There’s a whole lot of cool stuff you can do while spending 48 Hours in Auckland. It’s a place where you automatically feel at right at home – the friendly people, the award-winning restaurants, the harbour that seems to stretch out into the horizon – it’s all there. But from a tourist’s perspective, there’s just not that much to do in and around the city after a couple of days. You kind of get a bit…bored.
Don’t get me wrong, Auckland is a sure bet, it’s the whole package, you’re going to have a rollicking good time no matter what your type of holiday bag. But with so many beautiful island’s like Waiheke and Rangitoto, sprawling wineries and the breathtaking Coromandel Coast all within 2 hours of the CBD, after a few days cooped up in the confines of Auckland’s CBD even the most die-hard food-lover or history-buff is going to find it just a tad tedious. You’ll be itching to hire a car or jump on a ferry to Waiheke Island and get outta there! However, for the 48 hours in Auckland there’s a lot to love. And you’ve gotta hand it to the Aucklanders, when some of the top restaurants are serving up mussels the size of your palm, it’s pretty hard not to fall in love with the city.
48 Hours in Auckland – Eat
This restaurant is a hop skip and a jump from Sky Tower and was so good that we returned the next night! I can’t really fault anything about this place. From the super-friendly staff and the lodge-like wooden fit-out, the vibe and the food was second to none. The staff were able to guide us through the perfect meal, complete with more mussels than our stomachs could fit and some delicious sugar-pie for dessert.
Situated underneath a lovely glass canopy in the Pavilions of Britomart in Central Auckland lies Ortolana, a chic little Bistro concentrating on garden-to-table dining. Ortolana’s ‘garden to fork’ philosophy dictates that all food served is locally sourced, with ingredients such as citrus, pecans and figs hailing from the Hip Group’s orchard at Kumeu.
48 Hours in Auckland – See/Do
Devonport
A cheap 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland lies the seaside suburb of Devonport. Spend the afternoon exploring the art shops that dot the streets or simply grab some fish and chips and find a spot along the shore and gaze out at the perfect views of Auckland’s skyline.
Sky Tower
A trip to Auckland wouldn’t be complete without a little touristy photograph of you at the top of famed attraction the ‘Sky Tower’. The Sky Tower is an observation and telecommunications tower located on the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets in the Auckland CBD, Auckland City, New Zealand. It is bloody tall, so tall in fact that it is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
48 Hours in Auckland – Stay
From the moment we walked into this hotel – the mood was set. It was fun, funky and colourful! DeBrett is one of the only truly eclectic ‘hip’ hotels in Auckland, with most others being the usual hotel type chains and motels. It offers something new and exciting, with awesome welcoming staff and a wonderful restaurant and bar to match!~
AMW xx
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