I moved from Ōtautahi/Christchurch to Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland three-and-a-half years ago. We of Ōtautahi had been through a decade of rebuilding after the 2011 earthquake. We lost about 80% of the historic city centre so I appreciate the old architecture in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Tāmaki Makaurau (which means “Tāmaki desired by many” or “Tāmaki of a hundred lovers”) is a very pretty city. Nature is abundant and it’s densely green; the city appears to have grown while meeting the Tūpuna Maunga ancestral mountains. There are 14 such mountains near the central business district (CBD) that are mostly easy climbs with wonderful views. Rangitoto, Takaparawhau/Bastion Point and Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill, among others, carry significant cultural narratives.
Food
We’re big on variety and new culinary experiences in Aotearoa.
Bao and Noodle makes its dishes, including noodles, dumplings and wontons, fresh all day long. My favourite is the spicy wonton soup. Nol Bu Ne excels at delicious, healthy and well-priced Korean cuisine. My go-to is the bibimbap with beef and fresh shredded vegetables. Lebanese Grocer also has incredibly tasty food.
Maison Vauron is a high-end French restaurant tucked away in Newmarket. The restaurant has rustic countryside decor; it’s in the cellar above a deli, which sells cheese, fig spreads, truffles, confit and more. The duck leg confit and slow-cooked beef cheeks in red wine jus will remain an eternal memory.
Gilt is another European restaurant and local favourite. It’s in a lovely 1940s building that opens on to the cobblestone walkways of Freyberg Place.
The friendly Kompass Coffee does excellent coffee and I’m a sucker for its salmon bagels. Chuffed is great for early mornings because employees casually nod at you to find a seat and swiftly come to you. There’s a back terrace with a retractable roof so it’s cosy in winter and open-air on a nice day.
I was introduced to “dirty coffee” (hot espresso poured over cold milk) at Parable House recently; it was a fantastic awakening! Parable is on the city fringe in Eden Terrace, one of Tāmaki Makaurau’s oldest suburbs.
The Crafty Baker out at Titirangi specialises in sourdough. If I’m there, visiting Te Uru gallery, I’ll grab a steak and cheese pie for the ride home. It does occasional early dinners too (until 8pm) by collaborating with local restaurants such as Bari’s Pizza.
Nature
Tāmaki Makaurau is on a thin strip of land so it’s easy to reach either coast. The east is the serene, white and golden sands side. The west is more rugged with jagged rocks, wild oceans and expressive sunsets.
A great day trip is seeing the sun rise at Takapuna beach in the east and swinging by a sheltered spot like Cornwallis beach. Afterwards, you could go to a west coast beach for a sunset barbecue (use responsibly!)
Muriwai has stunning views and rock formations with a great raw energy. Modernist artist Colin McCahon felt the power of Muriwai and poured it into paintings such as Tui Carr celebrates Muriwai Beach (1971) and Moby Dick is sighted off Muriwai: a necessary case for protection (1972). The latter work is in the Auckland art gallery collection.
The stunning Te Henga/Bethells beach is perfect for family picnics. Watch for the dates of Jafa Sound’s social Sundays. It’s dub-reggae music and it’s free but koha/donations are welcome.
The family-friendly Fairy Falls bushwalk (about 60 to 90 minutes) is in the central Waitākere Ranges regional park. It starts in the Scenic Drive car park and goes to a cascading fall and ancient kauri trees.
Back in the city, the Waitematā Harbour waterfront walkway features public artworks including The Lighthouse: Tū Whenua-a-Kura (Michael Parekōwhai) and The Flooded Mirror and Silt Line (Rachel Shearer and Hillery Taylor).
Nightlife
Ponsonby Road has been the main hotspot for restaurants and bars in Tāmaki Makaurau for nearly 30 years but the scene’s starting to migrate on to adjoining Karangahape Road. We shorten it to “K Road”.
