Why Auckland beats Sydney
It’s taken two lockdowns to tell this story. After hopping between Auckland and Sydney extensively last year – back when the world could travel – I settled on a controversial conclusion. Auckland is a better place to visit than Sydney.
If it wasn’t for Covid-19, tens of thousands of us would have headed away to Sydney for an escape this year. And it will likely be months, at the earliest, until that’s again a possibility in the form of a twoway travel bubble.
However, I firmly believe we can all get just as excited about a trip to central Auckland – after all, it’s the only true metropolis we can visit with the current border restrictions.
So, to arm myself with a nuclear arsenal of reasons why I like Auckland better than Sydney, I visited the central city three times between two lockdowns to put my case together.
Let’s start where you can’t go wrong
Sure, Sydney has excellent food – but I challenge you to take your taste buds on a safari in central Auckland. You’ll be blown away.
Start at one of Auckland’s newest eateries, Ahi, run by celebrity chef Ben Bayly. It’s found on the second floor of the new Commercial Bay precinct.
The restaurant only uses New Zealand ingredients, with exceptional results. I tried huruhuru whenua, a type of native fern, alongside a ‘‘secret garden’’ of sour cream and chives – the taste transported me to a misty morning in the forest. The Te Mana Lamb and cheese savouries are the best pies I’ve ever eaten.
Then there are unusual creations such as ‘‘boil-up toast’’, with delicately cooked pork that’s crumbed and deep-fried, served alongside an inventive presentation of watercress, egg and pickle. If you have a penchant for wagyu, Ahi’s utterly delicious cuts are from Christchurch’s Black Origin farm, where the cattle receive massages and are played relaxing music to help create the signature taste.
Elsewhere in the central city you have Giapo, serving the city’s best handcrafted icecream, and the unmissable Amano – with its delicious French pastries and pasta dishes. Finish it all at Miann Britomart, a dessert restaurant that will tame even the most ferocious sweet tooth.
For a Melbourne-style brunch, you can’t miss Neo with its elegant plant-covered deck overlooking Queen St. The Dutch pancakes are sensational.
The last unmissable place is one of my favourites. Huami, at Sky City, specialises in dim sum, and its handmade dumplings, crispy duck wontons, and steamed buns – among dozens of other creations – are worth every carbohydrate.
The lava island
I’ve reached the lava tubes. I see ‘‘volcanic bombs’’, dried lava and scoria everywhere. It’s the kind of scene you’d expect to see on the Tongariro Crossing, or up Mt Tarawera. But, if you turn your head, you can see the Sky Tower in the distance.
It’s surprising how few New Zealanders have set foot on Rangitoto, despite it being a fascinating openair museum. The island is the youngest volcano in New Zealand. It’s difficult to imagine that just over 600 years ago, a fountain of hot, frothy lava was in a constant battle with the sea, slowly sculpting the city’s iconic centrepiece.
It’s an easy day out with the kids, who can tell their friends they spent the weekend climbing a volcano. Best of all, it’s only 20 minutes from the central city.
2021 is looking brighter
As the pandemic accelerates around the globe, it’s hard to fathom Auckland will host one of the world’s great sporting clashes next year, expected to attract thousands of domestic tourists: the America’s Cup.
I love it when Kiwis, every four years, suddenly become yachting experts. That’s despite most of us not knowing if a ‘‘bow’’ is the front or back of the boat, or simply something you do out of respect for the other teams.
The best way to get excited about the Cup is to take to the helm of an America’s Cup boat yourself.
No, not the fighter jet-like foiling yachts that will battle it out next year – these boats are the classic monohulls that were used in the cups of yesteryear.
For two hours, you and your fellow sailors will be in charge of racing the yacht, manning the grinders, and even steering.
Unwind the mind
I’m not sure about you but, in 2020, it feels like my mind has turned into a slinky that is continually threatening to explode in all directions in an uncontrollable mess.
But for one unforgettable hour at East Day Spa, I forgot about Covid-19, and my mind fell silent during a ‘‘balancing massage’’, which is specifically tailored to where your body needs work.
The massage treatments at this spa are worldclass, reflected in the fact that celebrities such as Pink, Justins Bieber and Timberlake, and Heidi Klum have used the same tables as you lie on.
Finally, some great shopping
While Covid-19 has accelerated the trend of internet shopping in your dressing gown, it’s time to experience the joy of wandering around the shops at the central city’s new mall, Commercial Bay.
It is dangerously good, especially when you tell yourself that spending money helps the economy.
The central city was always missing a big shopping drawcard, and this Melbourne-style mall has some 120 shops. The food court is exceptional, with Ahi Restaurant tucked away nearby.
Besides Commercial Bay, there are plenty of exciting places to shop and explore, like the laneways lined with boutiques, bars and eateries off Queen St, the slick Britomart precinct, and the vibrant waterfront along North Wharf.
Stay in Auckland’s first skyscraper
In 1928, the city’s first skyscraper opened. At 10 storeys tall, it was the highest building in the city.
Inside was a popular tea room and soda fountain, popular because of the purported health benefits of sweet carbonated water. One floor of the building even sold Auckland’s legendary Rangitoto Special – three scoops of icecream with strawberries and a pink wafer, topped with syrup.
Since its Windsor House glory days, it’s drifted through corporate owners but, in 2017, it had a magnificent makeover to become the Hotel Grand Windsor.
The rooms are styled with grand art deco flair, making it a place of calm and the perfect base for exploring the heart of the city.
Wine island
Staying in the central city has other advantages: walk just a few hundred metres to the ferry terminal to escape to Waiheke Island for the day.
A $68 Fullers Day Pass gets a return ferry ticket, and 18 stops to choose from on the hop-on, hop-off bus. Explore beaches, vineyards or small villages.
The writer’s trip was supported by Heart of the City. This story was created as part of an editorial partnership with ATEED.