“Isthmus” only entered my vocabulary when I moved to Auckland. If Aotearoa is a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, then this city is the definition in meta – surrounded, backdropped and delineated by water. Everyone loves a beach on a sunny day, but when the wind is really wild, take a walk on a wharf. Cornwallis is a charmer, but my new favourite is Okahu Bay Wharf, near Kelly Tarlton’s on Tāmaki Drive. Long and narrow, it really feels like you’re standing in the middle of the ocean with bonus views of the downtown CBD skyline. (Carry on to Mission Bay where, according to the Tip Top customer care team, the Kāpiti Store is the only place in Auckland you can still buy a scoop of the fig and honey ice cream it’s no longer selling by the tub). – Kim Knight
2. Auckland Council’s free waterparks
The words “free” and “activity” barely go hand-in-hand when it comes to legitimate entertainment for tamariki. So, three years ago when I discovered kids under 16 can use Auckland Council pools for free, I headed to the Albany Stadium Pool with my then-3-year-old and was seriously impressed. There were slides, lots of water features, play water cannons and multi-depth areas, meaning it was safe even for the littlest of legs. It was also super clean, which impressed this germ-averse mother. It only costs me $1 to go along with my son, and it’s a genuine perk of living in Auckland that I feel not enough parents know about. – Jenni Mortimer
The Hollywood cinema in Avondale is a movie-lovers’ paradise. Photo / Regan Schoultz
3. Hollywood cinema
There is so much that is shiny and new and flashy in Auckland – and that’s a great thing. But there’s something to be said for the hidden, historic, charming spots. Like the Hollywood. In the heart of Avondale, this cinema is about to turn 110 and claims to be New Zealand’s longest-running cinema palace. Outside, it looks every bit the glamorous movie star, and inside, it is warm and welcoming and very nostalgic of the days when cinemas had just one screen, an upstairs and a downstairs, and the seats squeaked rather than reclined. The team running it are film fanatics, and programme everything from new releases to 35mm classics. They host 24-hour movie marathons and music gigs too. For culture vultures of a certain kind, it feels like a home away from home. – Bridget Jones
4. Cycle lanes
Some politicians would have you believe no one in Auckland would pick cycle lanes as their favourite thing about the Super City. But that’s not what I see when I whizz down the dedicated bike path alongside the northwestern motorway every morning, often moving faster than the gridlocked cars next to me. I’ve been riding this route for more than six years now, and every month the number of cyclists doing the same grows. The options are growing too … from my home in Waterview, I can now link up to paths on Te Atatū Peninsula, or head as far west as Massey. I can nip through Pt Chev and down Meola Rd, or cruise across the city to Mission Bay and St Heliers, and much more. It’s an efficient and energising way to get around and the most mindful way to begin and end a workday. As we head towards summer, why not leave the car at home and give it a try? I’ll see you out there. – Stephanie Holmes
Victoria Park is the ultimate city oasis. Photo / Michael Craig
5. Victoria Park (and Victoria Park Market)
By day, this grassy knoll on the fringe of the CBD is home to cricket and rugby trainings, dog walkers and runners, and children playing gleefully on the revamped playground. By night, it’s slowly becoming one of the best festival venues in New Zealand, hosting the likes of Fisher, Diplo, and Shapeshifter against the stunning backdrop of the Auckland Skytower. In short, it’s the ultimate city oasis suitable for just about anything, with an underpass and trees providing good cover for when Auckland’s fickle weather system plays up. The brick market buildings across the road are also a haven for great food and drink, board game get-togethers, kava tastings, and even psychic readings. – Mitchell Hageman
Neighbourhood bar Freida Margolis is in a former butcher’s shop in West Lynn. Photo / Babiche Martens
6. Neighbourhood bars
After apartment-living in central Auckland for more than a decade, I was more than ready to move to the suburbs and live a somewhat quieter life. But one thing I was dreading was giving up easy access to the bars and restaurants on my Albert St doorstep. So thank goodness for lovely neighbourhood bars and bistros, like Bar Martin in Mt Albert, Frieda Margolis in West Lynn, Bon Pinard in Birkenhead, Side Hustle in Sandringham and Stafford Road Wine Bar in Northcote Point. These are our real local heroes, serving quality wines and good snacks to suburbanites who want to keep alive the dreams of their younger, more carefree selves. Yes, I still want to go out to be social and feel the buzz of a busy bar. Yes, I also want to be home by 8pm for a peppermint tea while I catch up on Celebrity Traitors UK before a respectable bedtime. These lovely spots are just the places. – SH
7. Auckland Art Gallery members’ lounge
Located on Wellesley St East in the central city, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is no secret. But what you might not know is that there’s a beautiful lounge space available to those with a gallery membership. Located on level 2 of the building, surrounded by trees and overlooking Albert Park, it’s a little oasis in the midst of the busyness and provides a quiet spot to relax if you’ve been trotting around the gallery all day. If, like me, you’re lucky enough to know someone with a membership, they can bring you along as a guest. If you’re an art aficionado and visit the gallery often, it’s well worth getting your own, or gifting it to someone else. As well as lounge access, the perks include free unlimited entry to all exhibitions, gift shop and cafe discounts, and event invites. – Bethany Reitsma
Kakamatua Inlet is a perfect place for dogs – and their owners – to stretch their legs. Photo / Janna Dixon
8. Kakamatua dog beach
