Introduction
We were only in Auckland for 1.5 days since we spent the other day touring Hobbiton. We stayed at the Hilton Auckland on the wharf. Let me first say that Auckland is like a Seattle/San Francisco hybrid. You have the pretty waterfront in downtown and then there’s shopping. Thus, there’s not really much to do that is unique to Auckland (don’t be mad at me if you’re from Auckland or grew up there.)
Waiheke Island wine tasting
Our concierge at the Hilton recommended we do this on our 1 day there. We decided not to pay for the tour and just wing it ourself. We didn’t regret it at all. You basically take a ferry that is 5-10 walking minutes from the Hilton to an island where there is a beach and a bunch of wineries. Since we love wine, it was a no-brainer. We paid $36 NZD per person for round trip tickets. Learn more about the ferry schedule here.
Once you get off the ferry on the island, the bus is waiting for you (schedule synched to ferry schedule.) The bus fare was less than $10 for the both of us, and it took us in front of the winery we wanted. From there, we walked to the nearby wineries and had tastings at all of them. We then walked to the beach and then took the bus back to the ferry and got back to hotel for dinner in Auckland. Here’s a map of the island wineries. You basically want to get off on #8 and walk to 10,15,14,9, and 13. Then take the start of the bus where the red line begins on Onetangi beach back to the ferry. There is a bar where the red line moves inland, so instead you could walk down there and have a drink before taking the bus back. Up to you.
Pictures of the island:
Depot Restaurant
This is a top 10 Tripadvisor restaurant and recommended by my buddy who lives in Auckland. We went there for happy hour and got a charcuterie plate and 2 carafes of wine. It’s across the street from a large hotel and the Auckland tower, so great people watching place. No reservations, and it seems the locals come here for happy hour too, so you may have to wait.
Crab Shack
My buddy mentioned that I should try the mud crab in New Zealand. I had never had it before, so I wanted to try it out. It’s very similar to a dungeoness crab, so you’re not missing out. The restaurant is a 5 minute walk from the Hilton. It has polarizing reviews on TA; most people said the service sucks but no one complained about the quality of the food. I got the mussels, clams, and mud crab the first time we went. It was so delicious, we went back on the 2nd night as well to try the blue swimmer crabs (aka blue crabs which you should NOT GET.) I’m embarassed to say we went to the same restaurant on our only 2 nights in Auckland, but it was a Saturday night and all of the other restaurants we wanted to try were fully booked. I do suggest you get the mud crab there though; it’s in a blackened pepper sauce that is delicious!
