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Auckland is a wonderful city and is home to a third of the population of New Zealand. It is a great place to experience city life. There are many interesting places to visit in Auckland. Four of the popular highlights, the Sky Tower, Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Gallery and Viaduct Harbour are described below.
The Sky Tower is Auckland city’s most distinctive landmark. Being a popular tourist attraction, the tower has about one million visitors a year. The Sky Tower is part of Sky City complex, which is a large complex with two casinos, restaurants and a five-star hotel. The Tower, with a height of 328m, has four observation levels: the lower observation level, main observation level, outdoor observation level and sky deck. At these observation levels, visitors can see stunning views of the city of Auckland to about 80km. The entry to the lifts is via an underground gallery. The lower observation level has a café, known as the Sky Lounge cafe. At the Main Observation level, there are free multilingual audio guides, live weather forecasts and touch-screen computers. The sky deck is the country’s highest public viewing area. The Tower’s Sky Jump is a 192m cable controlled base jump. At night, the Sky Tower is even more visible, being lighted up with different coloured lights. With these bright lights, its observation pod looks very much like a flying saucer!
The Auckland Museum was built in 1929 to commemorate the end of World War I. It has a stunning façade that resembles the Greek temples. The Auckland Museum has a wide range of collections, interactive displays and performances. The museum’s collection is housed on three levels. There are displays on the people of New Zealand, both the Maori and European descent, and the Pacific region. Visitors can learn about New Zealand’s history and see a good collection of Maori treasures and Pacific artefacts. The galleries have displays on social histories, ethnology and arts. The museum has interactive activities for kids to create more excitement for them. The museum has a natural history gallery, with about 1.5 million specimens. These specimens are freeze-dried, pickled, stuffed and skewered. The War Memorial, located at the top floor, serves as a museum with displays on New Zealand’s war history, and a site of commemoration. From the exhibits, visitors can learn how the historical war events have forged the country’s identity. The museum also holds Maori’s cultural performances. There is a shop selling books, jewellery and music items.
The Auckland Art Gallery is New Zealand’s largest art institution with a collection of about 12,500 exhibits. It showcases both international and national art pieces. It also holds exhibitions on a regular basis. The Auckland Art Gallery occupies two neighbouring buildings. The Main Gallery has displays on European collection as well as New Zealand art. The New Zealand’s collection includes works from many of the country’s most prominent artists. The New Gallery housed contemporary art pieces and holds exhibitions.
The Auckland Viaduct Harbour, built around late ’90s, has a combination of shopping plazas, residential apartments, cafes and restaurants. All these were built overlooking the waters which are filled with bobbing boats. The Maritime Museum is located in the Auckland Harbour. The Maritime Trail is a paved walkway around the rim of the harbour’s basin. Along this path, there are historical plaques and beautiful sculptures, highlighting key aspects of Auckland’s sea adventures. Visitors can enjoy a pleasant stroll here. During summer, there are outdoor performances such as singing, playing or acting. Outdoor cinema shows are held here as well.
In Auckland, the Sky Tower, Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Gallery and Viaduct Harbour are truly interesting places to visit. If you plan to go for a tour in Auckland, you should not give these places a miss. These places offer you different activities to do. Indeed, you will have an exciting time with a variety of things to do.
When you first walk through the gates to enter the Atlanta Zoo, you will hear the sounds of wildlife within the confines of the zoo. As soon as you enter the zoo, you will be walking into Flamingo Plaza. If the kids want to have a little fun before seeing the animals of the zoo, you might take a walk to the KidZone, which has a playground, birthday parlor, children\’s petting zoo and many zoo animals to see in their habitats. You will see the kangaroos, exotic birds and the creatures of the wetlands inside the KidZone.
