Auckland part 2

Downtown Auckland is walker friendly. Yes, I know there are some gentle hills but they are not very steep. If I can handle them almost anyone can! And for some of the steeper inclines it often is possible to cut through a building that has escalators that take you from one level to another.

The Sky Tower will help orient you while walking in the downtown area. It is visible from most places so get your directional bearings by keeping your eye on the horizon.

Next to the wharf down at the harbour you will find this attractive Victorian building.

It’s the old Customs House…now housing several eating places, a post office, and the large tourist information centre. With its distinctive colour and its location at the bottom of several main shopping streets, the Customs House became a significant landmark for us.

Distances in the downtown area are very manageable for walkers, even for me. So let’s see what we can find downtown.

Auckland Town Hall

Aotea Square

This Maori arch is at the edge of the huge paved area that makes up the centre of Aotea Square. I understand the square  is a community gathering place for concerts, skate boarding, Speaker’s Corner, visiting…and come wintertime, ice skating!

Auckland Civic Theatre

Here you can attend top notch live theatrical productions.

The Art Gallery

Next to Albert Park you will find the Art Gallery… where spending many hours is no problem at all! The gallery looks like two different buildings from the exterior. In the photo you see the original gallery but just to the left is a rather modernistic looking building of glass and steel with a unique golden orange canopy entrance.  This extension opened several years ago in 2011.

Inside it is all one building that houses a wonderful collection of local art, European art, Maori art, modern art, etc. I enjoyed (and was both troubled by and enthralled by) learning about some of  New Zealand’s history through the art.

Shopping and Eating

A wide variety of shops and eating places await you.

Multi-ethnic foods on touristy Queen (?) Street…

elegant, exclusive corridors…

fast food places that you find in North America,

and one I had not heard of…Burger Fuel.

Burger Fuel orders come with an ingenious paper holder to keep your burger from dripping!

Now let’s get in a car or hop on a hop-on hop-off bus and explore away from the downtown area.

Click here to continue our visit to Auckland.

Seriously…click here to continue our journey.

If you missed the harbour walk in Auckland, click here.

or if you really want to see other parts of New Zealand, click here.