Auckland travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Auckland, planned over three days
Best time to visit Auckland
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer, peak and best for water. Warm sea, long evenings, highest costs and crowds.
Autumn, locals favourite sweet spot. Sea swimmable into April, harvest on Waiheke, prices ease.
Winter, quiet, wet and cheapest. Museums, restaurants and rugby come forward.
Spring, rising, windy and good value. Gardens at their best, shoulder pricing.
Best months overall: late February to April, warm sea, settled weather and post peak prices.
October to November is best for walkers on a budget.
What's on
- ASB Classic early-mid Jan
Tennis tournament in early to mid January.
- Auckland Anniversary Weekend regatta late Jan
Regatta and harbour events over Auckland Anniversary Weekend.
- Lantern Festival Feb
Around Lunar New Year, the largest cultural festival in New Zealand.
- St Jerome's Laneway Festival Feb
Summer music festival in February.
- Pasifika Festival Mar
Largest Pacific Islands cultural festival in the world, at Western Springs.
- Auckland Arts Festival Mar
Arts festival in March.
- Auckland Writers Festival May
Writers festival in May.
- Matariki Jun-Jul
Maori New Year, public holiday with city wide events and dawn ceremonies on maunga.
- Auckland Marathon late Oct / early Nov
Marathon that runs over the Harbour Bridge.
- Diwali Festival Oct-Nov
Diwali festival at Aotea Square in October to November.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Auckland
Waiheke Island
Ferry over for vineyards, beaches and a long lunch. Give it a full day, not a half day.
Auckland War Memorial Museum
The essential first stop for Maori and Pacific collections, a war canoe and war memorial floors.
Auckland Domain Wintergardens
Free glasshouses in the Domain, an easy add on after the museum.
Maungawhau / Mount Eden
Highest natural point in the city, with a grassed crater and views across both harbours.
Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill
Quieter volcanic cone in Cornwall Park with pa history, sheep and ancient pohutukawa.
Rangitoto Island
Youngest volcano in Auckland. Climb through lava fields and pohutukawa forest to the summit.
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Flagship gallery for historic and contemporary New Zealand art, beside Albert Park.
Devonport
Short ferry to a Victorian seaside village with volcanic cones, a beach, bookshops and cafes.
Where to stay in Auckland
Britomart / lower CBD waterfront
first trip, all-round base
Sleekest slice of the centre, with ferries and Britomart Station a flat walk away.
Viaduct Harbour / Wynyard Quarter
harbour views and nightlife-adjacent stays
Hotels line a working marina of bars and restaurants. Livelier and noisier on weekends.
Ponsonby / Grey Lynn
neighbourhood trip, food-first travellers
Villa streets and Ponsonby Road dining, with fewer big hotels and a walk to the ferries.
Parnell
quiet, pretty base near the Museum
Leafy and historic, with a village high street, Rose Gardens and the Domain on the doorstep.
Devonport / Takapuna (North Shore)
beach-village pace
Ferry commute charm and a real beach, but the Harbour Bridge punishes south or west plans.
Waiheke Island
1-2 night add-on
Magical winery and beach stay, but basing only there makes city plans a ferry timetable exercise.
Think twice about
- Mid-to-upper Queen Street and immediate side streets
Visible rough sleeping around Aotea Square, Myers Park and Greys Ave, and an uneasy walk at night. Stay toward the waterfront instead.
- Motorway-fringe / airport corridor
Good for a late arrival or early departure, but dead and car dependent as a holiday base.
- Outer sprawl sold as Auckland
Deep Manukau, Albany and Henderson without a car mean thin transport and hours lost daily.
Best restaurants in Auckland
Ahi.
Ben Bayly flagship telling a New Zealand food story from producers nationwide. Book first.
Onemata
Wood fire cooking centred on New Zealand ingredients in a calm harbour edge dining room.
Mr Morris
Pacific influenced fine casual cooking in Britomart, with open fire and warm service.
Cassia
Modern Indian cooking by Sid Sahrawat in a moody basement room at SkyCity.
Depot Eatery
Al Brown oyster and shared plates institution. No bookings for small groups, arrive early.
Federal Delicatessen
Same stable as Depot, great for breakfast and lunch on Federal Street.
Amano
Italian leaning bakery restaurant in a heritage warehouse, strong from breakfast to dinner.
