Auckland Domain

This sprawling green space, nicknamed The Domain, is so much more than a park. Trails carve through the native bush and ducks splash about in what was Auckland's water supply in the late 19th century. Long before the park became a place for picnics and cricket matches, Pukekawa (its Māori name) was a pā – its natural amphitheatre used for fortification and rich volcanic soil for crops. Since 1880 this ancient volcanic site has been a 200ha public reserve, a reminder of New Zealand's rich past, present and future.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum is perched at the top of the Domain, so iconic and symbolic, the building doesn't even have an address. At its steps, tears are shed at every Anzac Day dawn parade and inside is where New Zealand remembers its history as a nation. It's not just about war, as its name would suggest, with each level telling a part of New Zealand's natural, cultural and social history.

The story begins with the discovery and settlement of New Zealand by the Māori with the extensive and permanent Māori Court exhibition of 1000 taonga (treasures), exquisite artefacts from pre-European times.

Other exhibitions are dedicated to ancient physical features such as volcanoes, limestone caves and the ocean floor. The second level returns to the modern age with bloodshed from the past and lessons for the future. Don't miss the award-winning Scars on the Heart twin gallery exhibition for New Zealand's early and most recent encounters with war, including the Anglo-Boer War of the 19th century and later, extensive coverage of WWI and WWII. Each story is integral to New Zealand's overall identity, just as the Domain's biggest landmark is to Auckland.