The wide sweep of Waitemata Harbour slices Auckland in two and is the city's most prominent natural…read morefeature. It was because of this easily navigable waterway that Auckland became New Zealand's capital in 1840. Wellington is now the capital but Auckland remains New Zealand's economic center. We explored this area almost daily by foot and found lots of shopping, dining, transportation and entertainment venues. There were lots of cruisers in the area with their luggage waiting to get on and off their ship.

For all the land lubbers out there, you're missing out. There are so many cool places to see on…read moreAuckland's doorstep, all you have to do is jump in a boat and explore the Waitemata Harbour from the water. For example, on the way up towards Hobsonville, just past the Chelsea Sugar works, there are a few quite idyllic beaches only accessible from the water. Heading out towards Waiheke you can find Brown's Island, Motuihe (my fave), Rakino, or drop anchor and drink yourself silly in Issy Bay, known to locals as "drunk's bay".

The Westhaven Marina adds a lot of beauty and interest to the Auckland waterfront, and helps us…read moreclaim it as a true "city of sails". The marina has a surprising number of services for yachties as well, even clothes washing machines are hidden in some of the shower/toilet blocks for the full-time residents. For those with smaller boats Pier Z has a launching ramp, as well as a busy café and a whole bunche of charter boats (mainly fishing) that go in and out all day. There is also a spiffing new shower block available for public use. If you're not a boatie, the marina still makes an excellent location for a flat, scenic walk or run close to the CBD.

Oh the memories…read more.. When I first finished high school, I spent the better part of a summer leaning to windsurf at Madloop. I was off to Summer Camp that year to be a windsurfing instructor so thought it best I learnt what I was doing. Madloop are based at Lake Pupuke, near the Slyvan Park entrance - look out for the brightly coloured trailer and van at the lake's edge. They have a whole heap of rigs and are able to cater from beginner to advanced (for rentals), children to adults. They also have wetsuits so just turn up in your bathers and your good to go. Al, who runs the school is awesome. He has years of experience and is great with kids and adults alike. He normally has about 3-4 staff helping him out, who in my experience are pretty awesome too. But what's great about learning to windsurf at Madloop is you always feel safe - the staff are great at judging the conditions and after all, you are in a lake so there's no risk of being washed out to sea. Learning to windsurf is not cheap ($45/hours) but they do have a summer deal at the moment where you can get six lessons for the price of five. To book, get in touch via the website. It's heaps of fun..trust me!

Mad loop operates on the sheltered (well mostly) waters of Lake Pupuke. Al has taught four of my…read morefamily - cousins- to windsurf over a holiday break and I can highly recommend his team to get the kids motivated and up and sailing. The gear is good especially the wetsuits which are pretty essential. If windsurfing is not your thing Al has branched out into Hobie cats as well for a more leisurely and probably drier experience

I have become really fascinated with the sport of Paddle Boarding; it's not hard when you look at…read morethe waters that surround our home city. We are blessed with beautiful oceans to set sail on, paddle, surf, swim, the list is endless. My partner told me that there was a free trial paddle board coming up on the weekend after seeing a sign pop up near Birkenhead Point. Saturday morning after breakfast, I threw my swimmers and boardies on, and jumped in the car headed for a paddle board in the waters off Little Shoal Bay. Point Paddlers team were waiting beach side with the Pioneer Brand stand up paddle boards that they also sell online priced between 1,699 and 1,999 dollars. I was able to be fitted with a life jacket and the perfect board appropriate to my height, and then off I went. A fantastic opportunity to try out the quality products of Point Paddlers, I was more than happy with my experience, and I think I might start saving towards that paddle board.

I have only just got into windsurfing and was looking for a windsurfing school in my area. A friend…read morerecommended i visit Pete down at Pt Chev- Auckland Windsurfing. Pete is the owner of this small yet very busy business. He has been windsurfing for over 15 years and clearly knows his stuff. He's an excellent (and patient) teacher! I had my first lesson last week in 20 knot winds; slightly brave for a first time! For those of you who aren't familiar with the area Pt Chev is a sheltered bay facing west. Its a great spot to learn. A beginners lesson for 90 minutes is $60 which i personally think is great value. This includes board, sail, wetsuit and booties. The first half of the lesson is on the land, going through the basics of the gear, plus learning about the wind direction and best windsurfing conditions. The second half you get into the water and onto the board. The strong winds and choppy waters were not ideal conditions for a first timer so i would suggest going on a calmer day, i still had a great time! In fact i went back the next day when it was calmer and had another go. After one lesson i felt confident enough to go out on my own . Can't wait to get out again! You can also rent a great range of windsurfing gear down there and also SUP boards. Highly recommend checking it out!

I ran a training course here. Great location. Great venue. Great staff. They offered for us to dine…read morein the restaurant and what a smart decision to do so. I ordered a burger with limited expectations but I'd be hard pressed to think of a better burger I've had in recent memory. Similar reports from the rest of my trainees. Highly recommended!

I've been going to RNZYS since I was a wee tike. My parents are sailing enthusiasts and…read moreconsequently some of my earliest memories are hanging out in the member's lounge drinking raspberry lemonades and modeling the kid's clothes in the Line 7 fashion show! These days the squadron is a lot fancier - there's a full service restaurant upstairs (you can make reservations on their website) and a members only bar that has fantastic views of the harbour. There's a trophy room, where the America's Cup once was, and a huuuge hall appropriately decorated with nautical knick-knacks. Definitely worth considering if you're organizing an event - there's rooms of every size and they have a specific event coordinator.

Explored Auckland , we walked in Viaduct harbor and marina. Great place to visit . There were…read moremuseum, cafe , shops, souvenir and restaurants to choose. Walking along we found the crossing bridge. Saw boats crossing and kids swimming while watching the city view. Really enjoyed it.

