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Auckland Sights
Auckland, Orewa, Helensville, Warkworth, Wellsford, Pukekohe, Waiuku, Clevedon, Maraetai
Muriwai, Piha, Coatesville, Kumeu, Drury, Great Barrier Island, Waiheke Island
Tourism NZ
Photo courtesy of Auckland City Council, aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
MISSION BAY ART & CRAFT MARKET
- Mission Bay, Auckland
Each year on Auckland's Anniversary Day you'll find the Mission Bay Art & Craft Market. Here you can expect a diverse range of stalls, culture and treasure hunting. The market is always awash with arts, fashion, crafts and food from 10am until 4pm, so grab your family & friends, head on down and enjoy yourself for the day.
Location: Mission Bay, Auckland.
Price: free.
Hours: 24.
Web:
MISSION BAY - Mission Bay, Auckland
Mission Bay delivers a beautful white sandy beach just minutes from the city centre,
situated along Tamaki Drive. A popular destination, Mission Bay is the the most accessible urban beach from downtown Auckland and considered one of the region’s most popular beaches. The bay itself combines a sheltered white sand beach with grassy areas and a magnificent fountain, all just across the road from a vibrant
beachfront promenade lined with stylish but relaxed bars, cafes and restaurants.
Location: 15 mins from CBD, Auckland.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Web:
Photo courtesy of Auckland City Council, aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Photo courtesy of Auckland City Council, aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Photo courtesy of Brendan Waters, Google+
WHAKANEWHA REGIONAL PARK - Waiheke Island
Whakanewha Regional Park delivers a sweeping beach and backgrounded by bush. The park offers a nice beach and mature coastal forest for swimming, picnicking, walking and camping. It is now an Auckland Regional Park.
"At high tide the water is shallow, warm and ideal for children. Picnic spots on the foreshore are plentiful."
Whakanewha Regional Park's fragment of mature coastal forest includes taraire, kohekohe and kanuka.
Location: W
Price: free.
Hours: 24.
Web:
Photo courtesy of Auckland City Council, aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
MOTUIHE ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Motuihe Island is situated between Motutapu and Waiheke islands in the Hauraki Gulf, near Auckland. The island spans a distance of 179 ha (440 acres), of which around 18 ha (44 acres) are remnants of coastal forest. The island is a recreation reserve controlled by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and administered by the Motuihe Trust. It is a popular spot for day trips, accessible by 30-minute ferry trip from Auckland, by seaplane, or by private boat. The island is known for its beautiful beaches. The name comes from Te Motu-a-Ihenga, meaning 'Ihenga's Island' in Māori.
Location: Hauraki Gulf.
Price: free.
Hours: Dependent on ferry services and tour operators
Photo courtesy of Ingolfson, wikipedia
HAURAKI GULF MARINE PARK - Hauraki Gulf
Considered New Zealand’s only national marine park, Hauraki Reserve Marine Park covers an area of 1.2 million hectares, from Auckland to Waikato through to the eastern coastline of the Coromandel waters. Within the marine park waters are fifty small emerald islands which include Waiheke, Great Barrier and Rakino as well as five individual marine reserves. The islands and recreational reserves of Hauraki Reserve Marine Park are top destinations for snorkelling, sailing, diving, tramping, kayaking, swimming and bird watching.
Location: Hauraki Gulf. You can access from Devonport, Auckland.
Hours: 24
Price: free.
Photo courtesy of Scott Venning
Photo courtesy of Auckland Zoo
ROTOROA ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Rotoroa Island is situated to the east of Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. It covers 82 hectares (200 acres). Purchased by the Salvation Army for £400 in 1908 from the Ruthe family to expand their alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility at nearby Pakatoa Island, the treatment facility was closed in 2005, leased by Neal and Annette Plowman in 2008, who formed a trust to create a conservation park on the island and then given to Auckland in February 2011. The Plowmans begun a revegetation project which will eventually include 400,000 native plants. The chapel, schoolhouse and jail are being restored and a visitor centre will be built.
The island is accessible through various ferry and air service companies.
Location: Hauraki Gulf.
Price: free.
Hours: 24. Travel times vary depending travel provider.
Web: www.rotoroa.org.nz
Photo courtesy of teara.govt.nz
MOTUTAPU ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Motutapu Island is a 1,509 ha (3,730 acres) island in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of Auckland. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. Its full name is Te Motutapu a Taikehu, "The sacred island of Taikehu", Taikehu having been a tohunga (tribal priest) of the Tainui iwi. 'Motutapu', meaning "sacred" or "sanctuary" island, is a term used for various islands in a number of Polynesian cultures. There are a number of roads and walking tracks to explore the island, which is joined to Rangitoto Island by a causeway built in WWII. There is a basic campsite at Home Bay. The island can be accessed via regular ferry services departing from Auckland City.
Location: Hauraki Gulf.
Hours: 24, Travel times depend on transport providers.
Price: free
WAIHEKE MUSEUM & HISTORIC VILLAGE
- Waiheke Island
The museum offers a slice of Old Waiheke displaying a reconstructed woolshed
housing the Museum’s main exhibits, a 1930s-style island cottage that can be used as a meeting room, three small bach-style houses with period rooms and photo exhibits, a working manually-operated telephone exchange and the original Waiheke jail.
