Auckland for the day

We will be in Auckland for the day before our cruise, do we need to rent a car? does Auckland have a hop on and hop off bus to do some sightseeing . What are some things to do and see or must not miss in Auckland?

We will be in Auckland for the day before our cruise, do we need to rent a car? does Auckland have a hop on and hop off bus to do some sightseeing. What are some things to do and see or must not miss in Auckland?

From our "neighbor" to the north in Michigan, there are many options to consider for Auckland. First and most important centers around your personal interests and desires. Tell us more!! Be specific!! How much for culture, history, shopping, architecture, wine, etc.? Probably no need to rent a car. But through your hotel or one of the tour companies, you might want to do a couple hour introductory tour of this town's top attractions and sites. For our group from Central Ohio, we had pre-arranged such a tour for when we exited the ship.

Another factor to consider when you arrive after long, long flights from the USA would be what type of "condition" and interests you have to tour as your body clock seeks to adjust.

As detailed on my live/blog below from last year when we did much in New Zealand and Australia, we had a day in this city when our cruise arrived to complete our 14-day sailing, plus we had two extra days for there. This included a wonderful nearby day-trip to charming and interesting Waiheke Island.

Auckland is a big, urban city with about 1.5 million people. About a third of the whole country’s population is here. It has a very diverse population with many from various areas of the South Pacific, plus settling from many key parts of Asia, including China and India. BUT, we really enjoyed the variety of architecture styles and building, including a nice mix of new and older.

Auckland's Sky Tower is the tallest man-made structure in the country. At 1,076 feet tall, it is a place to take in 360-degree views for one of the world's better harbour cities. Thrill seekers can also leap from the tower's 192-metre SkyJump, the highest tethered jump in the country. Sky Tower has a few restaurants and bars compared to the costly ride up to the top of the observatory tower. Their website: http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz. There is a casino here (where we watched a quarter of the 2014 SuperBore football "game" where the Broncos got destroyed. We stayed at the Sky City Grand hotel and really enjoyed that first-class experience. Great, handy location!! There are two large hotels in the Sky City complex, plus a number nearby.

Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world. The 2011 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Auckland 3rd best in the world on its list, while The Economist's World's Most Livable Cities index of 2011 ranked Auckland in 9th place. Auckland has a warm-temperate climate, with somewhat humid summers. Auckland has more yachts per capita than any other city in the world, with around 135,000 yachts and launches. Around 60,500 of the country's 149,900 registered yachtsmen come from the Auckland Region. According to web sources, about one in three Auckland households owns a boat. Viaduct Basin hosted two America's Cup challenges (2000 Cup and 2003 Cup).

For shopaholics, there are lots of treats in Auckland. To get high fashion, they suggest strolling around O'Connell Street and High Street. That area is home to designer stores, including that of New Zealand's Karen Walker. Parnell is where you'll find interesting speciality stores. Craft, vintage and market stalls are popping up all over the city.

Reactions and added questions?? Happy to share more!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 117,699 views for this posting.

One of our first stops after getting off of our Solstice ship, was going to the top of Mount Eden with this view of both its main downtown, plus this huge crater from volcano action here many, many thousands of years ago.:

Auckland’s Art Gallery is a mix of the new structure on the left and the older, more traditional building on the right side. Its location is handy and adjoins a large, scenic park area.:

This museum visual shows the older, two-story gallery that has most of its collection focused on historic NZ, the Maori connections, etc. Our guide in the tour noted that most of the paintings involving Maori history were fictional for how the actual events were depicted. Looked good, but not accurate, nor close. This museum had a great collection of portraits of Maori tribe leaders. We were not permitted to take any pictures in that area.:

Here are two of my visuals samples of Sky City and its famous tower. Did not lose any money in the casino since I did not gamble there. I was a winner!!:

From having our final breakfast on the back of our ship, here is the view of Auckland's historic Ferry Building, plus some other key downtown buildings. This docking area is super handy for having quick and easy access to the city. But, this port area can be very, very congested.:

does Auckland have a hop on and hop off bus to do some sightseeing

Sea Princess is in Auckland today on the last wet day of winter.:mad:

From the bridge cam you can see the Hop On Hop Off yellow buses waiting .