V&T Daily
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auckland ahoy!
By Chris Pritchard.
Published in the July-September 2011 issue.
A shimmering harbour, vineyards and plenty of sport are a few of the attractions in New Zealand’s largest city in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup.
Rugby isn’t on my mind as I look up from lunch with a friend at Auckland’s trendy Vue. Instead, we’re talking about sailing, the city residents’ other consuming passion. From this hip eatery atop the Hotel Mercure Auckland, I gaze across a shimmering harbour where hundreds of yachts dance in a stiff breeze. Bright sunlight glistens off the water, giving it the appearance of hammered metal. I’m beginning to understand why New Zealand’s largest city is known as the City of Sails.
Located on an isthmus toward the top of New Zealand’s North Island, Auckland is one of the few cities in the world to have two harbours on two major bodies of water: Manukau Harbour, on the Tasman Sea to the southwest, and Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean, over which the Mercure enjoys views.
When locals are not gazing out over the water, they’re on it: the city boasts more boats per capita than anywhere in the world. Many of them are clustered at Westhaven Marina on the fringe of the downtown area. Described as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest parking lot for recreational craft, Westhaven holds some 2,000 boats, a handful of which could be mistaken for floating palaces.
Thankfully, I don’t have to watch the watery action from afar. On my second day in the city, an old friend invites me aboard his yacht. We’re heading northeast, bound for the Hauraki Gulf’s most accessible landfall, Waiheke Island.
Frequent ferries take around 35 minutes to reach Waiheke from Auckland. We enjoy a more leisurely pace, soaking up the sunshine and the cobalt-blue sea.
Once a pretty backwater populated mostly by creative types and artistic communities, Waiheke today is being taken over by young urban professionals looking for a sea change of sorts. Around 8,000 people call the island home, not to mention the thousands more who have holiday homes here. And why not? Just 17 kilometres from the mainland, the island offers space and serenity. And grapes.
Encompassing some 90 square kilometres, Waiheke is emerging as one of the North Island’s most interesting wine-producing regions. I sign up for a tour that takes me past a handful of postcard-perfect estates where neat rows of grapes weave their way toward the sea. We stop for lunch at Mudbrick Auckland Vineyard Restaurant. I sip a crisp reserve chardonnay before enjoying fine local produce – Te Matuku Bay oysters, Waiheke snapper, lamb raised on a nearby farm.
Back on the mainland, I walk off my lunch exploring the streets of Auckland’s compact business district. I pass theatres, galleries, cinemas and dozens of restaurants dishing up a surprisingly eclectic array of food. Auckland, my sailing friend tells me, is the world’s largest Polynesian city – close to 15 percent of the population come from neighbouring South Pacific islands, while 11 percent of the population are indigenous Maori. Regardless of background, there’s one thing all locals have in common: a passion for rugby.
Auckland will play a key role in the 2011 Rugby World Cup (September 9 to October 23), expected to attract more than 85,000 foreign visitors, most of them Australian. Many games will be played at Auckland’s Eden Park stadium, including the grand final. Unfortunately, I find that tickets to most of the main clashes have already sold out, though if I do return in September, I should be able to catch one of the early matches. And if I don’t secure a seat, I’m confident I’ll be able to re-live the action at one of the city’s bars or pubs. I make my way to Viaduct Harbour to do some hard research.
A buzzing entertainment precinct with hotels, apartments, restaurants, bars and a marina (slightly smaller than Westhaven), Viaduct Harbour is just a few minutes’ walk from Auckland’s downtown area. Needless to say, it’s a popular after-hours destination. I find that dozens of establishments are already advertising après-rugby festivities. This could be a very sombre place if the national team, the All Blacks, don’t do well come October.
I recall a gloomy cab driver picking me up from the airport on a previous visit. He apologised for his lack of cheer, explaining that the All Blacks had lost an important match. “The nation is in a state of mourning, mate,” he told me.
That the game is important became even more apparent during another visit to the city. I inadvertently went to the movies on the day of an All Blacks match. “Not interested in the rugby?” asked the incredulous cashier, clearly anxious to get home and switch on the TV. My presence inside the cinema increased the local movie-watching population that day to three.
Leaving the Viaduct precinct, I stroll back along the city’s main drag, Queen Street. In between tall glass-and-steel office buildings I spot the 328-metre-high Sky Tower, replete with an observation deck, casino and revolving restaurant. Inevitably, adrenalin-charged activities such as bungy jumping are also available.
Despite being home to more than a third of New Zealand’s people, Auckland has an intimate appeal. As if on cue, I bump into a family I know from Australia, also on holiday here. They announce excitedly that they’re on their way to Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, one of Auckland’s highest-profile attractions and almost mandatory for anyone with children in tow. Highlighting the city’s love for water, the theme park sports a vast aquarium, not to mention the Antarctic Encounter, a display showcasing New Zealand’s only sub-Antarctic penguins. The children are particularly excited about getting up close and personal with Southern Ocean sharks via the park’s cage-diving enclosure.
The family members are polite when I tell them about my rather sedate plans for the afternoon: a stroll around Parnell – an inner suburb with a flourishing design and gourmet scene – followed by a visit to the Auckland Museum. I’m saving my energy, I explain. When I return in September, I’ll need all the drive I can muster. •
Photographs courtesy of Tourism New Zealand.
TRAVEL FACTS
getting there
Air New Zealand, Jetstar and Qantas connect Australian cities to Auckland.
• Air New Zealand. 132-476; airnewzealand.com.au
• Jetstar. 131-538; jetstar.com/au
• Qantas. 131-313; qantas.com
• Qantas Holidays. 131-415; qantas.com/holidays
when to go
Auckland has a mild climate year-round. Visit in summer (December through February) for sunshine and temperatures ideal for boating. The Rugby World Cup fun runs from September 9 to October 23, 2011. rugbyworldcup.com
where to stay
The very trendy harbourside Hilton Auckland occupies a perch at the end of a wharf. 64-9/ 978-2000; hilton.com
The Langham Auckland blends classic European elegance – think mahogany furniture, chandeliers and gilded mirrors – with the latest mod cons. 64-9/379 5132; auckland.langhamhotels.co.nz
Centrally located, Hotel Mercure Auckland is popular for its good-value rooms and Vue restaurant, offering fabulous views of the city and harbour. 64-9/377-8920; mercure.com
Overlooking the city’s Harbour Bridge, Mollies offers just 13 luxurious suites, the largest of which come fitted with their own garden terraces, fireplaces and grand pianos. 64-9/376-3489; mollies.co.nz
Sky City Grand Hotel offers some of the smartest rooms in Auckland. 64-9/363-6000; skycityauckland.co.nz
The Point Villas in nearby Taupo comes with luxurious accomodations, a swimming pool and tennis courts. 64-27/477-4323;
thepointvillas.com.nz
Auckland is also the starting point for trips to the northern Bay of Islands area – a scenic inlet dotted with offshore landfalls. Premium Real Estate Ltd offers luxe rental properties in the region. And if you like what you stay at, the company can assist with real estate purchases. 64-9/914-7000; premium.co.nz
further information
For travel advice, contact Tourism New Zealand. newzealand.com
For information and tickets to the Rugby World Cup, visit rugbyworldcup.com
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