Besides the hike up Mount Victoria just a few blocks away, the North Head Historic Reserve is a…read morefree active outdoor activity in Devonport. You can easily walk here along the beach from the ferry port, plus there's tons of free parking if driving. There is an office and many signs sharing the history of the place. The area is a mountain on the coast and offers spectacular views all around, including Devonport and Mount Victoria. You can also see the islands and further out to sea from here. There are winding paths all around, both rings around the mound plus stairs and paths going up to the top. They have clean restrooms at the top as well should you need. It's muddy here and many of the paths are just dirt, so be prepared with proper shoes. If you're exploring the Auckland area, an entire day can be well spent in Devonport. This is a not to be missed activity; Auckland is a beautiful city you can better appreciate from afar.

We took the 807 bus here from the ferry & followed the trails upward. Magnificent views were…read moreenjoyed all the way up. There were clean bathrooms, magnificent views of Auckland, beaches, sailboats, and hand gliders. Maori history dates back to here, 4 aboriginal villages were fortified at this site. It's an important icon for the Maori. I wandered into the south battery, through dark tunnels and ruins. These tunnels were built as a defense against the Russians in the 1880s. Initially it was armed with a 64 pound gun and disappearing gun was added in 1888. This massive gun recoiled into the gun pit after firing to reload safely out of enemy site. There's a complex tunnel system linking the gun pit with magazine storing ammunition, and observation post, gun crew quarters and the engine room. The navy museum is below us right on the harbor protecting Auckland.

After having worked near this beast of a mountain for over a year , And after a talk with Alex D…read moreabout what things u you should do in this super city of ours , I was prompted to check out Mt Wellington . Maungarei / Mount Wellington was used as a pā, and its flanks, particularly on the eastern side, are covered in food storage pits and terraced house sites. That wee fact above pasted from Wiki was just as amazing to me , I had no idea it was a pā site . I'm guessing you need to be a athlete of sorts to run up it as I've seen many do , however that was a non option for me today , I will try to tackle that in the future though . With views for as far as you can see !! And a great place for a picnic . If you have visitors from overseas bring them here ! Way less crowds than Mt Eden and One Tree Hill .

Mount Wellington is the most sinister of the "mountains" around Auckland (cynical South Islanders,…read morechuckle now). If it wasn't the model for Maurice Gee's terrifying Under the Mountain, it should have been. I shudder just to look at it. If you like, you can drive up it. Or, if you're a sadist, run up it. At the top is a rest stop with room for approximately 1.5 cars, overlooking Panmure (not the most visually spectacular of the Auckland suburbs), and on the other side, the old quarry, which now has a pretentious name because they are infilling it with ticky-tacky houses that all look the same as the others (which I've heard is a real challenge when you come home slightly tipsy - lots of knocking on the neighbours' doors and apologies ensue).

Roxy and Lulu absolutely froth over this place. So many new smells and friends to be made. Milford…read morebeach really is a haven for dogs. This morning we even came across a rather large stingray that had washed up during the storm, which got the critters v.excited (and rather smelly). As far as beaches go, I would say Milford is of average size. At a leisurely pace it probably takes around 15mins to walk from one end to the other. However, If you are feeling spry I would highly recommend continuing on to Takapuna. The views are spectacular and the terrain is varied, which keeps things interesting. Be sure to wear your walking shoes though as things get a bit rocky! Whilst Milford Beach is great for dogs/morning walks it definitely not may fav spot for sunbathing. The sand is rather gritty and at high tide there is no beach to speak of. Instead head around to the much more secluded Thorne Bay.

A great beach with a huge field and playground nearby for the kids- at the main entrance and car…read morepark. There are lots of trees for climbing in and to rest in the shade as well as public BBQ's available. A boat launch lives right down the end in the corner. Several residential streets lead onto this beach- thankfully as it's sometimes a mission to find a park in the height of summer in the main area. A great view straight across to Rangitoto as well as rock pools on each end of the beach when it's low tide. Have spent many a childhood summer day looking into it trying to finding walking crabs, shrimps and other aquatic things. It's quite extensive rock pools so you can walk around and out quite a bit. The water is somewhat green-clear and great for swimming- not too rough and in the summer time they have lifeguard flags to keep the littlies safe in the water. Golden sand and a decent sized beach for you to lay down a towel and get some sun tanning in. They also have concrete walkways elevated above the sand when it's too high tide that wraps around the edge of the sand towards Takapuna. Beautiful sunsets here and great for dogs. A low key version of Takapuna that's nearby and still lovely.