This place was cool and reminded me so much of home! I've lived in a harbor city for the past 14…read moreyears! That said, there are a ton of shops and restaurants consolidated here, plus a brewery. I noticed a lot of people running in this area too, so it seems to check a lot of boxes. Check out Viaduct Harbour if you're in the area. Lots to do and see...and eat.

I was looking to find out what I can do in Auckland for a few hours with a friend visiting from…read moreabroad, and had heard about a company called Stray from a traveller friend. Conveniently located with a funky bright sales office on Fort street super friendly and helpful staff can book you a free day stray bus tour around Auckland showcasing our magnificent city. The Vintage orange bus takes you to highlights of Auckland such as a Bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge for a discounted fee, or at the Sky tower the Sky Jump where you free fall with security ropes off a ledge and down to the waiting platform in a matter of seconds, what a thrill! You also take in the sights and great view at Bastion Point near Mission Bay, go for a bush walk in the Auckland Domain, have a pub meal if you feel like it and a free beer at Speight's Ale house. Last but not least you even get to wander around the world class sailing village of the Viaduct and hop on a Whale and Dolphin Safari if weather and your wallet permits. The amazing sales staff at the office can also book you any activity In Auckland which is fabulous to have as a service.

When it comes to Stray, the old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." I have…read morelearned a very expensive lesson and hope my bad experience with Stray will help you decide if this is the type of company you want to deal with. Before considering this supposed hop-on, hop-off bus service I would urge you to do a deep-dive of research. Start by sifting through all the Stray marketing surrogates who provide a glowing review (especially if it's the only/first review they've posted) or superlative photo-laden blogs since many have identified in the small print that they received their trip either free or deeply discounted. I desperately wish I had done so prior to enthusiastically falling for Stray's slick presentation. Unfortunately, I am not a travel blogger nor a social media "star" so I used my hard-earned money for a standard fare and am now paying the price in the form of a HUGE penalty for cancelling (20%) even though it was far in advance and I never stepped foot on a Stray bus. Stray's MINIMUM cancellation policy is 20% and they won't budge on it no matter the reason. You may eventually find, like I did, that there are some problems with Stray's model and not everyone has an over-the-top experience described with gleeful hyperbole. Those who have legitimate complaints like me are quickly drowned out by sarcastic on-line statements from company reps. I must stress this again - be fully aware that from the second you hit "book" Stray will immediately charge you for the total amount of the bus trip. From then on, there are no full refunds whatsoever - even if you haven't selected a start date (and maybe won't travel for months yet) and even if you haven't stepped foot on one of their buses. The policy states that there is a MINIMUM 20% penalty for ANY cancellation, no exceptions. The first problem I discovered is it isn't as easy to hop on and hop off as they portray. But you only find this out AFTER you've booked and get access to the app. They also obfuscate the fact that "Straymark" locales are MANDATORY. You MUST stay at these locations for the number of days/nights listed and you must pay the listed additional charges for doing so. There is no way around these mandatory stops without booking an alternate bus service other than Stray and you must pay out of pocket for it. If the Straymark location does not have activities that appeal to you or are too expensive, then you may find yourself sitting around a remote area for a couple of days while you twiddle your thumbs. While some people may thoroughly enjoy these stops and what they offer and are fine with spending their money at a place Stray dictates, there are others who would rather be free to do something else. Stray "guarantees" a bed for you for the first night on your stops which seems appealing. But I then learned it may be in a mixed dorm (meaning men and women sleeping in the same room and sharing a bathroom). While that may not be a problem for many it may not appeal to all and for some, it can present an extremely uncomfortable situation if their RELIGIOUS OR CULTURAL beliefs prohibit such arrangements. Also be aware there is an exclusive and COMPULSORY overnight stop at one of the Straymark locations where shooting "feral" animals is one of the optional ENTERTAINMENT activities. This may be fine for those who enjoy hunting in order to balance the natural environment but VEGANS and animal advocates may find it highly objectionable. This information should be identified very clearly and locations like these should not be "compulsory." If you do NOT want to spend a few days at a compulsory Straymark location then you must find another means of transportation (at your own cost) to meet up with the bus further down the line. Stray buses don't run every day to each location so that means finding your own lodging while you wait. BTW, trying to read Stray's bus schedule is like trying to break a cold war-era encryption code. IMO, all these issues may rise to the level of deceptive marketing practices and can be reported to the NZ government. I plan to do so and encourage others with bad experiences to do the same. I attempted to resolve my complaints by asking to deal with a member of Stray management but I was just directed to another glib staff member who abruptly blew me off. I trust the NZ government office of oversight won't. Be sure to read all - and I mean read ALL, every word - of Stray's policies! Be well aware that you will automatically lose AT LEAST 20% of what you paid should you cancel at ANY time for ANY reason!! While I certainly understand that companies may need to charge a small administrative fee for a cancellation, charging a minimum of 20% full cost when it's many months or weeks before travelling is far beyond the pale. In my experience, Stray's "fine-print" marketing maneuvers and cancellation polices are the most rapaciously egregious I've had in many years of travel.

Lighter Quay is part of a recent waterfront development that has vastly upped Auckland waterfront's…read morestocks. What was once a dishevelled industrial area is now an attractive high-end business district lined with expensive waterfront apartments and capped off with one of Auckland's top hotels, the Sofitel. This hotel opened with a bang and the restaurant is still nice but I have not heard anything about the nightclub for some time. The whole area is very picturesque and the apartments/office buildings have a classical/modern architecture that is easy on the eye. I'm a particular fan as it adds an extra loop to any waterfront walk/jog excursion. Big ups Auckland City.