New Zealand
Auckland
City life doesn’t get much better than this.
This green, hilly metropolis Down Under has the best of both worlds: urban sophistication and, close by, the great outdoors. A five-minute walk from the main harbour where cruise ships, yachts and ferries ply the waters, there is a café society keen on good coffee, excellent wine and find dining. All with a view of the “city of sails.”
And out of the city, there is the Waitakere Ranges and the forests of Centennial Memorial Park, as well as the lovely islands of Hauraki Gulf where there are sparkling white beaches, walking trails and wineries.
Auckland
City life doesn’t get much better than this.
This green, hilly metropolis Down Under has the best of both worlds: urban sophistication and, close by, the great outdoors. A five-minute walk from the main harbour where cruise ships, yachts and ferries ply the waters, there is a café society keen on good coffee, excellent wine and find dining. All with a view of the “city of sails.”
And out of the city, there is the Waitakere Ranges and the forests of Centennial Memorial Park, as well as the lovely islands of Hauraki Gulf where there are sparkling white beaches, walking trails and wineries.
In town, Princes Wharf is at the centre of a restoration project, with its shops, spa, restaurants and the boutique-style Hilton Hotel built on the strengthened wharf with its transformed World War II cargo sheds. When cruise ships are docked alongside the hotel, they are so close that Hilton guests are advised to “close the curtains before retiring for the night.”
Around the corner, Viaduct Harbour is buzzing at all hours of the day and evening, as visitors and Aucklanders gather to eat, drink and be merry, or to stroll the docks admiring cabin cruises and yachts, including the America’s Cup Class NZ40 and NZ41 (you can sail on either of them if you have $140 NZD or $109 Cdn.
Further up from the sea, in the city centre, there are art galleries, cinemas and shops, souvenir stores galore, as well as burger joints and food courts for those on a tight budget.
If you’re not on a tight budget, Parnell and Ponsonby are the places to go. Parnell is a fashionable, upscale area “where you’ll see a lot of blondes and high heels,” says Aucklander Andrea Linton.
Good art galleries, restaurants and bars - and close to the Auckland Museum, which has a stunning exhibit of Polynesian and Maori art and artifacts.
Further up from the sea, in the city centre, there are art galleries, cinemas and shops, souvenir stores galore, as well as burger joints and food courts for those on a tight budget.
If you’re not on a tight budget, Parnell and Ponsonby are the places to go. Parnell is a fashionable, upscale area “where you’ll see a lot of blondes and high heels,” says Aucklander Andrea Linton.
Good art galleries, restaurants and bars - and close to the Auckland Museum, which has a stunning exhibit of Polynesian and Maori art and artifacts.
Ponsonby Road is gay and lesbian central. Plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants here, as well as art galleries, bookshops and upscale clothing stores. A marvellous place to shop, dine or just watch the world go by as you sip a latte.
K-Road, which joins Ponsonby, is the most multicultural area in the city; after World War II, the neighbourhood was popular with Maori and Polynesian residents. They have now been joined by those from Thailand, Malaysia, India, China, Japan and Turkey. The eastern end has a number of cafes, ethnic restaurants and nightclubs, including some popular gay and lesbian clubs.
Of course, there are also fish-and-chip shops and the popular Ponsonby Pies. Pies, as in meat, fish, vegetable pies for takeaway or to eat in. The western end of the road is a tad tacky with its strip clubs and adults movies and bookshops, but perfectly safe, day or night.
Back downtown is that Auckland landmark, the Sky Tower. “It’s the fifth-largest tower in the word,” grins taxi driver Ron Showler. “Only in New Zealand would we build the fifth-largest tower in the world.”
And here, in the heart of the city, it’s popular with bungee jumpers.
“You just have to wait 10 minutes and some idiot will jump off,” says Showler. It’s a 192-metre drop, but carefully controlled so that jumpers don’t smash onto the sidewalk below.
Back downtown is that Auckland landmark, the Sky Tower. “It’s the fifth-largest tower in the word,” grins taxi driver Ron Showler. “Only in New Zealand would we build the fifth-largest tower in the world.”
And here, in the heart of the city, it’s popular with bungee jumpers.
“You just have to wait 10 minutes and some idiot will jump off,” says Showler. It’s a 192-metre drop, but carefully controlled so that jumpers don’t smash onto the sidewalk below.
If you want to escape the thrills of the city for bush or beach, it’s only a 45-minute drive west to Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, with its windswept sand dunes and its wide beach popular with walkers and surfers.
If you’re driving, be sure you have very specific directions and a good map (it’s a circuitous route). On the other hand, tours out of Auckland will take you to Bethells and on to the black-sand beach of Muriwai, inhabited by surfers and birds.
A gannet colony has spread from a nearby island to the mainland, explains Jordi Scott-Smith during our morning visit. “Overcrowding on the island,” he says. “This is suburbia.”
If you’re driving, be sure you have very specific directions and a good map (it’s a circuitous route). On the other hand, tours out of Auckland will take you to Bethells and on to the black-sand beach of Muriwai, inhabited by surfers and birds.
A gannet colony has spread from a nearby island to the mainland, explains Jordi Scott-Smith during our morning visit. “Overcrowding on the island,” he says. “This is suburbia.”
