Auckland Travel Blog

Piha Beach by Marie Szamborski It’s the end of the summer season here in Auckland. All the fair weather travellers have gone and the skiers have yet to arrive. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to do. In fact, the climate in Auckland is so mild that you can just about do most things throughout...

When perusing brochures on New Zealand that are covered in images of volcanoes, beaches and bungy jumps, it is easy to forget that the country is largely an agricultural one. Kiwis are quite proud of this heritage and city dwellers often dream of the country life. What started as an agricultural show...

New Zealand has seen a local market boom in recent years. Many of these new markets showcase the wonderful artisan food scene we’ve got going on down here. Auckland is lucky to have a few markets within its generous boundaries, but there are actually two right here in the city that are easily...

An historic Auckland building, The Birdcage Hotel, is on the move again today.  A few months back, the entire building was put onto tracks and shifted 40 metres out of the way in order to work on the new tunnel which will run underground near Victoria Park. In an interesting feat of engineering the...

New Zealand Wine by Marie Szamborski   It’s Friday. What are you going to drink? There are some awesome alehouses and brewpubs in town. Maybe you’ve already overdone it on Thursday night and just want some coffee. But, if you are looking for something to warm your cockles with in New...

I recently had my parents-in- law visiting and they wanted to be in the city, but were looking for a little more room than you’d usually get in a hotel because they were staying for quite a while. Plus, after travelling round Australia and New Zealand in cars and carrying food, plates and cutlery,...

So, it’s a Saturday or Sunday morning and there is nobody on the road. Where do you think Kiwis are? Sleeping off a hangover…maybe. Jogging down the side of Tamaki Drive…possibly. I’m not sure of the actual numbers but I would wager that a very large percentage are in cafes across...

This week, as your friendly Local Expert here at NileGuide, I am supporting Blog4NZ to remind people of just how awesome New Zealand is and why you should head on down here. Here are 5 things to love about Auckland to get you started. Volcanoes Auckland’s landscape is dotted with them, most...

Beaches are beaches, right? While it’s true you could have a great time at just about any of Auckland’s beaches as long as it’s not raining, you may be looking for something specific. As a general guideline, beaches closer to the city are generally calmer, and those out west are generally...

Come the 17th of March you may see a few lost Irish expats ambling round looking for something, anything to do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Sadly for them, St. Patrick’s is not a very big event here in New Zealand. There will be no parades and none of the rivers will be dyed green. Having...