The best of the central city, the waterfront, Parnell and Newmarket

Exploring the city? Here are some of our favourite places to wander, eat, drink and shop.

WATERFRONT
The city has embraced its beautiful harbour with spectacular results. Take a walk through one of the buzziest parts of town.

There are a myriad of eating and shopping options in Britomart, which you can see if you click here (for food) and here for stores and salons. And if it's exercise you're after, you can check out our Running, Walking and Cycling guide here. But you'll also want to see some of the sights outside the hotel's immediate neighbourhood, here are our picks of where to go.

Just two blocks from The Hotel Britomart, Commercial Bay features more than 120 stores and eateries over three levels. There’s too much available to detail it all here, but we particularly like the coffee at Kōkako, the modern Korean food at Gochu, or chef Ben Bayly’s special-occasion fare at restaurants Ahi (which serves modern New Zealand food) and Origine (which leans French).

After all that food, you might like some art. The Lighthouse at the very end of Queens Wharf is a house-shaped sculpture by artist Michael Parekōwhai that comments on issues from the country’s housing shortage to the impact of colonialism, all served with a big surprise inside. The view from the end of the wharf is great too.

More food: In Viaduct Harbour, Soul Bar and Bistro (Lower Hobson St and Customs St West), has a sunny, flower-filled terrace and views of yachts. Upstairs, Dr Rudi’s Rooftop Brewing Co brews its beer on site and has plenty of spots from which to enjoy the sunshine. Further around the Viaduct, Bivacco Bar & Griglia serves unfussy Italian food using beautiful local produce.

Stroll across Te Wero Island and over the pedestrian bridge to North Wharf, one of the city’s favourite promenades. The lively Baduzzi (10–26 Jellicoe St) serves terrific Italian food with generosity and panache. We highly recommend the polpette and any of the cocktails from their expert bartenders. Nearby you’ll find one of our favourite cafes, Williams Eatery (85 Daldy St), with pleasing Scandi design, friendly waitstaff, and elevated café classics. Leave space for some of the divine French baking at La Petite Fourchette (85 Daldy St), just a few doors down. And don’t forget the dumplings around the corner at The Rolling Pin (141 Packenham St West).

QUEEN STREET AND SURROUNDS
Head south from The Hotel Britomart, and we'll take you on a wander through central Auckland's sightseeing and historic highlights.

Yes, it’s a tourist trap, but the view is undeniably good from the Sky Tower (Victoria St West, the big pointy thing). Just beside the Sky Tower you’ll find easy-going New Zealand fare at Depot Eatery (86 Federal St), and deli classics at next-door Federal Delicatessen. Just down the street, Masu makes superb Japanese food while Cassia serves modern Indian cuisine (both at 90 Federal St).

Across the other side of Queen St, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (Wellesley St East) offers a rich collection of art from many eras, with a strong recent focus on modern Māori and Pacific art. The building won World Building of the Year in 2013.

Behind the art gallery is Albert Park, a tranquil Victorian green space. From here, wander Princes St to admire architecture from the last century or so, including merchant houses from the late 1800s, the 1926 Old Arts Building by Roy Lippincott (22 Princes St), Gummer and Ford’s 1964 Maclaurin Chapel (18 Princes St), and Old Government House, the seat of power from 1856-1865 before the capital moved to Wellington.

Back down the hill, High St anchors a charming network of lanes featuring Unity Books (19 High St), awarded best bookshop in the world at the 2020 London Book Fair, skincare brand Aēsop (35 High St), and the charming Freyberg Place, a public square beside the modernist Ellen Melville Centre.

High St’s secretive coffee spots include Receptionist (Little High St, 59-67 High St) and Chuffed (down the back at 45 High St). Nearby Mezze Bar (9 Durham St East) is an all-day city institution worth dropping by at any time of day.

More food: Try all-day fare at Hugo’s Bistro (67 Shortland St) or coffees and pastries at the extremely chic Rumours (19 O’Connell St). For dinner, we love the food at Culprit (Level 1/12 Wyndham St) and the Middle Eastern menu at Ima (53 Fort St).

Auckland is full of excellent, regionally specific Chinese joints. Check out Sunnytown (10-14 Lorne St) for savoury bao buns and congee; or Auckland’s worst-kept secret, Eden Noodles (18–26 Wellesley St East and a food court outlet at Commercial Bay).

GETTING THERE: Walk – The furthest point in this little section of our guide is 20 minutes’ walk away, so staying on foot is probably easiest.

PARNELL AND NEWMARKET
Where the eastern suburbs go to shop and eat

Tāmaki Paenga Hira/The Auckland Museum (Auckland Domain) is a majestic building with a host of treasures inside – an essential stop on any Auckland itinerary. Nearby, it’s almost compulsory to visit the Victorian splendour of the Winter Gardens. If the weather’s good, we recommend the cruise-ship stylings of the delightfully modernist Parnell Baths (25 Judges Bay Rd), a set of outdoor salt-water pools that appear to float on the harbour.

Parnell Rd still has its cottage-like charms, but the real retail action has shifted to Newmarket, where stores like Muse Boutique (11 Teed St) will keep you looking effortlessly stylish, as will Twenty-Seven Names (Osborne Lane), a New Zealand design house with a reputation for distinctive prints and contemporary style. There’s also Kowtow (6 York St) who specialise in environmentally and socially conscious clothing. For nice homewares and a small selection of fashion, go no further than Simon James Concept Store (2 Kent St).

Foodies in the know tend to head for the cheap and cheerful Malaysian flavours of Selera (487 Khyber Pass Rd) for a perfect bowl of laksa. Just two doors down, you’ll find Katsu Katsu (483 Khyber Pass Rd) – a 30-seat space serving fresh Japanese dishes. Enjoy excellent bistro fare at Cibo (91 St Georges Bay Rd), a much-loved Parnell hot spot with indoor outdoor flow.

If you’re over this way in the daytime, it’s worth visiting the cluster of shops and eateries down the hill in Faraday St, including Red Rabbit Coffee Co (7 Faraday St) and Simon + Lee (115 St Georges Bay Rd), which blends café classics with Korean cuisine. In the same neighbourhood is Faradays (8 Faraday St) a luxury department store holding labels including Alexandre Vauthier, Loewe, Alaia and La Perla. And New Zealand’s only restaurant dedicated to contemporary Samoan cuisine, Tala (235 Parnell Rd), is in a charming laneway halfway up Parnell Rise.

GETTING THERE: Rideshare will be around $15. Bus – Eastbound Inner Link buses depart every 15 minutes or so from Customs St East, just a block from the hotel. Train – Trains from Britomart Transport Centre go direct to Newmarket Station. Bike – Cycle on the bike path that runs adjacent to the harbour as far as the port and then up Gladstone Rd to Parnell.

La Petite Fourchette

Soul Bar and Bistro

Kokako, Commercial Bay

Williams Eatery

Gochu, Commercial Bay

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Depot

Hugo's Bistro

Culprit