Auckland
Across the harbour bridge in Takapuna, the Emerald Inn is arrayed around a leafy courtyard and pool. It's just metres from Takapuna Beach, and there are plenty of good eating and drinking opportunities in the immediate area. Options range from studio units to one- and two-bedroom suites, and the friendly owners have plenty of ideas about things to see and do.
Self-contained holiday villas and a cottage are just next door and enjoy views of Rangitoto Island.
8.02 MILES
Maungakiekie was the largest and most spiritually significant Māori pā (fortified village) prior to British arrival. At the top of this volcanic cone (at…
6.51 MILES
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…
5.3 MILES
This imposing neoclassical temple (1929), capped with an impressive copper-and-glass dome (2007), dominates the Auckland Domain and is a prominent part of…
4.68 MILES
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…
9.02 MILES
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…
21.12 MILES
Settle in with a tapas platter and a glass of Man O' War's Valhalla chardonnay at Waiheke's only beachfront tasting room. If the weather is good, go for a…
6.31 MILES
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…
28.65 MILES
A partly unsealed road leads to this 588-hectare reserve at the end of a peninsula. This special place is an open sanctuary for native birds, protected by…
3.24 MILES
Mt Victoria was a Māori pā and is still a fortress of sorts, with the navy maintaining a presence.
3.65 MILES
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…
3.66 MILES
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…
3.88 MILES
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…
5. New Zealand Maritime Museum
4.06 MILES
This museum traces NZ’s seafaring history, from Māori voyaging canoes to the America’s Cup. Recreations include a tilting 19th-century steerage-class…
4.36 MILES
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…
4.5 MILES
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…
4.55 MILES
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…