The main art gallery in Auckland, known as Toi o Tāmaki, boasts an impressive collection of both national and international artwork, making it the most extensive in New Zealand. It frequently hosts exhibitions from around the world. Back in 2009, an American investor named Julian Robertson made headlines by generously donating art valued at a whopping $115 million to the gallery. This generous gift included works by renowned artists like Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Salvador Dali, Georges Braque, Andre Derain, Fernand Leger, Pierre Bonnard, and Henri Fantin-Latour. It was the largest art donation of its kind in the Australasia region.

The gallery itself is housed in a unique building that combines both modern and traditional architectural elements to showcase the art pieces. When you enter the gallery, you'll walk between majestic kauri columns, a type of native tree, and have the opportunity to explore four floors of exhibitions spanning seven centuries of art history. It's not just a place to admire international art; it's also home to the largest permanent collection of New Zealand art right in the heart of Auckland City.

Visitors can enjoy world-class touring exhibitions and immerse themselves in the rich diversity of traditional and contemporary international art. Additionally, friendly and knowledgeable guides are available to lead you on an engaging tour, offering insights into the art, artists, stories, and histories that enrich the gallery's collection.

Tip:
Take the cost-inclusive guided tour – you won't be sorry you did. Afterward, stick around and wander the galleries you missed during the tour.

The Auckland Sky Tower provides some of the best views over the city and further afield. The structure extends 328 meters up into the air, making it the tallest construction in NZ. From your place at the top, you can look over the city as well as out into the countryside for up to 80 kilometers. Just getting to the top is an experience in itself as you zoom upwards in a glass-paneled lift. There are three different viewing platforms allowing a bird’s eye view of Auckland. The Skywalk offers you the chance to take an adrenaline-filled stroll around a 1.2-meter wide platform at 192 meters above the ground – you are safely strapped into the overhead safety lines, but there’s some extreme exhilaration associated with it.

True adrenaline junkies will leap at the chance to try out a base jump from one of the tallest buildings in the Southern Hemisphere. The wire connected base jump is probably the closest experience to being a bird that there is as you descend 192 meteres to the ground below. New Zealand has a reputation for being the world capital of extreme sports and your heart racing experience can begin in Auckland.

Tip:
If you book dinner, access to the Skydeck is included.
Best time to be up there is before sundown. Give it an hour before.
Alternately, you could get a pass so you can come back the next day. This way, you get to see the view from both day and night.

From modest beginnings in 1841 to the grand building you see before you today, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Auckland has always been the centre of Catholicism in the city. The land that the cathedral is built on was granted by the crown to the city’s first bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier on June 1st, 1841. A simple wooden structure was first built to serve the 300 odd strong congregation that was mainly made up of Irish immigrants. It was clear that a more substantial building would be required and in 1845 an architect was commissioned to design a stone church. When Auckland was made a diocese in 1848, it was clear that a grander building would be required.

In 1884 the foundation stone was laid for extensive expansions to be made to the church and the old stone church became the transept. A new nave was added that included a bell tower and bells were imported directly from Rome. The new cathedral was officially opened on March 15, 1885 – just before Saint Patrick’s Day. Further expansions were carried out to make more space for the growing city’s congregation at the turn of the 20th century and the church that was completed in 1907 is the very same that you gaze upon today.

The Viaduct Harbour, also known as the Viaduct Basin, is a part of Auckland’s waterfront that was built in the early 20th century. In those days, as sea liners were getting bigger, they were having trouble entering the docks. In order to avoid having to build new wharves or dredge the harbor, the viaduct was built as a way of anchoring the ships out in the deeper waters and then ferrying the goods on smaller ships to the docks. The shipping companies didn’t cooperate and the scheme was a resounding failure. Times have changed and the formerly downtrodden area is now in demand real estate space.

Redevelopment of the Viaduct Harbour area has led to the construction of waterfront view apartment buildings alongside a new dining precinct in the city. There is a prestigious marina in the viaduct that has space for smaller sailing vessels as well as plenty of superyachts. Throughout the year the marina is a focal point for many high-class regattas and even Auckland fashion week events. Visiting the Viaduct Harbour is a wonderful opportunity to see the grand New Zealand maritime tradition in full swing in its modern incarnation, as well as to enjoy some exclusive dining and shopping.

