The Hauraki Gulf: islands of the north wind

Out and about

Auckland's North Shore: the ‘other side’

Even though the North Shore is well-settled, it still has its wild places: pockets of bush persist within the suburbs and its string of safe beaches are never overly crowded. Read the story . . . 

Auckland War Memorial Museum: a national treasure

Our children will take completely different memories of the Auckland War Memorial Museum into their futures than the majority of us have borne from our past. Read the story . . . 

Things to do

Auckland’s underwater zoo: Kelly Tarlton’s Sealife Aquarium

In less enlightened times, the vast underground chambers that are now Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World on Auckland’s Tamaki Drive, were used to store the city’s sewerage before it was pumped raw to an outfall near the unfortunately named Browns Island.  Read the story . . . 

Things to do

Auckland's islands: marine playground

Auckland is still known as the City of Sails and this is largely because it has some of the world’s best cruising waters on its doorstep. Read the story . . . 

Things to do

Auckland's volcanoes: geological gems

You might think it says something about our opinion of politicians that New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, is situated on an active fault line — especially when you remember that the previous capital is located smack bang on a volcanic field. Read the story . . . 

Out and about

Rodney: twin coasts

Where the city runs out, Rodney begins . . . This is a land of two coasts: the white-sand beaches opening onto the benign waters of the Hauraki Gulf and the black sand shores of the west coast. Read the story . . . 

Things to do

Auckland Sky Tower

Anyone who’s ever brewed up a mix in a wheelbarrow will be interested to know it took 28,000 tonnes of concrete to build Auckland’s Sky Tower. Read the story . . . 

Things to do

Motu Manawa-Pollen Island Marine Reserve

The Motu Manawa–Pollen Island Marine Reserve, home to a range of sea birds and waders, protects 500ha of the inner reaches of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, adjacent to the Northwestern Motorway. Read the story . . .