River-hugging Warkworth makes for a pleasant pit stop, its dinky main street retaining a village atmosphere. Grab a free Heritage Trail brochure from the Warkworth i-SITE (09-425 9081; www.warkworthnz.com; 1 Baxter St; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-3pm Sat, 8.30am-noon Sun) if you’ve got some time to kill.
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Waiheke is 93 sq km of island bliss only a 35-minute ferry ride from the CBD. Once they could hardly give land away here; nowadays multimillionaires rub shoulders with the old-time hippies and bohemian artists who gave the island its green repute. Auckland office workers fantasise about swapping the daily motorway crawl for a watery commute and a warm, dry microclimate.
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Locals have fears that Orewa is turning into NZ’s equivalent of Queensland’s Gold Coast, but until they start exporting retirees and replacing them with bikini-clad parking wardens that’s unlikely to happen. It is, however, very built-up and high-rise apartment towers have begun to sprout.
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The Auckland region sprawls 90km north of the CBD to just past the point where SH16 and SH1 converge at Wellsford. Beaches, regional parks, quaint villages, kayaking and snorkelling are the main drawcards. The multilane Northern Motorway currently takes you as far as Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast. During the lifetime of this book an extension to Puhoi should be completed, hopefully easing the Christmas period gridlock. Until then, SH16 through Kumeu and Helensville is a sensible alternative during peak season; ask a local.
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Matakana suffers from reverse alcoholism – the more wine gets poured into it, the more genteel it becomes. A few years ago it was a nondescript rural village with a handful of heritage buildings and an old-fashioned country pub. Now the locals watch bemused as Auckland’s chattering classes idle away the hours in stylish wine bars and cafés. The most striking symbol of the transition is the fantastical Matakana Cinemas (09-422 9833; www.matakanacinemas.co.nz; 2 Matakana Valley Rd; adult/child $10/8; 10am-8.30pm) complex, its domed roof reminiscent of an Ottoman bathhouse. The humble Farmers Market (8am-1pm Sat) is held in its shadow – or should that be Farmers Upmarket?
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The Hauraki Gulf, stretching between Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula, is dotted with motu (islands) and gives the Bay of Islands stiff competition in the beauty stakes. Some are only minutes from the city and make excellent day trips: wine-soaked Waiheke and volcanic Rangitoto really shouldn’t be missed. Great Barrier requires more effort (and cash) to get to, but provides an idyllic escape from modern life.
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Great Barrier (Aotea) is the largest island in the gulf (285 sq km) and NZ’s fourth-largest behind North, South and Stewart Islands. It’s rugged and scenic, resembling the Coromandel Peninsula to which it was once joined. Named by Captain James Cook, Great Barrier Island later became a whaling, mining and logging centre, but all these industries have had their day. Most of the island is publicly owned and managed by DOC.
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Paris may be the city of love, but Auckland is the city of many lovers, according to its Maori name, Tamaki Makaurau. In fact, her lovers so desired this beautiful place that they fought over her for centuries.
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