Explore: Auckland

Auckland’s defining feature is undoubtedly its collection of exquisite harbours. This is the City of Sails, with a proud yachting tradition that has fuelled massive investment in the waterfronts at Princes Wharf and the America’s Cup Village. New Zealand’s largest city verges on the Hauraki Gulf, with its intricate network of forested, subtropical islands. The bayside beaches of the north and east coast are ideal for luxuriating on the sands or in the water, while the wildest surf is to be found at Karekare, Piha and Te Henga beaches to the west.

This is a gregarious, prosperous and thoroughly modern city. The slender spire of the Sky Tower is a magnificent beacon by night, visible from every corner of its patchwork of districts and offering unrivalled views from the tip of its needle. Karangahape Road (K Rd, to locals) and Ponsonby are where the real buzz begins, in the achingly hip cafes, clubs, boutiques and multi-ethnic eateries which lure the media-types and the trendsetters. But if you need some respite from the modern world, the 80-hectare Auckland Domain, its Wintergarden and handsome colonial Auckland Museum are your salvation. Beyond Auckland, the landscape is studded with volcanic cones like Mt Eden, whose slopes are carpeted with blooming rhododendrons and camellias.

The Auckland to Russell Yacht Race and NZ Boat Show are the major aquatic events of the year, and the Open Tennis Championships and Auckland Cup on land. The multicultural Asian Lantern Festival, Aotearoa Maori Performing Arts Festival and Polynesian Pasifika Festival inject some cultural colour. The Botanical Gardens are in full bloom for the Ellerslie Flower Show.