Auckland
In March 2004 we spent a long weekend in Auckland. The city is small enough to walk around and although parts were quite run down, there was a lot of construction going on and trendy new restaurants and cafes starting to spring up. There are some very pleasant areas to wander and some good shopping - great if you're staying near to the city centre. However, Auckland traffic is notoriously bad and getting in and out of the city at rush hour can take some time.
Highlights
Dolphin watching
With Dolphin Explorer. Entertaining and informative commentary from an enthusiastic and slightly eccentric captain, beautiful views of the Hauraki gulf and Auckland. We saw two pods of common dolphins and although we didn't get to swim with them (one pod had young and the other was traveling a little too fast) we still thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
The Sky Tower
Good fun, with great views over Auckland city and the gulf, glass floors and gambling in the casino or bungy jumping if you fancy it.