Hello Beasty
New Zealand meets East Asian sharing plates on the Viaduct edge. Fun and group friendly.
Outdoor things to do in Auckland
Piha Beach
Wild black sand surf beach under Lion Rock. Swim only between the flags.
Karekare Beach
Quieter west coast beach near a waterfall, backed by Waitakere rainforest.
Waitākere Ranges Regional Park
Rainforest tracks among kauri and tree ferns, entered via the Arataki Visitor Centre.
Tiritiri Matangi Island
Open bird sanctuary where pest eradication brought back rare native birds. Take the guided walk.
Titirangi Golf Club
Only Alister MacKenzie designed course in New Zealand, 20 minutes from the CBD.
Muriwai Golf Links
True oceanside links on the west coast with all year play and easier booking.
Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club
Premier private members club with 27 Nicklaus redesigned holes near the airport.
Tara Iti Golf Club
Private, invitation only course among the world's top ten, north of Auckland. Access needs a member or a sponsored arrangement.
Best hotels in Auckland
The Hotel Britomart
Design forward, sustainability led hotel in the Britomart laneways.
Hotel DeBrett
25 room heritage boutique on High Street with individually styled rooms and House Bar.
Park Hyatt Auckland
Waterfront splurge with large rooms, harbour views and Onemata restaurant.
QT Auckland
Design hotel in the Viaduct for travellers who want a bar scene in the building.
SO/ Auckland
Design hotel near Britomart and the Viaduct with a bar scene in the building.
M Social Auckland
Reliable mid range CBD workhorse. Ask for a high, harbour facing room.
Grand Millennium Auckland
Big mid range hotel by Aotea Square and the Civic. Ask for a high floor for harbour views.
Four Points by Sheraton Auckland
Practical mid range base at the top of Queen Street, near K Road's bars. Fine value, not much charm.
Is Auckland expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NZ$150 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NZ$300 a person |
| Splurge | NZ$600 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Waiheke Island: weeks ahead
- Explore Group America's Cup Sailing: a few days ahead
- Tiritiri Matangi Island: weeks ahead
- Titirangi Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Muriwai Golf Links: a few days ahead
- Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Tara Iti Golf Club: months ahead
- Hobbiton Movie Set: weeks ahead
- Ahi, Mr Morris, Pasture format counters and Waiheke weekend lunches: 1 to 3 weeks out in summer.
- Waiheke ferries and lunch in Dec to Feb, Tiritiri Matangi ferries as soon as dates are known, Hobbiton days to weeks ahead in peak.
- Schedule weather dependent sights early in the stay so you have a second chance.
Is Auckland safe?
- Low violent crime for visitors, normal big city awareness suffices.
- Queen Street and Aotea at night: stick to lit, busier waterfront routes late.
- West coast rips at Piha, Muriwai and Karekare drown people yearly. Swim between flags.
- New Zealand UV is fierce even on cloudy days. Sunscreen is a safety item.
- Rangitoto and Tiritiri have no supplies. Carry water and respect last ferry times.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Auckland travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Judging Auckland by Queen Street alone and leaving after one night. It rewards 3 nights as a base.
- Orbit 360 as a food splurge: you pay for rotation and altitude. Eat elsewhere and go up separately.
- Sky Tower on a grey pre-booked slot. Buy when you can see the top of the tower from the street.
- Self-driving Hobbiton as a casual add-on: 5 to 6 hours of road in the day.
- Viaduct bar strip as nightlife. Aucklanders go to Ponsonby Road, K Road and Britomart laneways.
Getting around Auckland: public transport and more
- Fullers360 ferries from Downtown Ferry Terminal: Devonport 12 min, Waiheke 40 min, Rangitoto 25 min.
- Tap a contactless bank card or phone, or an AT HOP card, on and off buses, trains and AT ferries. Britomart Station is the rail hub.
- Walk the centre, Britomart and Viaduct triangle. Beyond that Auckland is hilly and sprawling, use rideshare.
- Rent a car only for west coast, Matakana, Coromandel or golf days. City parking is pricey and peak traffic is bad.
- Airport is 45 to 60 plus minutes to the CBD in traffic. SkyDrive runs direct; the AirportLink bus to Puhinui plus a train is the cheapest way in.
Who Auckland suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Auckland your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store