckland starts with a big breakfast and a truly great cup of coffee, so I head to Sheinkin on Lorne St for a fix. Then I'm in the mood for souvenir shopping, and that means an authentic Flying Nun T-shirt from Little Brother on High St, followed by a perfect pair of trousers from Karen Walker. Now it's time to see a temporary exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery, with works by emerging and established contemporary local artists. And since you can't come to New Zealand without taking part in an extreme sport of some kind, I head to the Sky Tower to do the Sky Jump - a 192m descent. The adrenaline rush needs some food, so lunch at Soul on Viaduct Harbour is a must. The whitebait fritters (washed down with NZ Sauvignon Blanc) are the best in town and the atmosphere here is always buzzing. The maritime mood continues at the Maritime Museum, and then I head for an after-work (well, it's after work for everyone else) cocktail somewhere on Vulcan Lane - perhaps in the Gin Room. That night a group of us heads out for either a Japanese or Korean BBQ and a full roster of bar-hopping and rock 'n' roll gigs along the always entertaining K' Rd. Plans are made to spend tomorrow on beautiful Waiheke Island, so it's a good thing I head home before the sun's up, unlike many of the other revellers along this nocturnal strip.
Author: Sally O'Brien
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