Being an Aucklander who has pretty much lived here their whole life, I’m ashamed to say that I know surprisingly little about Auckland City. Having been stuck in my room for hours on end trying (key word: trying) to study, exam time was the perfect time to start exploring!
- Countdown (Quay Street.)
Before I decided to start exploring the city, I took daily trips to the Countdown further from O’Rorke with the intention of stretching my legs. There wasn’t much to see but they were good walks nonetheless.
Would recommend this Countdown because its much bigger and its less crowded compared to the one near Queen St.
Time: 40 minutes
Pros: You can grab groceries and snacks on the way.
Cons: You’ll be guilted into buying things you don’t need. Wallet and diet may suffer.
- Sky Tower – Victoria Park – Viaduct – Countdown
This was one of my more spontaneous walks. I was intrigued as to what was behind the sky tower, so I unknowingly walked all the way to Victoria Park, made my way back to familiar territory in the viaduct, and finally took the longer path back to O’Rorke by taking the Countdown route.
Victoria Park at Golden Hour
The viaduct (has some truly beautiful apartments and boats)
Back along Britomart!
Time: 1 hour.
Pros: It was really fun not knowing my destination.
Cons: It started getting dark during the middle of my walk and it took more than 60 minutes because I had no idea where I was.
- Silo Park.
Went on this walk with a friend and saw them raise the bridge which was exciting! Never been to Silo Park before so it was fun finally getting to see what all the fuss was about. 😋 Definitely worth a visit!
Come add your own lock!
Cool bridge with seemingly no purpose.🤔
Strange bridge – front view.
Time: 2 hours.
Pros: Saw some pretty cool stuff like this giant metal bridge (still not too sure what it is 😅) and a really long slide.
Cons: It’s quite far. Our legs were protesting on the way back.
- Auckland Domain.
Upon the recommendation of a friend I went to check out the Auckland Domain. I’ve only ever seen the silhouette of the museum from the outside and without walking in, I would’ve never guessed it was so big.
A very grassy place
🌱
Time: 1 hour.
Pros: If you like jogging, this is probably the best place for you as there won’t be any cars in your way. Saw a lot of cute and fluffy dogs being walked!
Cons: I’m very mosquito prone and there were quite a few sand flies and bugs flying around the forested areas. It made me worry there were going to be mosquitoes.
- Queens wharf.
There’s something innately soothing about open water, how it swallows up sound and blankets the area in a warm calmness.
Saw this absolutely massive seagull (looks small compared to the sea).
Little house on the pier(rie). Geddit? 😂 … no?
Apparently its James Cook?
Time: 40 minutes.
Pros: Love being near the sea. Saw a very cool piece of art called ‘The Lighthouse’, which is literally a house filled with light, in the middle of the pier.
Cons: There are none. Go check it out!
All of these places (except for Countdown), I’ve discovered by just walking with just a general direction in mind. You don’t have to take any of the tracks I’ve been on, in fact, it would be better if you didn’t! Find your own direction, let your curiosity guide you because that’s whats so great about Auckland City, there’s just so much to explore!
Until next time xxx
Cecilia