Let’s lower to the chase: Auckland is fashionable. Like, uber fashionable. The folks, the cafes, the boutiques – all terribly fashionable. Even the homes dotted alongside tree-lined residential streets are – you guessed it – fashionable. So what do you have to do with two days in Auckland? I’m glad you requested!
I lately spent a number of days in Auckland to convey to you this very fashionable information to Auckland, New Zealand. And whereas I feel 4 days was perhaps an excessive amount of, I might say two days is the right period of time to discover the town and take in the highlights. So with that, right here’s my information to Auckland!
The World of Wanderlust Guide to Auckland
For starters, this wasn’t my first go to to Auckland. I’ve been a handful of occasions to go to considered one of my greatest pals who lived right here pre-pandemic. Every time my pal would present me new cafes, boutiques and areas to discover, nonetheless since she rellocated to Los Angeles, I visited Auckland this yr for the primary time with out her as my information.
For me, Auckland is all the time filled with inspiration. The metropolis has fairly the repute for being the design, cultural and foodie hub of New Zealand. Sure, Wellington is a eager contender – particularly the place meals and drinks are involved. But if you happen to’re in search of a metropolis that has all of it (together with nice summers), Auckland is your best choice.
Eat your means by Ponsonby
To begin your Auckland journey, I extremely advocate starting your day on Ponsonby Road. This is the place you’ll discover lots of Auckland’s greatest cafes, bakeries, bars and boutiques. And whenever you’re completed exploring Ponsonby, you might all the time enterprise on foot to close by Karangahape Road ( “K road”), which is equally filled with nice spots and has a barely grungier really feel to it.
Don’t miss these prime picks:
Duck Island Ice Cream – the O.G. Ice Creamery on Ponsonby Rd. A neighborhood’s favorite.
Little Bird – A really vegan eatery with scrumptious wholesome bites (and lunch menu!)
Superette – A luxurious idea retailer filled with worldwide and native designers. The focus is principally on trend, however there’s a terrific number of homewares and wonder/wellness merchandise as properly.
WORLD – A largely French parfumerie with bougie candles and excessive trend items.
Cake & Co – A tiny little gap within the wall cake store. Perfect you probably have one thing to rejoice!
Little & Friday – A small cafe with nice takeaway savouries and candy treats. This was one of many cafes my pal Sophie and I used to frequent (and it’s simply nearly as good as I keep in mind).
Shopping in Ponsonby
As I discussed earlier, Ponsonby is stuffed with designer threads, small boutiques and idea shops. There are tonnes of outlets to discover and so they’re greatest visited on foot, so I might advise you park someplace close by in a residential road or snag a carpark on the primary road if you happen to can, and provides your self at the very least a number of hours to discover the road in its entirety.
Visit Bluebell’s Bakery
Once you’ve completed exploring Ponsonby, it’s time to park up at Bluebell’s Bakery for a caffeine hit and a few candy treats. This was considered one of my favorite bakeries I visited on this journey and it’s a straightforward one to go to as there’s parking proper out entrance. The lemon curd cupcake was a standout, plus you possibly can watch the baking group at work by the viewing window.
Cafe hop round city at these prime spots
Speaking of bakeries, I visited fairly a number of on this journey! As lots of you recognize I lately opened my new bakery Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane, so testing Auckland’s thriving baking scene was excessive on my agenda. There are too many nice bakeries and cake shops in Auckland to call all of them, so I’ll do you a favour and simply embody my prime picks.
Catroux – A fab little discover with unbelievable vegan and dairy free cake choices.
The Caker – Once the preferred cake store in Auckland and nonetheless one of many prime contenders. I walked away with a cook dinner e book as properly for future inspiration!
Magnolia Kitchen – You’ll want to rent a automobile to achieve this one however it’s actually value the additional effort if you happen to love bakery hopping as a lot as I do. The group at Magnolia additionally do retail treats now, so if you want to strive their goodies however don’t need to endure the experience, discover a native stockist on the town as a substitute.
Ripe Deli – The greatest take away lunch spot in Auckland, arms down. This deli is stuffed with candy and savoury treats, plus a number of wholesome salads and wraps. The excellent place to seize a packed lunch earlier than a highway journey!