8 hour layover in Auckland
 

I arrive in Auckland at 8am and leave for Melbourne at 4pm. Hopefully I will have had some sleep on the plane as I would like see something of Auckland while I'm there. What suggestions do you have me? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi Sarah

I have been offline enjoying Christmas so I did not catch your post.

If you were in Auckland today I would suggest heading to one of the city beaches and enjoying the great weather (finally arrived).

However a couple of suggestions for you include (But are not limited too)

Kelly Tarlton's undersea world. A great aquarium on the waterfront that includes an Antartic display complete with penguins.

Auckland city museum in the Domain. Good intro to NZ and Auckland in particular with many great exhibits including a potted history of Maori settlement.

A ferry ride across the harbour to Devonport. Pleasant village and nice cafes.

As you will need two hours for check in for your Melbourne flight I think it might be a little tight to head out to Waiheke Island for lunch and a quick look at the vinyards. Bit of a shame. Maybe next time.

BTW you can combine the first three suggestions as they are all reasonably close together.

It takes between half an hour and one hour to get to the city centre depending upoin whether you are arriving on a workday or weekend.

Taxi fare would be between 50 and 60 NZD (depending upon which firm). There are regular shuttle busses that leave from outside the terminal. Much cheaper though slower.

You can leave your luggage at the left luggage office at the airport. Either to your left once you have cleared MAF screening, or through the main arrivals hall and to your right. Look for the people with blue coats on. They are there to help with queries.

There is also an information kiosk which may help with your decision making. This is in the arrivals area as well.

This page may help.

http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/Gu...l.php#visitors

I hope some of this is useful for you.

Steve

Steve, Thank you so much for your thorough response! I will take your advice. Sounds great. My flight is for mid February so I have a bit of time to plan. Thanks again.

Hi Sarah & Steve,

Just a word about Kelly Tarlton's -- I recently got back from 3 weeks in NZ, and thought I'd do a site inspection as it had been a few years since I'd been there. They are currently under construction / expansion and some areas are shut down, not that it detracts much from the basic aquarium experience (the penguins are the big draw, IMO).

And you could also go downtown, see SkyCity, take some amazing photos from the top, and of course, if you have a mind to (or have lost yours), jump off on SkyJump..that will wake you up if you're groggy after the flight! :)

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Kiwi Specialist