Auckland Local Tips
To get the best our of your stay in Auckland, we've put together some handy hints and tips to take of advantage of. Time, money and convenience are all offered with our top tips.
Our Top Tips:
Don’t leave without an umbrella. The tropical climate means you could encounter rain even when the day starts off nice and sunny!
The Auckland Memorial Museum does not open its doors until 10.00am. See a traditional Maori Culture Performance (run 3 times a day) show for just $35 in the museum.
The airport shuttle bus will cost you far less than a taxi and will get you door to door from the airport. The length of the journey will depend on the number of other passengers sharing the minivan. However, a couple can save up to 50% with fares around $45 for two versus $80 for a taxi.
The red ‘city circuit’ bus offers a free hop on hop off service around the city centre every 10 minutes from 8.00am to 6.00pm every day.
Many Auckland bars run a 'happy hour' from 4.00pm until 7.00pm.
Devonport is a 12 minute ferry from Auckland and runs on a regular basis. Mount Victoria offers stunning views of the Auckland skyline. Try the fish and chips at the Patriot pub.
The ferry to Rangitoto Island only runs 2-3 times a day. The last ferry back is 4.00pm - don’t miss it!
In New Zealand, you may only park in the direction of traffic flow on your side of the road. You can be fined or towed away for parking on the opposite side of the street that you are driving along (unless it’s a one way street).
There are free wireless hot spots in the city with many cafes also offering free Wi-Fi. Often cafes give a free one hour wireless voucher with each coffee while libraries provide free internet access.
You can purchase an AT HOP Card to travel on buses, trains and ferries all on the one card. Using an AT HOP card is cheaper and faster than cash fares. It's best to buy a ticket before you board or, tag on with your AT HOP card for your travel. You can purchase AT HOP cards online, from lots of retailers across the city, ticket and top-up machines across Auckland including the AT Customer Service Centre and Pier 1 at the Downtown Ferry Terminal.
Fish Market - enjoy the Jazz band every Thursday (5.00pm-9.00pm) along with a tasty wine at the fish market. Located at number 22 Jellicoe Street near the Viaduct basin.
Scenic Driving - Make good use of Auckland's location on four great driving trails: Thermal Explorer; Pacific Coast Highway; Great New Zealand; and Twin Coast Discovery Touring Routes.
Dining - For family restaurants, Wynyard Quarter is your best choice. For dining combined with a night out, head to Viaduct Harbour. For popular dining spots that the locals head to try Parnell and Ponsonby.
Nightlife - The Britomart in the downtown area has some of the coolest bars and restaurants. The Viaduct Harbour has the established bars and restaurants that are popular with tourists. Ponsonby is a favourite spot with locals while K-Road situated off the top of Queen Street is ideal looking for nightlife with a little more 'edge'.
Beaches - The North Shore and further north of Auckland offer some of the best sandy beaches including Orewa, while West Auckland features the dark volcanic and surfing favourites of Piha and Muriwai.