Scott-Smith, an avid surfer, gazes longingly at a group of young men who have joined the gannets in skimming the waves on the beach below us. “Catching the wave, coming through the wave, there’s nothing like it,” he says.
He’s equally keen on the natural beauty of the New Zealand countryside. As we walk through the rain forest of Waitakere Ranges park, where are 143 trails, he points out native plants and trees, and talks about conservation issues. In this forest, the kauri tree grows to about 30 metres high and can live for hundreds of years. Then there’s the pepper tree, which is good for what ails you: It can be used to make a poultice to heal infections and it’s a painkiller. “I used it when I had my wisdom teeth out,” Scott-Smith says. It was great. But it can make you feel a little woozy.
“Here, try some,” he says. He’s right; it makes me feel a tad woozy. “Oops, I hope that was the right tree,” he adds with a wicked laugh.
Over to the east of Auckland is Waiheke Island, a 35-minute ferry ride from the harbour. It’s a commuter community and a popular weekend retreat not to be missed: beautiful beaches, hiking trails, sea kayaking, art galleries and wineries - 27 wineries.
He’s equally keen on the natural beauty of the New Zealand countryside. As we walk through the rain forest of Waitakere Ranges park, where are 143 trails, he points out native plants and trees, and talks about conservation issues. In this forest, the kauri tree grows to about 30 metres high and can live for hundreds of years. Then there’s the pepper tree, which is good for what ails you: It can be used to make a poultice to heal infections and it’s a painkiller. “I used it when I had my wisdom teeth out,” Scott-Smith says. It was great. But it can make you feel a little woozy.
“Here, try some,” he says. He’s right; it makes me feel a tad woozy. “Oops, I hope that was the right tree,” he adds with a wicked laugh.
Over to the east of Auckland is Waiheke Island, a 35-minute ferry ride from the harbour. It’s a commuter community and a popular weekend retreat not to be missed: beautiful beaches, hiking trails, sea kayaking, art galleries and wineries - 27 wineries.
“When we came in the ‘70s, it was an art colony,” says Jenny McDonald, who was, for many years, the nurse and midwife on the island. “First it was art, then it was art and wine, and now it’s art, wine and olives.
“We have some great artists.”
There is a lovely little gallery and, adjacent to it, a fascinating museum. Run by Joan and Lloyd Whittaker, the museum houses more than 100 accordions, harpsichords, organs and pianos, including a grand piano once played during an Australia/New Zealand tour by famed Polish pianist Ignacy Paderewski. The Whittakers give concerts each day, playing several instruments in succession. On a 100-year-old church organ, for example, Lloyd Whittaker, a former music teacher plays “Phantom of the Opera;” on Paderewski’s piano, the couple play a duet: “White Christmas.”
“We have some great artists.”
There is a lovely little gallery and, adjacent to it, a fascinating museum. Run by Joan and Lloyd Whittaker, the museum houses more than 100 accordions, harpsichords, organs and pianos, including a grand piano once played during an Australia/New Zealand tour by famed Polish pianist Ignacy Paderewski. The Whittakers give concerts each day, playing several instruments in succession. On a 100-year-old church organ, for example, Lloyd Whittaker, a former music teacher plays “Phantom of the Opera;” on Paderewski’s piano, the couple play a duet: “White Christmas.”
Then there are the vineyards and wineries: wine tastings, lunch with spectacular views, some of them with the Auckland skyline in the background, all amid lovely green rolling hills. Stoneyridge, for example, was founded by Stephen White in 1982.
“He was living in Bordeaux after travelling in the Whitbread Round The World Yacht Race (which he completed) and he really developed a passion for developing a red wine of great quality, Bordeaux style,” explains Andie Brown, manager of the Veranda restaurant at the winery.
“When he came back to New Zealand in the early ‘80s, he looked all over the country to try to find the best spot. He had an uncle out here who was farming on Waiheke and who was constantly complaining about how hard it was to farm here: the weather was poor, there was too much sun and not enough rain and the grass wouldn’t grow. So Stephen, with his wish list in hand, was going tick, tick, tick.”
His was the second vineyard here, established after that of Goldwaters. But success breeds success and now 25 others have planted vineyards and opened wineries. Plus olive groves. And just a short ferry ride from the “city of sails.”
“He was living in Bordeaux after travelling in the Whitbread Round The World Yacht Race (which he completed) and he really developed a passion for developing a red wine of great quality, Bordeaux style,” explains Andie Brown, manager of the Veranda restaurant at the winery.
“When he came back to New Zealand in the early ‘80s, he looked all over the country to try to find the best spot. He had an uncle out here who was farming on Waiheke and who was constantly complaining about how hard it was to farm here: the weather was poor, there was too much sun and not enough rain and the grass wouldn’t grow. So Stephen, with his wish list in hand, was going tick, tick, tick.”
His was the second vineyard here, established after that of Goldwaters. But success breeds success and now 25 others have planted vineyards and opened wineries. Plus olive groves. And just a short ferry ride from the “city of sails.”
For more information, visit the Auckland or New Zealand, Waiheke Island websites. For details about tours of the beaches and rain forest west of Auckland, contact Bush and Beach Ltd. Jenny McDonald runs Ananda Tours.
© Vivian Macdonald, 2008.
© Vivian Macdonald, 2008.