I’m a big fan of Open Late, a cafe by day and a small bar by night, in a renovated shopfront near the corner of Ponsonby and K Road. It has a back garden and an occasionally used DJ booth. Great drinks and toasties and atmospheric lighting.
No 7 on Pitt Street in Newton is a newer go-to for artists. It’s character-filled and cosy with excellent pasta dishes to go with the rotating cocktail specials.
If you walk through Myers Park, you’ll reach a palm-lined pathway up some steep steps to St Kevins Arcade. This 1924 building is home to restaurants, cafes, bars, barbers, a vintage camera shop (Junktion NZ) and fashion stores. Also to Whammy Bar, great for seeing alternative bands in an intimate setting. The Audio Foundation is the spot for experimental music.
Freida Margolis is another snug little bar on a corner in Grey Lynn that does occasional unplugged gigs. The owner, Mike Howie, sometimes plays the piano.
Inspiration
Ngāti Whatua, the Māori tribal body that holds mana whenua (customary responsibility) over the Tāmaki Makaurau CBD, holds festivities at Takaparawhau/Bastion Point to mark Matariki, the Māori New Year.
This special midwinter morning ceremony starts before dawn. It’s very cold and after the sun comes up we move towards the feast. When I go, I pay my respects to my tīpuna (ancestors) from the south, and the tūpuna of the marae, Matua Joe Hawke, who was and remains a hugely important Māori leader. Matariki gets the year off to a good start.
The Powerstation is a legendary music venue in Mount Eden. It had a mythology to it in my younger years, as I knew New Zealand bands such as the Headless Chickens and Bailter Space played there. Being from the south island, I only made it to a gig recently; Shayne Carter from the DoubleHappys, Straightjacket Fits and Dimmer. The venue has superb sound, good lighting and employees are calm and cool.
Neighbourhood
The CBD is a pleasant downtown to stroll, particularly towards Mount Albert, the University of Auckland, Princess Street and the law courts. The 19th-century wooden university buildings are the kind we lost in Ōtautahi/Christchurch. The 1920s university clock tower, designed by Roy Alstan Lippincott, brother-in-law of Walter Burley Griffin, is particularly interesting.
Grey Lynn is an older Māori-Polynesian area that’s been slowly gentrifying. It has great galleries such as Season and Ivan Anthony. There’s still a strong cultural presence; the few people I know who grew up here inherited their parents’ homes and keep the ahi kā (fires of occupation) burning.
Mangere has a large Māori-Polynesian community. It has the Ngā Tohu o Uenuku/Mangere arts centre, the TeTuhi art gallery (currently closed for repairs, due to reopen in 2026), and is famous for Mangere markets. The fish mongers here sell fresh pāua (sea snails), mutton bird, shellfish and crayfish as well as taro, yam, watercress, pūhā (sow thistles) and kumara (sweet potato).
Accommodation
The Hotel Britomart (from $255 per night) is by the waterfront and has a top rating from the NZ Green Building Council and Toitū Carbon Reduce status. It’s a beautiful space that features local artists, such as Rachel Carter’s stoneware and Tamzin Hawkins’ sustainable textiles, as well as a stunning Shane Cotton painting in the foyer.
Cotton also painted Maunga (2020), commissioned by Toi o Tamaki as part of Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art, the largest ever Māori art exhibition in its history, curated by Nigel Borell.
Cordis Hotel (from $192 per night) has more than 40 artworks commissioned from nine artists. The Pullman (from $229 per night) is close to the CBD, public transport and ferries.
Out of the city, I recommend Titirangi, a leafy suburb at the southern end of the Waitākere Ranges. Depending on traffic, it’s 20 to 40 minutes by car from the CBD but it feels much further away. Bookabatch has plenty of bespoke accommodation to choose from.
Nathan Pohio is senior curator Māori at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
• This article was amended on 2 November 2025. An earlier version included Ruapehu in a list of easy climbs near Auckland CBD. Ruapehu is in the central North Island and 2,800 metres high; the list meant to include Rangitoto instead.
