Just one day in Auckland - what to do?

[Cherlynn]

We're flying into Auckland at 5 AM and we have that whole day to explore. We've been thinking about the hop on - hop off bus versus a sightseeing tour. Any suggestions on what not to miss would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Cheryl

[cloakndagger]

If I could go back, I would do the museum again....it was brilliant!! The maori show was very good, we spent about 5 hours inside!!

[UofMGoBlue]

What museum?

[eh2zed]

We used the HOHO bus and stopped at Kelly Tarltons Antarctic Experience. Well worth it.

[cloakndagger]

What museum?

 

 

The Auckland Museum.

[swdke]

Yes, hop on hop off bus is a good idea.

 

Visit the Skytower, go up for a great view of Auckland. Also, visit Kelly Tarlton's Artic Encounter and Underwater world. Take the 15 min. ferry over to Devenport for lunch. Shop for jade jewelery in Auckland. Lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants at Viaduct Harbor, followed by a drink at the ice bar.

[Johanna7]

If the weather is nice, you can take a lovely harbour cruise and it is right near the terminal where you board the ship. You get a great view of the city and a free return ticket for an island where you can also spend a few hours.

 

If weather not so nice, the hop on bus or museum sounds good.

[swdke]

You can also sail on an America's Cup sailboat out of Viaduct Harbor.

[DougH]

I wasn't that impressed by Kelly Tarltons, but the Auckland Museum was very nice. I also highly enjoyed the Maritime Museum on the harbour. You might try the Sky tower also for the view if the weather is nice

[SheilaNC]

We, too, enjoyed the Maritime Museum - right on the harbor and loved taking the ferry to Devonport and walking around the town and up to the top of the hill for amazing views of Auckland. Also enjoyed just taking the public bus that looped around Auckland and through Parnell. Stopped for lunch and visiting delightful shops. We liked the Auckland museum but thought the Te Papa in Wellington was the very best....

[Cherlynn]

So many good ideas, so little time! We get into Auckland so early (5 am), we're afraid if we sit down for more than a few minutes, we'll fall asleep! I'm thinking a loop around on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus and then a harbor cruise might be nice. If we have lots of time left, the museum sounds interesting too. Thanks again.

 

Cheryl

[ToBe]

We're flying into Auckland at 5 AM and we have that whole day to explore. We've been thinking about the hop on - hop off bus versus a sightseeing tour. Any suggestions on what not to miss would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Cheryl

One great day (or shorter) trip to to take the ferry to Waiheke Island from Quay 2 (I Think ) and use the bus system to go around. There are also beautiful walk but you might be too tired to climb mountains. The beaches are volcanic sand and are like silk. There are great walks and you will really get a feel of the area.

A shorter trip is to Devenport, a ten minute ferry ride. That is a small Victorian town. Walk off the main street and you will find good food at reasonable prices.

 

These are both outside trips. The weather is so great that you should just enjoy the sun. USE heavy sunscreen. There is a ozone problem in both Australia and New Zealand and you can burn very easily.

 

Temma

[gudgiggle]

We arrived in Auckland via the Celebrity Mercury and had a wonderful time in the short time we were there. We hired Mount Tours who drove us to the Glow worm caves, which were fascinating. You get onto a boat in the caves On the way there and back we were able to drive through the City and see the highlights, and some additional things that we stopped at, including parks, ice cream, and a scenic view. (I need to go through my pictures to figure out what I did where, since the time lag and work kept me busy this week.) If you can do it with another couple it is not out of line from the expense of a tour. We also enjoyed the drive through the area with a commentary.

 

Right across from the Glow worm caves was a ...no kidding...rabbit shearing exhibit, with fairly priced goods made in New Zealand. (I kept noticing that things say NZ that were manufactured in China.) We actually enjoyed it, and we had plenty of time to meet our plane. If you check on the Australia site you will see Wendy's review of the trip, and she will cover it in more detail. She hasn't gotten there yet, but should be done in the next day or so, knowing her.

 

Marcy

[gudgiggle]

We went on to the Antartic Center from a different location, near the airport outside of Lyttleton Harbor...probably a different one? We loved riding on the Haaglunds, and the Center was really interesting. They have a room where you dress in the gear and experience the winds and cold there. They also allowed our group to go in as a "family" (5 adults) and gave us a discount.

 

Marcy

[Red Rox]

We had to get off the ship in the morning and our flight that was originally scheduled for 1PM got changed to 730PM. So we did the Princess Antarctic tour that took us around the city, up to the top of the Skytower and then to Kelly Tarltons. It was all good. And we even had time to have lunch at Orbit at the Skytower when we were all finished with the tour, before they took us to the airport.

[pinksuit]

By all means, consider taking the Explorer - off 'n on Bus. It is a wonderful way to pick and choose along the way. The Museum is great. Purnell Village was a awesome place to shop, much better than downtown to me. I also appreciated the quaintness of the various places to have lunch and such. Skytower is a neat experience and being on the Explorer gives you the option of jumping on and off.

 

Pinkie

[NAJNLA]

.......loved taking the ferry to Devonport and walking around the town and up to the top of the hill for amazing views of Auckland. Also enjoyed just taking the public bus that looped around Auckland.......We liked the Auckland museum.......

 

We agree with the above.....on a nice day you get a beautiful view of Auckland from the top of the hill in Devonport.:) The Museum is really good, but you'd need at least a few hours to see most of it. :) The Sky Tower in Aukland also has a great 360 view.:)