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.

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".

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 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!

The Jane Gifford is a beautiful old ship and a special fixture on the Mahurangi River. It's the…read morelast rigged sailing scow in the country and up until a few years ago was in a bit of a sorry state. But thanks to a bunch of history loving Warkworthians she's been renovated and is nearly back to her full glory. It's brilliant having such a wicked piece of history right here for the community to experience. The ship itself was built in Whangateau and is now 105 years old! To see her for yourself head down to the river, off Wharf road in Warkworth. If you want to get onboard she can also be booked for cruises; all the way to Scotts Landing or Mahurangi heads. It's a very cool gift for someone and my Grandparents RAVED about it. The cool thing is the money goes back into the restoration and keeping Old Jane afloat

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 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.

Having taken a Stray tour around southeast Asia from Bangkok, to northern Thailand and all the way…read morethrough Laos and spent (almost) every minute loving it, I knew that when I wanted to book a similar trip around New Zealand, there was only one place I would head to. Gaz, the guy I booked my trip with in the office, could not have been nicer and literally knew the answer to all my questions about the trip: what it would be like in certain places, what there is to do there, how much money I'd need (I could go on, I was probing him for probably a good half an hour about it!) it's really reassuring to know people know first hand about what they are selling you and more importantly, never pressuring you into anything you don't want to do. I'm also going to be booking a trip to Fiji in there soon as well. Can't recommend the people or the tours highly enough. They really know New Zealand and their target customers perfectly. I can't wait for my trip now!