A region
Auckland and Waiheke
A city built on fifty volcanoes, with a rainforest on one side and a gulf on the other.
Auckland gets treated as an airport with a city attached. It is a harbour city with a black sand coast forty minutes west and an island of vineyards forty minutes east.
Waiheke on a weekday is a different island from Waiheke on a Saturday. So is Piha.
This is where most journeys start and finish, and it is the right place for the first day after a long flight, when nobody should be making decisions.
When to come
- December to February
- Pōhutukawa in flower and the gulf at its best
- March to May
- Still warm, still swimmable, and quiet
- June to August
- The west coast at its most dramatic
- September to November
- Long evenings coming back, and the vineyards waking up
Where we stop
- Waiheke Island
- Piha and Muriwai
- the Waitākere Ranges
- Tāwharanui
- Tiritiri Matangi
- Devonport
- the Domain and the museum
Getting around
Waiheke, Devonport and the Domain are comfortable for anyone. The Waitākere tracks and the gannet lookout have steps.
Want to see it?
Tell me roughly when and how you like to move, and I will put a route together.
Start the conversation