Location: 165 Onetangi Rd, Waiheke Island.
Price: admission by donation.
Hours: 12pm till 4pm Wed, Sat & Sun.
WAIHEKE MUSEUM & HISTORIC VILLAGE
- Waiheke Island
The museum offers a slice of Old Waiheke displaying a reconstructed woolshed
housing the Museum’s main exhibits, a 1930s-style island cottage that can be used as a meeting room, three small bach-style houses with period rooms and photo exhibits, a working manually-operated telephone exchange and the original Waiheke jail.
Location: 165 Onetangi Rd, Waiheke Island.
Price: admission by donation.
Hours: 12pm till 4pm Wed, Sat & Sun.
MOTUTAPU ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Motutapu Island is a 1,509 ha (3,730 acres) island in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of Auckland. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. Its full name is Te Motutapu a Taikehu, "The sacred island of Taikehu", Taikehu having been a tohunga (tribal priest) of the Tainui iwi. 'Motutapu', meaning "sacred" or "sanctuary" island, is a term used for various islands in a number of Polynesian cultures. There are a number of roads and walking tracks to explore the island, which is joined to Rangitoto Island by a causeway built in WWII. There is a basic campsite at Home Bay. The island can be accessed via regular ferry services departing from Auckland City.
Location: Hauraki Gulf.
Hours: 24, Travel times depend on transport providers.
Price: free
Photo courtesy of teara.govt.nz
STONY BATTER HISTORIC RESERVE - Waiheke Island
Stony Batter is a historic defence installation situated at the northeastern end of Waiheke Island. The defence installation is sited within a 50 acre (200,000 m²) scenic reserve of the same name serving doubly as an historical place and nature reserve. The defence installation is reputed to be the largest in New Zealand.
Location: Stony Batter, Waiheke Island.
Price: free
Hours: 24
VINEYARDS
There are a selection of vineyards throughout Auckland where you can taste their selections of wines.
Always an enjoyable day out, spend your day relaxing in the Auckland climate whilst sipping many a delectable option of wine, just be sure to either choose a tour guide or find an alternative option to driving.
The best way to find winery tour service providers is to visit the local information centre.
Photo courtesy of teara.govt.nz
BROWNS ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Browns Island or Motukorea is a small island in the Hauraki Gulf north of Musick Point and is one of the best preserved volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field. Due to centuries of cultivation little native bush remains except on the north-eastern cliffs, leaving the volcanic landforms easily visible. It exhibits the landforms from three styles of eruption (date unknown). The island consists of one main scoria cone with a deep crater, a small remnant arc of the tuff ring forming the cliffs in the northeast, and the upper portions of lava flows. Historic sites cover much of the island including Maori pa sites, gardens and settlements, in some cases several hundred years old. Other sites are associated with early European settlement.
Location: Hauraki Gulf.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Photo courtesy of Andy Shaw, Manzmystery, Flickr.com
TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Tiritiri Matangi Island is a wildlife sanctuary and regarded as one of New Zealand's most important and exciting conservation projects. Located 30km north east of central Auckland and just 4km from the end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Due to 120 years of farming the island's 220-hectares was stripped of 94% of its native bush but due to the efforts of volunteers between 1984 and 1994, between 250,000 and 300,000 trees have been planted. The Island is now 60% forested with the remaining 40% left as grassland for species preferring open habitat. The island is now home to a large number of threatened and endangered bird and reptile species, including the flightless takahe, one of the world’s rarest species, and the tuatara.
Location: Hauraki Gulf, 4kms off Whangapararoa Peninsula, 30km's from Auckland.
Price: free
Hours: 24. Transport operators have varying travel times.
Photo courtesy of nekretninebl.com
PAKATOA ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Pakatoa Island covers 24 hectares (59 acres) and is situated in the Hauraki Gulf. Purchased in the early 1900s by the Salvation Army it was used as an alcohol treatment centre for women, isolated from the Army's male rehabilitation facility on Rotoroa Island. The island was sold in 1964 and remains one of the few Hauraki Gulf Islands in private ownership. Development on the island includes a tourist resort, a landing strip and a nine hole golf course. Apart from boat access, the island can be reached in 15 minutes from Auckland City by helicopter. The public areas include two beaches, a restaurant and coffee bar, takeaway foods, tourist license bar and lounge bars together with kitchen facilities, entertainment and conference centre, reception, office and shop, 24 beach side cabins and 38, 2-3 bedroom units all with very good views.
Location: Queen Street, Auckland.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Photo courtesy of Andy Shaw, Manzmystery, Flickr.com
TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND - Hauraki Gulf
Tiritiri Matangi Island is a wildlife sanctuary and regarded as one of New Zealand's most important and exciting conservation projects. Located 30km north east of central Auckland and just 4km from the end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Due to 120 years of farming the island's 220-hectares was stripped of 94% of its native bush but due to the efforts of volunteers between 1984 and 1994, between 250,000 and 300,000 trees have been planted. The Island is now 60% forested with the remaining 40% left as grassland for species preferring open habitat. The island is now home to a large number of threatened and endangered bird and reptile species, including the flightless takahe, one of the world’s rarest species, and the tuatara.
Location: Hauraki Gulf, 4kms off Whangapararoa Peninsula, 30km's from Auckland.
Price: free
Hours: 24. Transport operators have varying travel times.