Waiheke Island is known for its beaches and vineyards, making it a popular suggestion from Auckland's hotel concierges.
If you could have it all but only had one day, what would the dream Auckland itinerary look like (realistically)?
The Herald challenged concierges - the people who know the city inside out and provide personal recommendations to hotel guests - at five of the city’s top hotels to design the ultimate 24-hour Auckland itinerary.
Kris Mosch has been a concierge since 1996 and has worked at the SkyCity Grand for more than three years.
I’d go up to the West Coast to the Waitākeres, to Piha, Kitekite Falls, the Arataki Information Centre that’s on the way ... there are some panoramic views over one of the Huia dams.
You could do it with an organised company, or hire a driver who’s familiar with that area. It’s a little more flexible with a private tour.
On the way back, stop at Mount Eden. Get an idea of the volcanic cone and how that relates to Auckland, and the significance of the volcanic cones being old pā sites.
It’s also the highest natural point in Auckland.
Then go to Mechanics Bay, take a helicopter and do the Coast to Coast flight. It starts around Auckland city and then goes out to the West Coast, where you’ve just been, and you can see the terrain from the air.
On the way back, rather than landing back in city, go to Waiheke Island and land at one of the vineyards. Mudbrick Vineyard’s got a landing pad, and Batch Winery has one nearby.
Go and try a couple of wines, maybe have a driver take you around the area, and again see the coastline.
Take a ferry back. You’ve got to see Auckland from the water one way or another.
Have something light to eat. At Masu by Nic Watt, for example, when I go there, I’ll eat it like tapas; you order these small dishes, and you sample a bit of everything.
Nothing too heavy because in the evening, I would do the bioluminescence kayaking off the coast with Social Nature Movement.
It’s something people don’t expect when coming to a city. But it also depends on the time of year because that’s only from October to April. If you couldn’t do that, you could still go to see glow worms in Auckland with the same company instead.
Come back and have a relaxing night.
The next morning, I’d go to the Sky Tower so you can experience the views again and see where you’ve been, and you get an idea of how big Auckland is.
Then there are some souvenir shops ... there’s a place called Fantail House in Parnell or the Kura Gallery down behind the Viaduct.
Originally from Valparaiso, Chile, Concha has been with Hilton since it opened its first hotel in New Zealand on Princes Wharf in 2001. He also currently serves as president of the NZ division of Les Clefs d’Or Hotel Concierge Society, a professional global organisation of hotel concierges.
One of the beauties of Auckland is that you can go from east to west or west to east within 45 minutes or an hour drive.
People love that. Especially going to the east with white sand and the west with black sand beaches. Unique.
I would get a helicopter to take you to the west coast through Auckland, around the Sky Tower, and finish in Waiheke Island.
Then you can go to one of the wineries, let’s say Mudbrick Vineyard, for lunch.
Come back to the city by boat. Maybe you want to come back on a private boat - we can do that.
Auckland is very well known for its restaurants. We’ve got everything. But the city’s especially about Pacific cuisine. So you can eat lamb, chicken, beef or seafood. We’ve got plenty of restaurants that we can organise.
You can eat here at the Fish restaurant at the Hilton Auckland.
Go up to the Sky Tower and see the city from above. It’s a must. Watch the sunset there.
Then come back for a nightcap in Bellini Bar downstairs [at the Hilton] and go to bed.
Next morning, watch the sunrise from Mt Victoria in Devonport.
Catch the ferry there, go across to Devonport and we can prepare a little picnic for you.
Then back to the city, and of course, you’ve got to jump in the America’s Cup boat. Hey, we are home of the America’s Cup, right?
There are usually two boats, and they sail for two hours. Come back and go for lunch at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
You’ve got to go shopping too. You’ve got everything at Westfield in Newmarket. I’d also recommend going to Ponsonby Rd because that’s where the locals go.
Ralph Luhrs’ experience in the hospitality industry spans three decades. He’s been with the Cordis team as a concierge for more than two years.
If you’re travelling with your family, you might be interested in doing outdoor activities.
Go, from our hotel, down to Queen Street towards the ferry building and go to Devonport. Have some food at a nice little cafe like Manuka Restaurant or the Stone Cafe.
You can go along the beach, go to Mt Victoria, enjoy the view and then come back.
Children might like to see Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s, which is in Ōrākei towards Mission Bay. You could take a bus from the city, or if you have a car, you can drive.
The other option is the Maritime Museum down at the waterfront, which is quite nice and close to nice restaurants like Soul Bar & Bistro, where you can eat something, or have some ice cream in the ferry building.
Go see the Auckland Art Gallery, which has the Pop to Present: American Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibition, which runs until March 15.
Then you’ve got the Auckland Museum, which is just across from Cordis at the Auckland Domain. There is a shark exhibit there until June 1. I think it’s a good activity, especially for children.
From there, if you wish to walk, you can walk towards Mt Eden. Walk up to the summit and enjoy the view.
If you don’t like walking too much, you can take our shuttle instead, which runs from the lower lobby every hour from 8am to 9pm down to the corner of Customs and Queen Street. It also stops at the Auckland Art Gallery.
At night, if you want dinner with a view, you can go to the Orbit restaurant in the Sky Tower. It’s quite a big complex, so you’ve got the restaurant, bars, hotels and the casino, or you can go to the Sky Lounge if you want to enjoy a view of the evening.
Or go down to the waterfront. There are quite a few bars, like Dr Rudi’s Rooftop Bar, where you can enjoy the view and have something to drink.
Leo Lisichkin has been a concierge for more than 20 years. After immigrating from Russia, he has worked for several top hotels in Auckland, including Sofitel, Fable Hotels, and SO/ Auckland. He has been a concierge with JW Marriott for nearly three years.