Why You Should Visit:
With an abundance of restaurants & bars, most of them with lovely views, this harbour is one of the prime areas to enjoy a bite to eat or a refreshing kiwi beer.
It is especially atmospheric during summer evenings when both tourists and locals enjoy al fresco dining as the sun sets.
Great boardwalk to walk around and lots of benches to sit and 'people watch'.

Tip:
You can walk as far up as the Harbour Bridge along the boardwalk or just stay central. Walk to the very end and on the way you may view the Americas Cup yachts, fishing trawlers, and the odd multimillion-dollar superyacht.

The New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland is the largest of its kind in the country. The seas surrounding the archipelago have always held an important place in the hearts and minds of New Zealanders from the times of the earliest settlers. Located on Hobson Wharf, the museum charts the nation’s seafaring history from early Polynesian explorers to modern maritime moments such as involvement in the America’s Cup. There is a wide range of permanent and temporary exhibitions that are open to the public as well as theatrical performances of the Polynesian settlement of the New Zealand archipelago.

The main exhibitions concentrate on: Polynesian, Maori vessels and navigation; European voyages of discovery; Settlement and immigration; Early coastal trading; Whaling and sealing; Modern commercial shipping; Lifeboat, pilotage and coastguard services; Navigation and marine surveying; Maritime art and crafts; Recreation and sporting maritime activities; Maritime trades; Harbour and port history.

In addition to a number of reconstructed or preserved ships in the building itself, the museum also owns a number of vessels that are normally berthed outside of the museum, including the 19th-century steam engine Puke and a floating steam crane from the early 20th century called Rapaki that can be entered and explored during normal museum visits.

Tip:
Try to visit around noon so you can catch the firing of the cannon!
The free guided tours will certainly add color to your visit, too.

Queen Street in Auckland’s Central Business District (CBD) is the city’s major commercial center where you can find just about anything and shop ‘til you drop. The main thoroughfare begins down at the wharf area near the Ferry Terminal and extends around 3 km up to Karangahape Road. Although the original town planners envisaged Shortland Street as the city’s main street, it was quickly superseded by Queen Street. Queen Street was surveyed and set down in 1841 immediately following settlement. The swampy area had to be heavily gravelled, but buildings began to pop up along the street almost immediately.

Queen Street further cemented its place as the city’s most important street following a fire along Shortland Street in 1858, which wiped out around 50 buildings. One of the earliest remaining examples of buildings from these times is the facade of the Bank of New Zealand building. In the 1880s horse drawn buses began taking passengers along the street and in 1902 it was the first street in New Zealand to have bitumen and electric trams. Recent refurbishments between 2006 and 2008 have revitalized the street and confirmed its place as one of New Zealand’s premier shopping destination.

The Auckland Town Hall is one of the city’s best loved architectural masterpieces having served Auckland and its residents since it was inaugurated in 1911. The building was designed in an unusual layout in order to fit onto the wedge shaped land that had been put aside for the construction of a town hall. The neo-Baroque building is a five storey building that is constructed out of Omaru limestone and it was totally restored between 1994 and 1997 to ensure that the building continued to best serve the needs of the local population. During the restoration process the original stained glass windows and proscenium arch of the Concert Chamber were discovered and restored to their correct place.

The result of the renovations was a building that has stayed true to its original layout and design – with its kauri floors, ornate plasterwork, delicate stained windows and pressed metal ceiling. At the same time it is now able to offer world class concert halls and performance spaces. The Great Hall is able to seat around 1500 people on three levels and the Concert Chamber has seating for around 430 people on two levels. The pipe organ in the Town Hall is the largest musical instrument in the country.

The story of the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle begins in 1881 when Thomas Spurgeon, son of the famous C H Spurgeon, arrived to begin work as a pastor in the colonial town. Thomas’s father C H Spurgeon was a well known Baptist preacher, who to this day is highly considered within the church. With his reputation preceding him, the congregation of the church built steadily and it quickly became apparent that larger premises would be needed to conduct church services. After steadfast fundraising, the foundation stone for the new tabernacle was laid on Easter Monday, 1884 on the central Queen Street site.

The tabernacle has a very different design to that which you see in most other religious buildings in Auckland. The building’s facade features six giant Corinthian columns on a large portico. One of the great supporters of the construction of the tabernacle was Charles Blomfield, who was a sign writer by trade. Mr. Blomfield produced much of the ornate stencilling in the interior of the church on the ceiling of the main auditorium. The Auckland Baptist Tabernacle seems to go from strength to strength and today provides a lot of community support for those of the inner city.