By air
Auckland (AKL), ~21 km
Australia & New Zealand · New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand
Harbours, volcanoes and island ferries
Getting there
Best time to visit
December to March — summer
Don't miss
The Sky Tower
Mount Eden
Waiheke Island
Piha Beach
Things to do
The Sky Tower
Ferries to Waiheke Island's vineyards
Climbing Mount Eden
The west-coast black-sand beaches
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: ChewyPineapple · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers, swimwear
A quieter corner
Rangitoto Island's lava-field summit walk
Questions travellers ask
What's the best season for Auckland?
December to March, in summer. Bring layers and swimwear.
What are the top things to do in Auckland?
Go up the Sky Tower, climb Mount Eden, take a ferry to Waiheke Island's vineyards, and head out to Piha Beach or the west-coast black-sand beaches.
What's a lesser-known walk near Auckland?
Try Rangitoto Island's lava-field summit walk.
Where are the good places to eat in Auckland?
Seafood on the Viaduct Harbour, or one of Ponsonby's restaurants.
About Auckland
- Coastal
Where it is
Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, on a narrow isthmus of the North Island between two harbours, the Waitematā opening east to the Pacific and the Manukau opening west to the Tasman Sea, and dotted with dozens of volcanic cones.
History
Māori settled the isthmus, which they called Tāmaki Makaurau, from around the 14th century and built terraced pā on its volcanic cones. Ngāti Whātua gifted land to the British for a new capital in 1840, and Auckland was New Zealand's capital until Wellington replaced it in 1865. It grew into the country's commercial hub and has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world.
People
Aucklanders come from around the world, with large Māori, Pacific, Chinese and Indian communities, and Samoan, Tongan, Hindi and Mandarin are heard alongside English and te reo Māori. Sailing on the harbour has earned Auckland the nickname City of Sails.
Known for
- The Sky Tower
- Maungawhau, Mount Eden, and other volcanic cones
- Ferries to Waiheke Island
- West-coast black-sand beaches such as Piha
- Rangitoto Island
Did you know?
Auckland is built on a field of at least 53 volcanoes, and the youngest, Rangitoto Island, rose from the sea only about 600 years ago.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.