Auckland New Zealand

May 18

I’m not a city girl, but if I were going to live in a city, Auckland New Zealand might just be the one. This area of the North Island is stunningly beautiful and the city is placed perfectly to showcase the beach and harbor. It’s a cosmopolitan city with endless dining choices and things to do. Getting around the city is easy whether you choose to walk, take the public transportation, or grab an Uber. It’s no wonder it has grown to be so popular as a place to live or visit.

We stayed in the Ponsonby area in a lovely garden studio we found through Airbnb. Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland known for dining, shopping, art galleries, and nightclubs. Ponsonby has an eclectic mix of buildings from art deco to contemporary buildings. The homes are beautifully restored and maintained, the residents are fit, and on a Saturday morning it seemed everyone was out and about walking their dog or enjoying coffee at the local cafe.

We loved the vibe in this hip, quiet neighborhood which was just a short walk or bus ride to downtown Auckland.

A painter on the street in the Ponsonby district capturing the beautiful evening landscape.

The Sky Tower, an observation and telecommunications tower, has stood tall at 328 meters as an icon of Auckland’s sky line for almost 20 years. It’s an exciting hub of adrenaline activities, superb dining and breathtaking views. It also makes a great navigation point for finding your way around the city.

People actually bungy off the tower – would you???

There are some lovely parks you can cut through or stop and relax in while walking the city of Auckland.

There is a really cool app for self guided tours around cities called GPSmyCity.com. You can download maps and choose different tours around cities. We did this in Auckland to find interesting stops and architecture. Auckland was the perfect city for this app because of the unique heritage and architecture.

The Auckland Town Hall is a historic building on Queen Street in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions, as well as for its famed Great Hall and its separate Concert Chamber.

‘Waharoa’ is a seven metre high gateway and stands at the entrance to Aotea Square, transforming it into a marae or meeting place, and Aotea Centre into a meeting house.

The Civic Theatre was one stop along the route. It was closed as they were preparing for an upcoming show. However, when a manager saw us peering through the door, he was invited us in to take a look around and take pictures. Would love to see a show there someday!

Silo Park and Heritage Landing is a another cool area of the city that has been “repurposed” with colorful silos, a public park and the silo Markets on weekends. They even have Silo Cinema where films are projected onto the side of Silo7 to create a magical open-air movie theatre – Goonies!!!

We stopped in at the Auckland Fish Market. If we’d been staying someplace with a kitchen, this would have been a great place to get some fresh fish to cook!

Jump into the water – why not?

Auckland is just such a cool and unique city. As we continued our walk along the water, we came to Wynyard Crossing, a walking/cycling drawbridge connecting us to another unique area of the Auckland waterfront.

It was fashion week, and even though I didn’t find any styles for me, it was fun to chat with the designers!

Just like everywhere in New Zealand, the people of Auckland are lovely! While checking out Ponsonby Central, some cool old buildings repulsed into food vendors and boutiques, we came upon a long line of women. One lady called me over and told me to get in line with them because the doors were about to open. It was a Dress for Success event and while I didn’t make any purchases, it was a lot of fun to be swept up in the excitement.

And, if you think Auckland is beautiful by day, you should check it out at night!

Auckland would be a great place to hang and acclimate after the long flight from the states or as a jumping off point for a drive further into the Northland or a flight to another part of this amazing country. These are just a few reasons we love Auckland New Zealand!