AWOL’s Guide To The Real Auckland
The Great Outdoors
GO HERE FOR A BREATHTAKING VIEW
Mt Eden. On your way up, you’ll be thinking, “It’s just a hill. What’s the big deal?” But once you reach the top, not only do you get a panoramic view of the city, you can walk around the crater of a dormant volcano and it’s only then, when you look out on the city and surrounding suburbs, that most of Auckland is not hills, but volcanos. Fifty-three of them. All dormant. All possibly waking sometime in the next 1000 years.
TAKE A HIKE
Rangitoto Island. In the middle of the Waitemata Harbour, Rangitoto is the most recent volcano to erupt (about 600 years ago) and is the biggest Pohutukawa forest on Earth. The most direct option is about an hour to the summit, but there are alternatives if you want to take your time. You have to catch a ferry over ($30 return from downtown) so don’t miss the last boat.
PARKS AND REC
The Domain is a sprawling park with lush grass, rolling hills, sports fields, the Auckland Museum, the Winter Gardens (indoor tropical gardens that are totally worth visiting), short bush walks, duck ponds and hidden nooks.
The Auckland Art Gallery (corner Kitchener & Wellesley Streets) recently reopened after a major renovation. There’s usually a good mix of New Zealand historical and contemporary art, from . If you want more art, head out to dealer galleries Hopkinson Mossman (19 Putiki St) and Michael Lett (312 Karangahape Road).
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