After visiting the KidZone, you can move onto the Wildlife Theatre and the Elephant House. After seeing the huge elephants that live in the zoo, you can move to the leopards and the tigers. This is a spectacular sight to see for the entire family. After the tigers and the leopards, visit the Grand Patio for a rest and a bite to eat. The Ford Pavilion is located right next door as well as the Wild Planet Café. After sitting a while and enjoying some good food, you will be on your way to see the giant pandas. They are so much fun to watch. You will find yourself spending some time here watching their antics.
After the pandas move onto the reptiles world, this is were you will see everything thing that makes you shiver. They wiggle by you and jump around all over the place. Then move on to see the otters in their habitat. You will find all these animal and creatures in the Asian Forest. Next, you will move onto the Ford African Rain Forest. You will see the big gorillas and visit the conservation center, the monkeys, and all their antics. This will amuse you for hours as you sit and watch them swing, jump and play king of the jungle.
Next, you will want to move onto the African Plains. You will see the rhinos, zebras, giraffes, lions and visit the elephants again. Visit the pavilion, sit a while, and just watch the wildlife at play. The Atlanta Zoo is spectacular and has everything you could possibly want to see in a zoo environment. Finish you day off back at the Flamingo Plaza, visit the flamingos, take a break, and have a little something to eat. The zoo has everything planned out so well for a great day of visiting.
While you are at the zoo, you might want to take a ride on the Zoo Express Train, do some rock climbing or take a ride on the Endangered Species Carousel. The Panda Gift Shop and the Trading Company are great places to buy some souvenirs before leaving the park. Enjoy the animals and the food and games at the Atlanta Zoo. You can dine at the Wild Planet Café, Willie B\’s, Flamingo Joes and the Otterly Cool. The zoo offers so many things to see and do while visiting, you will want to get there early and leave late.
Whangarei city is the regional capital of the Northland region located in the northernmost corner of New Zealand, about 160km from Auckland. Northland is composed of 3 main districts; Far North District, Kaipara District and Whangarei District.
Whangarei district is a diver’s paradise, with stretches of unspoilt coasts and offshore islets such as the world famous Poor Knights Islands – an archipelago sited only 50km from the Whangarei city. It’s an uninhabited region renowned as a nature reserve offering warm waters, crystal clear visibility and a spectacular marine life thriving within vibrant coral reefs. The purpose built dive boats will take you to specific diving spots that best suits your skills and interests, presenting you with a unique diving experience.
If you prefer Kayaking in a secluded bay, Tutukaka harbor offers just the right place for you. Not only kayaking, you can also snorkel, paddle and even trek and fish. Tutukaka is also famous for surfing as well as for stretches of sandy white beaches with a rocky landscape. You can also find other attractions here, such as game-fishing and numerous sporting facilities including tennis and golf, dotting the area.
If you fancy mechanical devices, Claphams Clocks will definitely pique your interest. It is the Southern hemisphere’s largest timekeeper collection claiming to about 1,400 clocks and timepieces. The museum was founded by a resident of Whangarei by the name Archibald Clapham in the 1940s and later in 1961 the collection was bequeathed to Whangarei District Council. It’s located at Quayside, Town Basin where international yachts are gathered, along with a multitude of shops, galleries and restaurants.
You can trek through a nature trail by visiting the A.H. Reed Memorial Kauri Park, which is the remnant of the original Kauri forest that used to span across Northlands. The specialty of the park is the canopy walkways, where you can capture a breathtaking view of the park which includes 500 year old Kauri trees. And just 5km from downtown Whangarei, you can capture the stunning scenery of Whangarei falls – renowned as the most photographed cascade in New Zealand.
And how about a first hand encounter with world’s most endangered big cats? Visit Zion Wildlife Park to discover these fascinating felines reared personally by New Zealand’s famous Lionman Craig Busch. The site houses endangered big cats such as the Barbary and white lions, Royal white and orange Bengal tigers, Serval cats and a black leopard among others.
