Auckland & the Bay of Islands Road Trips by Lonely Planet

Author:Lonely Planet
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786576149
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Published: 2016-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

2 STRETCH YOUR LEGS

AUCKLAND

Ascend the soaring Sky Tower for stunning views of Auckland’s impetuous sprawl across two harbours, before discovering iconic New Zealand art, the city’s proud maritime history, and emerging areas for great eating, drinking and shopping.

Take this walk on Trips

Start/Finish: Sky Tower

Distance: 5km

Duration: Three hours

Sky Tower

At 328m, Auckland’s Sky Tower is the southern hemisphere’s tallest structure, and a lift reaches the observation decks in 40 stomach-lurching seconds. There’s underground parking here, and adjacent Federal St is packed with excellent restaurants.

The Walk » Walk along Federal St and turn left down Wellesley St to the Civic Theatre.

Civic Theatre

The Civic Theatre (09-309 2677; www.civictheatre.co.nz; cnr Queen & Wellesley Sts), built in 1929, is one of only seven ‘atmospheric theatres’ remaining in the world, and a fine survivor from cinema’s Golden Age. The auditorium features lavish Moorish decoration, and the stunning foyer is an Indian confection with elephants and monkeys hanging from every conceivable fixture.

The Walk » Cross Queen St and walk up Wellesley St before turning left into Kitchener St for the Auckland Art Gallery.

Auckland Art Gallery

Combining a modern glass-and-wood atrium with an 1887 French-chateau frame, the Auckland Art Gallery features the best of NZ art, along with important works by Picasso, Cézanne, Gauguin and Matisse. Highlights include the intimate, 19th-century portraits of tattooed Māori subjects by Charles Goldie, and the dramatic text-scrawled canvasses of Colin McCahon. Free tours at 11.30am and 1.30pm.

The Walk » Turn right along Lorne St, which becomes High St and continues via Commerce St across Customs St to the Britomart Precinct.

Britomart Precinct

The Britomart Precinct is a compact enclave of historic buildings that has been transformed into one of the city’s best eating, drinking and shopping precincts. Most of Auckland’s top fashion designers have recently decamped to the Britomart area from further uptown in High St.

The Walk » From the Britomart Precinct, walk along Quay St past Auckland’s historic Ferry Building to the New Zealand Maritime Museum.

New Zealand Maritime Museum

This museum (09-373 0800; www.maritimemuseum.co.nz; 149-159 Quay St; adult/child $20/10, incl harbour cruise $50/25; 9am-5pm, free tours 10.30am & 1pm Mon-Fri) traces NZ’s seafaring history from Māori voyaging canoes to America’s Cup yachting. Recreations include a 19th-century steerage-class cabin and a 1950s Kiwi bach (holiday home). The exhibit ‘Blue Water Black Magic’ is a tribute to Sir Peter Blake, the renowned and respected NZ yachtsman who was murdered in 2001 on an environmental monitoring trip in the Amazon.

The Walk » Continue past super yachts to the Wynyard Quarter. Te Wero Bridge is raised when boats need to access the inner harbour.

Wynyard Quarter

Wynyard Quarter opened in advance of 2011’s Rugby World Cup, and with its public plazas, waterfront eateries and children’s playground, it is a popular place for Aucklanders to gather. At the Silo Park area, down the western end, free outdoor Friday-night movies and weekend markets are summertime institutions. Most of Wynyard’s better restaurants are one block back from the water on Jellicoe Street.

The Walk » Leave the Wynyard Quarter on Halsey St and turn left onto Gaunt St to follow a pedestrian walkway around the marina to Viaduct Harbour (1.

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