Coyle Park is cool and with Pt Chev Beach nearby I love that you can smell the ocean as you head…read moretowards it. Perched right on the point, it's a great place for picnics and has a really awesome playground including a giant sleeping... dragon? Crocodile? Whatever, it's cool. There's enough room here for people to do things with balls (Aucklanders love to do that in public parks I've noticed), without disturbing everyone else. I will say that early evenings are not so great due to the local teenagers amping up their car stereo and having a big old underage booze-fest in the carpark. Kind of puts you off. The good news is that they eventually lock it up although one would imagine the kids just continue with their cars on the road instead. Anyway, come during the day and if you're lucky Mr Whippy will turn up too - he usually does.

You'll find this park at the end of Point Chevaleir Rd, right by the beach…read more When I last visited the beach, there were a heap of kids all enjoying the playground. I gotta admit that it did look pretty awesome. There was a couple of twin slides that looked like they'd be a lot of fun, as well as the playground feature I most loved growing up - a flying fox. There is also a modern roundabout (safety conscious) and a miniature train ride. This park has a heap of grass to chill out on, play volleyball, get a cricket game going, play some touch, or walk the dog. There are barbecue tables and a block of toilets also in the park. This park offers some great harbour views over the city. And you have Point Chev beach as an added attraction!

Need to set aside some time to sit back and smell the roses? Then I would suggest a visit to Dove-…read moreMeyer Robinson Gardens. I love to jog through these gardens regularly, you just cant beat the sweet fresh smell of flowers and prettyful things. A visit here always manages to put a smile on my dial. From the lookout at the base of the park you can find some spectacular scenery of Auckland and its surrounds. If you want to really make a day of your trip to these gardens you could take a quick stroll over to nearby Judges Bay. The bay has now been cut off the water by the road, which has created a saltwater "lake" which is popular for swimming in the summertime, or you could make your way to another popular Parnell attraction, the Parnell Baths. I will leave it up to you!

This is a wonderful place to enjoy the Parnell Festival of Roses each year - a carnival of arts,…read morecrafts, food and well, roses! It's a lovely large garden of colour, beauty and sweet smelling fumes filling your nostrils. Dove Myer sits on a small hill, where you can overlook the city and some of the harbour. It sort of reminds me of a scene from the film 500 Days of Summer, where Tom tells Summer about the inspiring architecture of the city - you can do that here too! I love walking through and smelling the flowers. It's also a great place to take a picnic if you live centrally. If you aren't the picnic type, it's a short walk to Parnell's illustrious cafes.

I was so impressed with Mt Eden! It's a free activity that offers great education on the history…read moreof the site and the people who lived there long ago. It has an excellent boardwalk all around to further enforce the importance of staying on the paths. There are phenomenal 360 degree views of all of Auckland! It's actually quite stunning! It does involve a good amount of incline walking. Nice clean bathrooms available too.

Yes. The answer is yes, this is a view and experience worth walking uphill and up many steps. Take…read moreyour time and enjoy looking every direction out over the city towards the water; imagine the active volcanoes that were once here. Observe the signs that are written in the Maori language as well as English and think about the efforts the people of New Zealand have made to live with each other. If you are stickler for close parking you may be disappointed; just remember this is a volcano. You are not supposed to be able to drive to the top of a volcano.

Our hotel was a walking distance from the ferry terminal. Really nice to stroll around. We boarded…read morethe Fullers 360 to Waiheke Island. The information and ticket offices was just in front of the terminal. Very easy to find.

The Auckland Ferry Terminal is a beautiful Edwardian Baroque building. It was built in 1912. Its…read moredesign is similar to the San Francisco Ferry Building in California. The terminal connects Auckland with ferries going to the North Shore, West Auckland, South Auckland and the surrounding islands. It is centrally located at the end of Queen Street. It was the principal way to reach the North Shore until the Auckland Harbor Bridge was opened in 1959. Nice place to sit and enjoy the view on a sunny summer day in Auckland.

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.