I'm going to let you in on a little secret. We all know that parking in Auckland City can be the…read moreworst experience ever. It's so busy and crowded that finding a good parking space is often like finding gold. But then you have to pay a ridiculous sum of money for like 30 minutes of parking. Fuck that! There's a stretch of road on the Grafton side of Grafton Bridge where parking is $1 per hour. Not only that but you can park for up to four hours. And every time that I have driven on this stretch of road I have been able to find a park no worries. Probably the only problem with parking in this location is that it's quite far from the lower side of the city. You need to weigh up the odds of walking for a while, or paying more cash. Walking is good for you anyway.

Best carpark for the middle of the city. Almost always spaces and $2/hr on weekends. For ages, I…read moreused to think street parking was cheaper. No longer is that the case. Beware of parking during popular events such as the lantern festival and shows at the civic. Getting out may take a while and you'd be best to go have a nice cream at Giapo while you wait for the crowd to clear.

As only $3/hour the Vic St Carpark is probably about as cheap as it gets in the central city. One…read moreword of warning though, their lifts are ridiculously slow so allow an extra 10mins for the journey down to ground level and if you're claustrophobic don't even think about it....

Surprisingly well-priced, considering the location - if you are an early bird or are nocturnal that…read moreis. The rates during the day seem to be extremely pricey. Early birds (before 10am) can park all day for $13, quite reasonable for waterfront in the CBD. After 6pm, parking has a maximum rate of $15 beyond 3 hours, with $12 up to that duration. However during the day, parking can get quite excessive, reaching $30 for beyond 3 hours - you are almost better off copping a parking ticket from the Council. There is a nifty system to help remember your car park level which is quite handy, with a range of native New Zealand birds, although don't do what I did and get the ground floor one stuck in your head which didn't end up being much help. Additional services are also available such as car grooming and valet parking - however I was just looking for a basic car park service, when those tight streets in the Britomart precinct are overflowing with cars on yellow lines and the like.

Do not park here this place is a total ripoff. I was parked there for the maximum time and the cost…read morewas 45 dollars. Park on the other side of the ferry terminal in the downtown parking building the maximum cost there is only 10 dollars.

Wow... we saw 4 guys sky jumping from highest building in Auckland... mainly we heard them…read morescreaming as they jumped then we saw them... Amazing people watching... an outdoor restaurant & bar below the skyline tower...

To see all of Auckland, the bay bridge and the Port take a ride on the Sky lift. The view is…read morereally neat. You may see a cruise ship. You can see a McDonald's logo on a roof that is the former location of the NZ corporation office. The old City Hall is nearby. If you know where to look you can see the park and buildings of the Māori Council, the Indigenous people of NZ. Up on the enclosed viewing area you can spend as much time as you'd like. Cool is that in the floor are see-thru panels to the ground below. You can avoid walking on these if you wish. A floor above is a cafe, a bar and souvenir shop. I believe this is handicapped accessible. Call to make sure.

**DO NOT PARK HERE**…read more A very unsafe area, better off parking on the street in public area, especially if in a hire vehicle. When our car was broken into and all belongings stolen, car park staff were decidedly unhelpful. Security vehicle monitors on a regular basis but is apathetic and ineffective. Forces you to rely on the kindness of strangers.

Thanks to our New Zealand friends (Geoffrey and Margaret), whom we met the year before during our…read morecruise through Southeast Asia, for planning a day of fun, exercise, and good eats in Auckland. We started with a hike up Mount Eden (Maungawhau), a dormant volcano and the highest natural point in Auckland, offering panoramic views of the city from its summit. As we hiked uphill along pathways and boardwalks to the summit, our friends explained that Mount Eden is a culturally significant Māori site, pointing out its historical Māori pā (fortified village) terraces and its sacred 160-ft-deep crater. It took us about 18 minutes to hike up from the parking lot to the summit while following the pathway to the boardwalks. The uphill hike was relatively easy with an elevation gain of nearly 240 feet, and I was sure glad that my osteoarthritic knee wasn't "acting up." We prepared for this hike by taking physically challenging shore excursions and actively exercising pre- and during our cruise. After all, we didn't want to reach the summit wheezing and out of breath, because we truly wanted to enjoy the panoramic views and take in the cultural and historical background from our younger friends. It was very windy atop and along the summit boardwalks, and I had to either hold on or lean into the handrails, otherwise be blown about like tumbleweed. At the summit, we were treated to a 360° panoramic view of Auckland city, its nearby neighborhoods, the iconic Sky Tower, Auckland Harbor Bridge, Rangitoto Island, and a glimpse of the South towards the Auckland Airport. Instead of returning to our vehicle the same way we had climbed up, our friends guided us downhill on a less steep, paved private roadway. Our round-trip hike took about an hour, and it was a beautiful day to spend with friends, enjoying iconic sights and learning about Māori history and culture.

At 196 meters high, Mount Eden, a dormant volcano, is the highest natural point in Auckland. It…read morewas named in honour of George Eden, the 1st Earl of Auckland (a white guy), by Governor William Hobson (another white guy). In the Māori language, Mount Eden is called Maungawhau, which means "mountain of the whau tree". At the top of Mount Eden/Maungawhau is a large, grassy crater 50 meters deep which is sacred to the Māori and must not be entered. Mount Eden/Maungawhau is a popular for hiking, and while it is not a long or difficult hike, there are steep sections. Around the crater are boardwalks that were installed in 2020 for people to take a stroll. Fortunately when we went hiking on Mount Eden/Maungawhau, the weather was nice, although it was quite windy at the top. I took a lot of photos to try and capture the beauty of the area, but it's something you just have to experience in person. If you like hiking and nature, don't miss Mount Eden/Maungawhau. [Yelp collections: NZ/Fiji 2023; New Zealand 2023; Hiking]

OK so everyone knows parking in the CBD is an absolute blimmen nightmare. Charges have even just…read morebeen raised around town and now in some places you pay up to $18 for four hours street parking where you used to pay $4. So ridiculous in my opinion. Anyway now that those changes have been made I've been exploring other options for parking. Parking buildings are never the cheapest but when your options are low and your lecture starts in 5 minutes you may just have to zoot into a building. This is what I did last week at the Wilson building on St Pauls Street known as "Unipark". Now it must be called Unipark because it is pretty much reserves for AUT staff. What a bloody mission. I drove round and round all the way to the top to find some parks that weren't reserved for staff! Eventually those annoying reserved signs started disappearing but all the public car parks were full. I had to hit the rooftop level to find one. So just know - there are parks here but you will have to sift through a hundred million AUT staff spots to find one. More annoying is a lot of the reserved ones are often free and right by the ground floor. Oh so tempting!

Is this really a car park? If not for the pay and display machines you may be tricked into thinking…read moreit is the entrance to a old western theme park ride. This really doesn't qualify for covered car parking, if you cared for your vehicle you wouldn't park it here. Although there are two shacks made of wood and tin that look like they may collapse if someone slams their car door closed, this is all the covered car parking available and this is reserved parking. This car park is more probably suited to an off road vehicle because it is of mixed terrain, concrete, wood and gravel. The wire fencing gives you the impression this is an impound lot where cars have been placed involuntarily rather than by the owner themselves. I still can't get over the fact this car park, despite being owned by Tournament is so crappy. Surely they make enough money to at least resurface it? If you were desperate for parking then maybe consider parking here or try your luck trying to locate one of the other 4000 car parks that are available around the Newmarket area. Unbelievably this is not one of the Tournament car parks that has the cheap all day $5 weekend rate.