AWOL’s Guide To The Real Auckland

Henry Oliver is a freelance writer based in Auckland. He…

Take A Day Trip Here

The best day trips out of the city are to Waiheke Island and to the western beaches (see below). Waiheke is only a 40-minute ferry ride from downtown ($36 return), but you’ll feel like you’re in a different time zone as soon as you step of the boat. On Waiheke, it’s always two degrees warmer and everything happens at half-speed.

There’s great food and better wine. Visit Stony Ridge (80 Onetangi Road) for a wine tasting; the Oyster Inn (124 Ocean View Road) for, well, oysters; or Poderi Crisci (205 Awaawaroa Road) for a looooong Italian lunch deep in a valley.

Hire a scooter ($49 a day from Fun Rentals) or catch a bus around if you want to indulge.

CHECK OUT QANTAS FLIGHTS TO AUCKLAND HERE.

Up next: The Great Outdoors

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Henry Oliver

Henry Oliver is a freelance writer based in Auckland. He is currently deputy editor at Idealog magazine and is the popular music critic for North & South. In former lives, he has been a musician, a bar proprietor, and an intellectual property lawyer.