Auckland Travel Forum

I have 1 day in Auckland, arriving @ 5:30 AM. I do have a reservation at the sky tower for dinner. Any recommendations for must see? Also best way to get to Quay West suites? Thanks.

As you have dinner at the SkyTower you can already tick one must-do.

Other great places:
Kelly Tarlton's (Penguin Encounter and Underwater World)
Auckland Museum/Domain
Parnell (lovely suburb next to the Museum)
Albert Park (just a short walk from the Sky Tower)
Viaduct Harbour
Mt. Eden (impressive volcanic crater in the city with great views)
Evt. Victoria Park Market

You will not be able to do more in a day...

You could get on the Link bus which travels on a loop route around the city, you could hop on and off in Parnell, Ponsonby and on Broadway, from there walk to the Museum and from there to Parnell, take the bus back down to the CBD and have a pre-dinner drink at Viaduct Harbour.

You reach Mt. Eden by bus and train, Kelly Tarlton's by bus from the Britomart station at the harbour end of Queen Street.

Quay West Suites are just a block from Queen Street/Britomart, and a five min walk from the Sky Tower. Do you want to get there from the airport or from where? From the airport you best take the Airport Bus, see transportation tip on my Auckland page.

Which of the restaurants at Sky Tower is best?
We'll be in Auckland for 2 nights and were debating checking it out, although it seems pretty "touristy". Usually we try to avoid that type of thing but am curious.
Also, do they just have a bar/lounge that doesn't have a specific drink minimum (the Hancock building in Chicago has one thats fantastic).
Thanks in advance!

I have only eaten at Orbit and had drinks in two of the bars. There was no drink minimum in the bars but Orbit has a minimum of NZ$ 30 per person.

There are so many expensive restaurants at Sky City that it would ruin my finances to test them all ;-) But Peter Gordon, for example, is one of NZ's most famous chefs, and you pay for that.

For me, however, there would only be one reason to have dinner at Sky Tower, and this is for the views, and romance at night - and you also pay for that. So the Orbit, the revolving restaurant, would be my place to go.

You can check out all restaurants and bars here:

http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/skycity/auckland/restaurants-and-bars/restaurants-and-bars_home.cfm

Thanks for the info. I think I'll take the bus around and get off at the places you mentioned.

Hello,
all these replies are great. just a few more ideas:
take a ferry ride across the harbor to get great skyline views or there are nice views at the end of the quays on the waterfront.
if you like adrenaline, take the Skyjump off the tower (preferably before dinner) or take the bungy jump off the bridge.
I was in Auckland for just a day last year and went to the Victoria Park Marketplace, it could be skipped for the waterfront.
Albert park was nice for a stroll, but I probably would have chosen the Domain or Mt. Eden instead (though both are a little bit of a drive from downtown)
Enjoy NZ, it's great!

KLMousseau, it is absolutely clear that the waterfront (= Viaduct Harbour) is a must. Victoria Park Market is only listed for the case that there is time left. Albert Park is so close to Queen St that it is a place for relaxing a while.

Hard to say what someone can and wants to do in a day, especially when the person might be jetlagged and starts the visit at 5.30am. If I only have a day somewhere I can be very tough. I can do about twice as much as some friends of mine who have to sit down every some minutes and have a drink... ;-)))