Set right on Hobson Wharf next to Viaduct Harbour, the New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui A Tangaroa is water, wood, stories, and sails all rolled into one. Opened in 1993, it traces Aotearoa’s oceanic connections from Māori navigation and early Polynesian voyaging, through European arrivals, up to modern sailing legends like America’s Cup.

Inside, you’ll find permanent galleries that showcase Māori vessels and navigation, coastal trading, whaling histories, immigration, and the tools and tales of harbour trades. There are rotating exhibits too. Many explore art, ship figureheads, and vibrant storytelling through scrimshaw and maritime painting. For families, there are hands-on booths where kids can design toy yachts, weather digital storms, or step into a „bach“ replica to experience classic Kiwi holiday vibes.

Outside, the museum has a fleet of heritage vessels. You can sail aboard Ted Ashby, a replica scow that offers one-hour sails around Waitematā Harbour nearly every day, or take shorter steamy trips on SS Puke when scheduled. Be warned: things get salty and windy, but the view of the city from the water is unbeatable.

Did you know? The steam crane Rapaki, once towering in Lyttelton after being built in Scotland in 1926, was moved to the museum and served as both exhibit and breakwater – until parts of it were removed in 2018 during harbour upgrades. (Parts remain, but the full crane is no longer intact.)

Mid-morning or early afternoon is perfect when galleries are fresh and sail-times are scheduled. Snap some shots, step aboard a heritage boat, and let the sea-borne stories of New Zealand anchor themselves in your memory.

Stretching along Auckland’s waterfront, Viaduct Harbour is where sails, style, and sea-breeze combine to make walking feel like a mini celebration. Once a rugged industrial stretch of warehouses and fisherman’s docks, the area was completely reimagined in the 1990s and early 2000s. What used to be gritty wharves became prime waterfront apartments, top-notch restaurants, and a marina full of gleaming boats.

A key turning point was hosting America’s Cup events – that helped push Auckland to invest in Viaduct’s redevelopment and polished it into the destination it is today. The precinct now combines luxury living with seriously good food: waterfront dining spots from Soul Bar & Bistro to Hello Beasty and Bivacco, where the views of the marina are almost as tasty as the dishes.

The Viaduct Harbour Marina (now branded „Auckland Central Marina“ in parts) has around 70-80 berths, handling everything from sleek superyachts to day-trip charter boats. It’s also a gateway for cruising the Waitematā Harbour and heading out toward the Hauraki Gulf.

Did you know? The Viaduct Events Centre reopened in April 2023 after renovations, now shining with a sustainability badge: floor-to-ceiling glass, event halls overlooking the harbour, and design touches that speak to both marine tradition and modern flair.

Start by meandering the boardwalk, peek into luxury shops and hidden laneways, enjoy al fresco meals by the water, then soak up the marina energy. It’s one of those parts of Auckland where you feel like you’re both in the city and by the sea – perfect for mixing history, leisure, and panoramic views.

If there’s one structure in Auckland you can’t miss, it’s the Sky Tower – a steel and concrete spire rising 328 meters above the city, dominating the skyline and daring you to look out over land, harbour, volcanoes and sea. Ever since it opened in 1997, it’s been more than just an observation tower – it’s an icon, a view-point, and (if you’re brave) an adrenaline playground.

Ride the glass-panelled lifts up to one of three public decks: the Main Observation Deck, the Lookout, and the SkyDeck perched closer to the top among the antennae. Each offers sweeping 360° panoramas – on a clear day you can see up to 80 kilometres into the distance.

For an extra pulse-race, try the SkyWalk, a 1.2-meter-wide ledge walk at 192 m above ground, open-air, harnessed, wind-in-your-hair kind of stuff. Or if you want more thrill, there’s the SkyJump – which is basically a wire-guided base jump from the same height, reaching up to roughly 85 km/h in free-fall style adrenaline.

Inside, there’s more than just vertigo. Elegant dining happens at the Orbit 360° Restaurant, which rotates while you dine. There’s also the SkyBar, The Lookout café, and a gift shop filled with Auckland keepsakes.

Did you know? On special nights, the Sky Tower lights up in millions of LED colours, supporting causes or celebrating festivals – it's one of Auckland’s favourite ways to shine.

Take a walk by Sky Tower early morning or at sunset, when the light washes the city in gold, whisking you between towering views and street-level charm. Add Sky Tower as your high point – literally – of the route, and savour how Auckland transforms from dawn to dusk.