And for a historical tour capturing New Zealand’s renowned Kiwis, try the Whangarei Museum and Kiwi House at Heritage Park. The museum features numerous collections of Maori taonga, treasures of the Maori – the indigenous people of New Zealand. The Kiwi house is home for nocturnal kiwis, morepork owls and native geckos.
There are also a number of theaters in Whangarei, including the Octagon Theatre which hosts various interesting shows and events. The Repertory Society hosts their shows at the Octagon theatre offering regular classic live shows. There are many hotels in Whangarei, including the Kingsgate Hotel Whangarei, where you can relish modern conveniences and scrumptious delicacies while residing close to the city center.
Auckland waterside location has fostered the locals’ love affair with the sea, earning this place the nickname, “city of sails”. Auckland has so much to see and do- there’s plenty of entertainment for few hours, few days or a few weeks. Here is a taste of some of Auckland’s unique activities;
RANGITOTTO ISLAND: Sitting majestically just off the coast of Auckland is Rangitotto island. It emerged from the sea in a fiery explosion some 600 years ago and now is an iconic jewel in the Auckland harbor. Rangitotto is the largest, youngest and one of the least modified of about 50 volcanic cones and crates in the Auckland volcanic field. It dominates the local landscape and a visit there is like stepping into another world. The recommended walk to the summit takes about an hour at an easy pace. Lookouts along the way provide stunning views as you climb and a short detour will find you exploring the island’s lava caves. Once at the top you will enjoy spectacular 360 degree views of Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf Island.
KELLY TARLTON, S ANTARCTIC ENCOUNTER AND UNDERWATER WORLD: Plunge under Auckland’s waterfront and you’ll discover spectacular secrets of southern ocean and see the magic of an Antarctic fantasyland, complete with penguins strutting in fresh snow and ice. Then head into a tunnel deep beneath the ocean and come face to face with Sharks and Myriad of New Zealand fish. At under water world, visitors travel on a moving walkway through an acrylic tunnel under the ocean where you are treated to a diver’s view without having to wear the diver’s suit. New adrenaline activity- Shark cage- is a unique way to get face to face with the sharks, with nothing but a cage between you and sharks, no diving experience is required. Kelly Tarlton has also welcomed its newest residents -three new king chicks. Take a snow cat ride through the icy domain and catch a glimpse of cute fluffy chicks and their parents.
SKY TOWER: A truly captivating experience awaits visitors to Auckland’s Sky tower, offers breathtaking views for upto 80 kilometers in every direction. Travel up in the glass-fronted lifts to one of the three spectacular viewing platforms, or for more thrill and excitement leap off from Sky tower- 192 meters straight down! Sky jump is one of Newzealand, s famous tourist attractions and one of Auckland city’s “Don’t miss” experiences. Alternatively walk around the outside of the tower with SKYWALK. Relax with a coffee and light refreshment at sky lounge, enjoy the seafood feast at the Observatory restaurant or dine at Orbit- Auckland’s only 360-degree revolving restaurant.
There is always some thing new, some thing more exciting and adventurous to do in this city of sails. Auckland sees thousands of tourists every year to relax and marvel at the splendid beauty and fabulous attractions of the city. Also, flights to Auckland, if connecting of indirect, pass via Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore or Middle East where you can buy some really good stuff at the duty free shops at the airport. Most of the airlines offer cheap tickets to Auckland, especially after recession. Some just offer cheap fares to Auckland on promotional basis or to raise the competition. What ever the reason be, such SALE on flights to Auckland makes it a much better opportunity for all budgets to travel and make the most of it. For more on cheap flights to Auckland form UK see: http://www.cheapflightstoauckland.co.uk/
Auckland which is located in North Island of New Zealand is the largest and most populous area in the country housing more than 1.3 million residents. With growing Polynesian population, Auckland is now a fast developing, modern, cosmopolitan area in New Zealand with a great mixture of culture and traditions. Auckland metropolitan area comprises of Auckland City, Manukau City, Waitakere City, North Shore City, Papakura City, a part of Rodney District and a part of Farnklin District.