Start with breakfast at our hotel, which is probably one of the best buffet breakfasts in the city, to get some energy before a busy and intensive day.
If the sun is out and looks like a good sunny day, even if it’s cloudy, go to Waiheke Island. Take the 9am ferry.
I will arrange a private driver guide who will meet you at 9.40am at Matiatia, the ferry terminal in the western part of Waiheke.
Instead of going to mainstream areas in Waiheke, I would love to share my beloved and invaluable VIP guests with the eastern part of the island. I know the western side is great, it has a lot of good vineyards; however, I want to show something very unique.
The first stop would be in Oneroa for extra coffee. Familiarise yourself with Oneroa Bay, with its lovely boats, get some coffee and drive straight to Onetangi beach. There, you can do a lovely walk around the area.
We will go on a few scenic drives. On Brown Rd, where Casita Miro is, there’s a beautiful view towards Onetangi.
We’ll drive to the first winery, which is Man O’ War. It’s known as a hidden gem for Waiheke Island, and a lot of guests go there by private yachts, not by land, because it’s a gravel road.
If you’re using your own car, you can easily hit the front bumper, which actually happened to me. I would highly recommend using a guide with a decent vehicle that is experienced in driving this gravel road.
Once at the Man O’ War vineyard, do the first wine tasting with the beautiful, fresh oysters they always have available.
Head to the Stony Batter Historic Reserve.
There is a bunker there from World War II, and beautiful cliff roads all around. Do a small hike around that area. Only a few locals know about this.
Next, go to the Waiheke Distilling Co.
Few people know that this place actually has the best view on Waiheke Island. It’s another hidden gem. It can beat Mudbrick Vineyard views. It can beat Batch Winery views. This view is from the cliff towards Rotoroa Island. It’s phenomenal.
I’d also recommend doing a gin tasting there.
Go to the third winery: Passage Rock Wines. This one is my favourite on the whole island.
Have a proper wine tasting with some snacks.
They do phenomenally good wine over there. I would recommend getting some bottles from them.
Take the ferry back at 4pm, have a nap on the boat, and you’ll reach Auckland CBD around 4.40pm.
Come back to the hotel, get changed, and prepare for dinner time and exploring the Viaduct area.
The Viaduct, in my opinion, has the best vibe in the entire city.
My favourite place for snacks is Hello Beasty for Asian fusion snacks. An alternative option is The Conservatory at Wynyard Quarter, which is a really good pizza place.
For dinner, I’d offer a couple of options. If you like raw seafood, I would recommend Trivet, our restaurant in the JW Marriott hotel. Trivet is known for good suppliers and seasonal food, which is constantly rotating based on the season. The food is very fresh. Chef Wally’s (Wallace Mua) doing a phenomenal job.
Another dinner option is Onslow, which is known for its local suppliers and produce. It offers classic New Zealand cuisine.
If you still have the energy, finish the evening with a memorable experience.
Grab some coffee and take the ferry to Devonport around 8pm. Go up Mt Victoria and you can see the whole of Hauraki Gulf, hopefully at the golden hour.
It’s also a good opportunity to see the Auckland skyline. You’d rarely find another place in Auckland where you can see the shape of the city.
If you have time the next day, head straight for the Auckland Art Gallery. Very few people know that it has a decent collection of art by Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. It’s very impressive.
Murtuza Baj has been a concierge in Auckland for nearly 20 years. He’s been with The Hotel Britomart since it opened.
Let’s start it off with a sunrise.
As soon as you walk out of The Hotel Britomart to Quay Street early in the morning, the first thing you see is the sunrise.
Then walk nearby to kingi restaurant to have breakfast. There are other options if you want to try somewhere else, like Amano and Daily Bread, which both have their own bakery. There’s also a very small shop called Espresso Coffee, they do fantastic coffees.
Once you’ve had breakfast, I’d head west to the Waitākere Ranges and take you back to nature by 9.15am. It’s one of the largest rainforests people can visit in Auckland.
Make your way down to Piha if you want to see a black sand beach. Around 10.30am, you should do one of the programmes The Hotel Britomart runs called Nourishing Nature, which focuses on forest farming and grows wild mushrooms in the forest, which also features in kingi’s food menu.
Visitors can experience what forest farming is all about, and they are also given a chance to plant their own tree. That is a way of giving back to nature. But it doesn’t end there. The growth of the tree is tracked, and visitors are provided updates. You can also name it.
Have lunch with Nourishing Nature. They provide traditional food with a range of meats and cheese, and make their own bread. It’s an experience.
Finish around 1pm and come back to the city and go to the Auckland Museum. Every day at 1.45pm, there’s a kapa haka performance by Haka The Legend’s arts troupe Raukura.
Now is the perfect time for a bit of walking. A five minute walk from the museum is the Winter Gardens. Then take a short drive with an Uber or take a bus to Parnell. Enjoy a walk around the Rose Gardens, visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral and head down to Mission Bay, it’s about an hour-and-a-half walk or 11 minutes by car.
You’ve already seen the black sand beach, which is on the west. Now you see a white sand beach on the east. It shows how unique New Zealand really is.
Enjoy walking around the bays and the harbour and around 5pm, return to kingi for a cup of coffee.
When you’re ready, head to the Harbour Bridge and do a bridge climb. If you prefer doing something else, you can jump into the waters in the waterfront by the Viaduct, a short walk from the hotel.
If you’re not ready to call it a night, enjoy a drink at cocktail bar Caretaker or a virtual game of golf at Flush Golf, which are both in the Britomart precinct.
Varsha Anjali is a journalist in the lifestyle team at the Herald. Based in Auckland, she covers travel and more.