New Zealand is made up of two large islands with Wellington being the capitol. They say if you get a chance to visit New Zealand, it is almost mandatory that you visit Auckland and Christchurch. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to visit Christchurch but I did get the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Auckland. I spent most of my time in the downtown area. One popular street that you will find a majority of the crowd is Queen St, its about 10 miles long and has tons of shops and eatery’s. Towards the bottom of Queen St you can find the wharf which also has a large selection of shops and eating establishments. If you want to venture out of the downtown area for a while, then I highly suggest that you take the hop on hop off bus it has about 14 different stops and shows you another side to Auckland. Last but not least I will say if you are the outdoors type you should take a trip to Mt Eden Summit where you can catch breathtaking views of the city.
In my opinion, the Hop On Hop Off bus tour is one of the best “bang for your buck” activities that you can book. I say this because for about $20 USD/ per person, you will be able to enjoy comfortable seating and beautiful sights of the city. The tour explores more then 14 different attractions around the city and you will have the opportunity to check out each stop at your own pace. The buses normally run about 15-20 mins apart so you can catch the next one once you are finished which each attraction. (Prices for HOHO Bus may vary depending on tour company and time of the year)
The only thing I regret about this trip, was the fact that I didn’t allow enough time to go out and enjoy the nightlife. I’ve heard stories about how great the nightlife is in Auckland, but I just couldn’t fit the time into my already jam packed schedule. Based on a conversation that I had with a local, he told me that New Zealand is a popular backpacking country and with that you will find a large number of “backpacking bars” scattered around town. This is the best opportunity to receive discounted food/ drinks and meet new like minded travelers. Some of the main areas to find these party scenes will be; Viaduct Harbour, Queen Street and Britomart.
Every time I travel outside the country, one of the top items on my list is to find the highest and best view of the city, if it exists. During my research for this trip, I stumbled across a place called Mt. Eden. Mount Eden is one of the most prominent volcanic cones that remain in Auckland, which dates back about 15,000 years ago. This is now a dormant volcano and the highest natural point on the Auckland isthmus. This is one of the stops on the HOHO (Hop on Hop Off ) Bus and I highly recommend that you take a second to soak up the spectacular views at 643 ft above sea level.