2 days in Auckland

Day by day

1. Day 1: Sky Tower and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

   Sky Tower, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Quarter and New Zealand Maritime Museum, then Karangahape Road in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Sky Tower

      Thrill-seekers can walk around the outside ledge on the SkyWalk or leap off on the cable-guided SkyJump from 192 metres.

   2. Late morning

      Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

      Highlights include Gottfried Lindauer's and Charles Goldie's portraits of Māori ancestors and contemporary New Zealand and Pacific art.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Flat white

      Independent cafés across Ponsonby, Britomart, Kingsland and Mount Eden.

   4. Afternoon

      Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Quarter

      It is the city's favourite place for an evening stroll.

   5. Late afternoon

      New Zealand Maritime Museum

      On Hobson Wharf at the Viaduct, the museum traces New Zealand's seafaring story from Polynesian voyaging canoes and early immigrant ships to the America's Cup, including the yacht KZ1 and a re-creation of a cramped 19th-century settler cabin.

   6. Evening

      Karangahape Road

      Late-night bars, live-music venues, clubs and the city's main LGBTQ+ scene.

2. Day 2: Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland Domain and Wintergardens

   Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland Domain and Wintergardens, Maungawhau / Mount Eden and Waiheke Island, then Ponsonby Road in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Auckland War Memorial Museum

      Daily Māori cultural performances are held in the museum.

   2. Late morning

      Auckland Domain and Wintergardens

      The city's oldest park spreads across an extinct volcano's crater, with sports fields, bush walks and the Wintergardens: two glasshouses of tropical and temperate plants flanking a courtyard pond, plus a fernery in an old quarry.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Meat pie

      Bakeries and dairies (corner shops) across the city; award-winning bakeries often post their medals in the window.

   4. Afternoon

      Maungawhau / Mount Eden

      Vehicles are no longer allowed at the summit, so the walk up is quiet, and the view sweeps across both harbours and dozens of other volcanic cones.

   5. Late afternoon

      Waiheke Island

      Buses and hop-on hop-off tours link the ferry wharf at Matiatia with the wineries and villages.

   6. Evening

      Ponsonby Road

      Wine bars, cocktail lounges and restaurant bars with a smart local crowd.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium (Tamaki Drive): Combine it with the waterfront walk or bike ride along Tamaki Drive to Mission Bay.
• Swap in MOTAT – Museum of Transport and Technology (Western Springs): Pair it with the zoo or a walk around the eels and swans of Western Springs Lakeside Park next door.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 15–21 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.6 hours in June to 14.7 hours in December, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Ferry. Ferries from the Downtown Ferry Terminal at the foot of Queen Street serve Devonport (about 12 minutes), Waiheke Island (about 40 minutes), Rangitoto and other Gulf destinations.

More or fewer days

• One day in Auckland
• 3 days in Auckland
• 5 days in Auckland

Questions travellers ask