This Auckland precinct, which some compare to Sydney's Darling Harbour, features more than 30 watering holes and eateries, plus a marina, the New Zealand Maritime Museum and several hotels.

Tourists can catch a ferry from central Auckland across the Waitemata Harbour and into the Hauraki Gulf where popular attractions include Waiheke Island and the hiking hub of Rangitoto Island.

It connects the city's main port to the Auckland Waterfront and all of that to the Pacific Ocean. And there various harbour cruises that will let you see the city from a completely difference angle.