Auckland is a city full of major attractions and thousands of things to do because of it’s geographical qualities and natural beauty. The west coast of Auckland is famous for its roughness and wilderness. Volcanic cliffs add charm beauty to these golden beaches when the stubborn waves of Tasman Sea kiss the yellow sand. Lush bush lines and preserved natural beauty of Waitakere Ranges are breathtaking and the experience should not be missed by anyone. The west coast shore line is gifted with some of the best scenic beaches of the world such as Karekare Beach, Piha Beach and Muriwai Beach which are ideal for surfing, fishing, picnics and even for barbecue on special separated area.
The Auckland sight seeing on a Harley Davidson bike is some thing that every traveler should try out. The route falls through scenic volcanic mountains, colonial villages and Waiemata Harbor. Visit Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Tour to get enthralled by the submerged natural beauty of swimming penguins or a Bronze Whaler. If the traveler wants to get a good look around at the city of Auckland he or she can hop in to a Sight Seeing Double Decker called Hop On Hop Off Bus for a ride. The exploration tour in to the caves of Waitomo is a memorable one and one whos visiting new Zealand should defineintly try out the adrinaline pumping New Zealand’s own Bungee Jumping.
Getting around Auckland to see these fantastic sites is a pretty much easy task due to the New Zealand’s developed, sophisticated transportation system which depends mostly on private transportation. Public transportation methods such as trains and busses are also available and because of its unique location, Auckland is also gifted with a transportation system of cruises and ferries too.
Langham Hotel Auckland is situated conveniently in the heart of the city and it’s full of friendly people and modern amenities. Langham, Auckland is crowned as one of the premiere luxury hotels in Auckland..
Auckland which is located in North Island of New Zealand is the largest and most populous area in the country housing more than 1.3 million residents. With growing Polynesian population, Auckland is now a fast developing, modern, cosmopolitan area in New Zealand with a great mixture of culture and traditions. Auckland metropolitan area comprises of Auckland City, Manukau City, Waitakere City, North Shore City, Papakura City, a part of Rodney District and a part of Farnklin District.
Auckland is a city full of major attractions and thousands of things to do because of itâs geographical qualities and natural beauty. The west coast of Auckland is famous for its roughness and wilderness. Volcanic cliffs add charm beauty to these golden beaches when the stubborn waves of Tasman Sea kiss the yellow sand. Lush bush lines and preserved natural beauty of Waitakere Ranges are breathtaking and the experience should not be missed by anyone. The west coast shore line is gifted with some of the best scenic beaches of the world such as Karekare Beach, Piha Beach and Muriwai Beach which are ideal for surfing, fishing, picnics and even for barbecue on special separated area.
The Auckland sight seeing on a Harley Davidson bike is some thing that every traveler should try out. The route falls through scenic volcanic mountains, colonial villages and Waiemata Harbor. Visit Kelly Tarltonâs Antarctic Tour to get enthralled by the submerged natural beauty of swimming penguins or a Bronze Whaler. If the traveler wants to get a good look around at the city of Auckland he or she can hop in to a Sight Seeing Double Decker called Hop On Hop Off Bus for a ride. The exploration tour in to the caves of Waitomo is a memorable one and one whos visiting new Zealand should defineintly try out the adrinaline pumping New Zealandâs own Bungee Jumping.
Getting around Auckland to see these fantastic sites is a pretty much easy task due to the New Zealandâs developed, sophisticated transportation system which depends mostly on private transportation. Public transportation methods such as trains and busses are also available and because of its unique location, Auckland is also gifted with a transportation system of cruises and ferries too.
Langham Hotel Auckland is situated conveniently in the heart of the city and itâs full of friendly people and modern amenities. Langham, Auckland is crowned as one of the premiere luxury hotels in Auckland..
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