Getting Your Bearings

Getting Your Bearings

What Aucklanders consider the city center stretches from the waterfront up around Queen Street, including the Viaduct. The neighborhoods known as Parnell and Ponsonby take their names from their major streets. Parnell, to the east of the center and bounded by Newmarket and Hobson Bay, has a wealth of historic buildings and chic restaurants. Ponsonby's narrow streets are lined with its iconic wooden Victorian villas, and its main strip is lined with cafés, bars, and restaurants. It lies to the west of the center and merges with the desirable north-facing suburbs of St. Mary's Bay and Herne Bay, known as the "northern slopes." Karangahape Road, or K Road, crosses the top of Queen Street and has a colorful mix of shops and cheap eateries, which are now encroaching on what used to be the seedy area toward the Ponsonby end. Newmarket, south of Parnell, brims with more upscale boutiques.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge spans the Waitemata Harbour, connecting the city with the highway north and the North Shore, where more suburbs sprawl north along a coast of safe swimming beaches.

A dozen "city ambassadors" patrol the city center on weekdays between 8:30 and 5; they can give you directions and field any other questions you might have. They're identified by their yellow and gray uniforms with "ambassador" written on their tops in red.