The main art gallery in Auckland, known as Toi o Tāmaki, boasts an impressive collection of both national and international artwork, making it the most extensive in New Zealand. It frequently hosts exhibitions from around the world. Back in 2009, an American investor named Julian Robertson made headlines by generously donating art valued at a whopping $115 million to the gallery. This generous gift included works by renowned artists like Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Salvador Dali, Georges Braque, Andre Derain, Fernand Leger, Pierre Bonnard, and Henri Fantin-Latour. It was the largest art donation of its kind in the Australasia region.

The gallery itself is housed in a unique building that combines both modern and traditional architectural elements to showcase the art pieces. When you enter the gallery, you'll walk between majestic kauri columns, a type of native tree, and have the opportunity to explore four floors of exhibitions spanning seven centuries of art history. It's not just a place to admire international art; it's also home to the largest permanent collection of New Zealand art right in the heart of Auckland City.

Visitors can enjoy world-class touring exhibitions and immerse themselves in the rich diversity of traditional and contemporary international art. Additionally, friendly and knowledgeable guides are available to lead you on an engaging tour, offering insights into the art, artists, stories, and histories that enrich the gallery's collection.

Tip:
Take the cost-inclusive guided tour – you won't be sorry you did. Afterward, stick around and wander the galleries you missed during the tour.

Tucked into the heart of downtown Auckland, Albert Park is a verdant refuge where history, beauty, and a whisper of mystery meet under leafy trees. Established in the late 19th century on the former site of the Albert Barracks, this park sits where Māori settlements and fortified villages once stood – making it one of the city’s most layered places.

Walk through and you’ll see the formal garden layout with its north-south axis; the elegant bandstand, built in 1901, where people once gathered for brass bands under open skies; and the central cast-iron fountain from 1881 adorned with dolphins and cherubs that invites you to pause and listen to the trickle of water and wind in the fountain spray. The bronze statue of Queen Victoria, erected in 1899 for her Diamond Jubilee, watches over the lawns from its pedestal – still dignified, still quietly regal.

Beneath all this charm lies something unseen: a network of tunnels built in 1941 as air-raid shelters during WWII. Though they were filled in and sealed by 1946, entrances remain – blocked doorways, vents, and shafts that spark curiosity about what lies underfoot. Did you know there are roughly 3.5 kilometres of these tunnels, once maintained by council workers mostly unfit for military service, now part of Albert Park’s subterranean legend?

Today, students from the nearby University, shoppers, tourists and locals share this space – strolling paths edged by historic trees (look for the ombu and English oaks), sitting on benches near statues, or reading a book next to the fountain.

Queen Street is Auckland’s main artery where business, cafés, neon signs, and history all collide in the best way possible. Running from the waterfront near the Ferry Terminal up past midtown toward Karangahape Road, it’s roughly 3 km of hustle, history, and heart. Named after Queen Victoria when it was surveyed in 1841, Queen Street rose quickly from muddy beginnings – yes, early planners had to gravel over swamps just so building foundations wouldn’t sink.

Fires in 1858 destroyed many buildings on nearby Shortland and High Streets, pushing merchants and architects to focus their energies on Queen instead. Brick and plaster buildings sprang up in the 1860s; in 1902 Queen Street achieved two „firsts“ for New Zealand: it was the first road to be asphalted, and the first to run electric trams. (Horse-drawn buses had been rumbling along since the 1880s.) These days, the trams are gone, but their legacy lingers in the streetlamps, façades, and grand old buildings that still stand.

Fast forward to now: Queen Street is in the middle of a transformation. The Wai Horotiu Queen Street Project, completed in November 2023, has stripped away general traffic from large stretches and replaced it with widened footpaths, native plant planters, green seating areas, and safer spaces for walking, biking, or scootering.

New retail and hospitality developments are popping up too, including a major restoration of the heritage building at 131 Queen Street (formerly Milne & Choyce store) and a flagship Radisson Red hotel + rooftop bar building at 280 Queen Street, planned as one of the latest additions to the city’s skyline.

Did you know? When electric trams first rolled down Queen Street in 1902, Sir John Logan Campbell drove the leading car, and thousands lined up to watch the spectacle. Horses were still shaking their heads.

Stroll up Queen Street amid shops and heritage façades, stop in leafy pocket parks, sip coffee overlooking busy laneways, and soak up the energy that comes from a street both historic and ever-changing.