Officially, it’s called Kakamatua Inlet, but we could also crown it Auckland’s very best dog beach for owners in the know. Located in the Waitākere Ranges, between the Cornwallis peninsula and Huia Bay, about a 40-minute drive from central Auckland, you’ll set off on a short bush walk (along a flat and partly boardwalked path, where your four-legged friend should be on-lead) and end up in paradise. It’s surrounded by stunning native bush, and the tidal flats mean that when you time it right, your dog can run, swim and play (off lead) on the expansive beach and in the stream that runs towards it, while you marvel at the Manukau Harbour ahead of you. Happy dog, happy human, happy days. – BJ
9. Takapuna Beach, playground, bars and walk
While Takapuna Beach itself is nothing to write home about, the vibe of the surrounding area and activities are. Start your morning with a coffee from Takapuna Beach Cafe, followed by a stroll on the beach – if it’s a Sunday, make your way to the Takapuna Markets. There you’ll find artisan snacks, pastries, toys and a good selection of seasonal produce. When you’re done, head to Takapuna Surf Club and share a pizza as you soak in views of Rangitoto, before letting the kids blow off some steam at Takapuna Beach Reserve Playground – be sure to leave this bit to last as the playground includes messy water and sand play. If you don’t have kids in tow, add on the Takapuna to Milford walk for gorgeous views and a cardio boost. Everything above is within a 2-5 minute walk from each other, meaning logistics are a breeze. – JM
Parnell Baths have been a institution of Tāmaki Makaurau since 1914. Photo / Alex Burton
10. Parnell Baths
Courage is not a trait but a practice. It’s the lesson I learn annually, when the Parnell Baths announce their icy opening at the beginning of November. The open-air pools have been an institution of Tāmaki Makaurau since 1914, after the Parnell Borough Council recognised the growing popularity of saltwater swimming in Judges Bay. It’s a place of embrace for so many. There’s a colourful kids pool, a place for 60 metre laps and several gentle spas for slow-paced soaking. I’ve frequented the salt waters since I was little, and many will share in my fondest memories: working up the nerve to jump off the diving board and sitting snug post-swim in a warm towel with an ice cream in hand. In my adult life, I relish the opportunity to swim outdoors on a regular basis, and there’s no place better to do it. Time has come again for the first dip of the season, which will present a type of cold that plunges deep into your bones and burns in your fingertips and toes. How do you bolster your bravery? Slow breath and steady strokes. – Madeleine Crutchley
11. Gondwana Arboretum, Auckland Botanic Gardens
Nothing will put you in your tiny human place like standing under the spiky shade of a tree with a 150-million-year-old lineage. Auckland’s Botanic Gardens (Hill Rd, Manurewa) are an upfront feast of roses, magnolias and rare native plants, but trek deeper into the 64-hectare property to discover the Gondwana Arboretum – plots of ancient conifers, cycads and ferns whose ancestors fed the (plant-eating) dinosaurs. BYO picnic and time travel to another world. These are not your regular garden variety plants. – KK
Piha Beach with Waitākere Ranges in the distance. Photo / Auckland Unlimited
12. Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges are never the same twice. It’s a place where 1000 dramatic landscapes are squeezed into one section. Black sands, forests, waterfalls, beaches that look beautiful and so turbulent amidst moss greens and cliff browns that slowly fall into shadow. It’s a dramatic colour palette I make far too much of. I always think of Jurassic Park. Because it’s rugged. Because it constantly rises and falls. Because it’s freaking wild. – Varsha Anjali
13. Avondale Markets
Often, when I pop into the supermarket and walk out having spent $30 for three things, there’s a ringing in my ears that says, “Think what you could have got from Avondale Market for that price!” Last Sunday, I left the market having picked up a bounty of very hungry caterpillar proportions: A cucumber, a broccoli the size of my head, an iceberg lettuce, a bunch of beetroot, a bunch of bananas, three massive evercrisp apples, a colander-sized basket of portobello mushrooms and a ($1!) block of fresh tofu. The healthy haul will last me two weeks and cost the grand total of $25. – Tyson Beckett
14. Record stores
As someone who spent much of their 20s living out a version of High Fidelity that was surprisingly true to the source material, I’m unabashedly biased about this one. Back when I was young(ish) and cool(er) I worked at Marbecks in Queens Arcade, where I discovered just how magical music stores can be. From the wacky, wild and wonderful regulars, to the staff who know anything and everything you could ever want to know about pop, rock, reggae, rap, prog or choral records, there are secrets to discover in every corner. Sadly, Marbecks as we know it has closed down and is now operating online only. But there are still plenty of record stores around the city to spend time in – please pay a visit to Flying Out, Southbound Records, Flying Nun Records, Rebel Soul Records, Real Groovy or any other magical musical spot you come across. You won’t regret it. – BJ
Tiritiri Mātangi Island is a sanctuary for native birds, and just an hour’s ferry ride from downtown Auckland.
15. Islands of the Hauraki Gulf
How many other cities in the world get to boast of a harbour full of islands with such diverse delights? A volcano you can climb (Rangitoto). A bird sanctuary where you can walk among rare native species (Tiritiri Mātangi). An island of wineries and fine dining (Waiheke). A former drug and alcohol rehab facility that’s now a conservation and regeneration project (Rotoroa). And all are just short ferry rides away from downtown Auckland. If you’re ever feeling tired of city living, get out on the Hauraki Gulf and remind yourself just how beautiful our Super City really is. – SH