BACK TO AUCKLAND
After my circuit of the North Island, with a day trip to the south, I headed back to Auckland for my plane home. But there was still a ton to do! And not much time.
The Sky Tower, like the Space Needle in Seattle, is the hub of Auckland.
http://www.skycitydarwin.com.au/skycity/auckland/sky-tower/sky-tower_home.cfm

At 328 metres, Sky Tower is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, offering breath-taking views for more than 80 kilometres in every direction.
Underneath is the main bus station, while the Tower itself houses restaurants, cinemas, and a bungee.
Next stop is Auckland Domain, acres of rolling green just about in the heart of the city.
Auckland Museum is housed in one of New Zealand’s best-known heritage buildings. Located in the Auckland domain, with spectacular views of the city and harbour, the Museum also serves as a war memorial, with galleries telling the story of New Zealanders at war.
Auckland Museum is also home to the most comprehensive collection of Maori Taonga (treasures) and Pacific artefacts in New Zealand.
Overall, the Museum provides a window on New Zealand’s cultural, social and natural history, and includes the award-winning Discovery Centres - “Weird and Wonderful” and “Treasures and Tales” - places for fun and exploration of the natural world and human culture for children of all ages.
The Maori treasures and the building itself are truly fascinating, and a day will fly by here.
If you don’t want to eat in the museum itself, walk into Parnell, an historic village ideal for shopping and sophisticated socializing. It is a hilly area, and a walk downhill back into the city.
Or you can circle round and round all the main sights in Auckland on the Loop bus, which runs frequently and goes past many of the major attractions, plus the university, Sky Tower, and the Britomart station, where you can get a local bus out to any of the lovely suburbs of Auckland, or the train south to Wellington, an 11 hour journey.
Last but not least, no trip to New Zealand and Auckland would be complete without a visit to http://www.kellytarltons.co.nz/home/

Kelly Tarlton’s is a wonderland of snow, ice and amazing underwater sights. Explore the wilds of Antarctica and the natural treasures of the ocean depths in our Underwater World - and beyond.

You can get one of the buses from the Britomart center and ask the driver to let you know where to get off. The scerney up the coast of Waitemata harbor is so gorgeous you might miss your stop like I did!