NZ travel: How to have a family staycation in Auckland

It’s fun playing tourist in your own town. Photo / Auckland Unlimited

Live like a tourist with an Auckland staycation and you and the family will be pleasantly surprised, writes Alexia Santamaria

One of our kids’ biggest complaints, when we’re on holiday, is that we’re so busy seeing what an area has to offer, we never spend any time enjoying our accommodation. A quick swim between local activities, some tired TV watching at the end of the day, and not much more. And this is how we found ourselves on a two-day staycation in Tāmaki Makaurau, our home city, relaxing at a hotel and playing tourists in our own town.

We chose the Heritage Hotel because of its large rooms, tennis court and rooftop pool. An outdoor pool is “what makes you feel like you’re on holiday” according to our teenage boys. And they weren’t disappointed. There’s definitely a resort feel with its harbour views, loungers, umbrellas and couches. Both our afternoons were spent splashing, lazing and snacking poolside, much to the boys’ delight. This historic hotel is also well located for walking. There’s something about getting around on foot that makes you feel like you’re really exploring another city. Even in your own hometown, it prompts you to poke around in places you don’t usually notice.

The Heritage Hotel in Auckland boasts large rooms, a tennis court and rooftop pool. Photo / Alexia Santamaria

While our first afternoon was totally focused on pool, TV and sofa time, we did venture out to the Viaduct in the evening for a bite. Though it won’t win points for nutritious fare, English-style pub The Fox does a cracking line in deep-fried and golden-baked goodness and we grabbed some excellent house-made fish fingers, chips, homemade yorkies, freshly baked sausage rolls and onion bhajis to share. It took us straight back to hungover Sundays in our twenties in London, in the best possible way.

The Fox pub does a cracking line in deep-fried and golden-baked goodness. Photo / Alexia Santamaria

Despite our focus on lazing, we did venture out on Saturday morning. We had been meaning to check out Wētā Workshop Unleashed forever so this was a good opportunity - especially as it was only five minutes’ walk from our hotel. It provided 90 minutes of fascinating behind-the-scenes fun including a full miniature set (what is it about detailed small versions of large things?) hyper-realistic sculpted giants and characters, animatronic creatures and both physical and digital interactive activities. So much to touch, so much to play with and there’s even a horror house experience for those who are game. It’s a great way to understand the making of sci-fi, horror and fantasy films in a very hands-on way.

Wētā Workshop Unleashed sheds light on the making of sci-fi, horror and fantasy films. Photo / Alexia Santamaria

After all that excitement it was time for a quick stop at Commercial Bay for lunch. Harbour Eats is always a favourite as there really is a bit of everything - dumplings, Vietnamese coffee, mezze platters, salads, mac and cheese, oysters and Korean fried chicken kept all parties happy. Upmarket food courts really are the best for families with “diverse” tastes. Knowing we had to check out the next day the afternoon was dedicated to further languid pool relaxation and then it was time for the parents to choose dinner. It’s fair to say, with its fully vegetarian menu, East would not have been our sons’ first choice, but they were surprised at how much they could enjoy a meal without meat - and we loved the flavour-bomb dishes like sticky jackfruit bao buns and bang bang shitake mushrooms, as well as the excellent cocktails (us, not them). There’s always a deep sense of satisfaction in proving your kids wrong when they are convinced something is not their vibe.

Enjoy a fully vegetarian menu at East. Photo / Alexia Santamaria

Before we knew it, it was Sunday morning. After reluctantly checking out we headed to Wynyard Quarter for dreamy flaky French patisserie deliciousness from La Petite Fourchette, followed by a walk around North Wharf. Now that our hotel life was over, we thought it wouldn’t do any harm to get a little more active, so our last stop was the AJ Hackett office in Curran St to take on the harbour bridge. The Auckland Bridge Climb has long been on our to-do list and it’s definitely an experience we’d recommend to any family (except the vertiginous) - it’s fascinating to learn about the construction of this essential connection, including the grisly stories that are part of its history.

Learn about the construction of an Auckland landmark on The Auckland Bridge Climb. Photo / Alexia Santamaria

We thought the guide was joking when he said he’d show us how a bungy jump was done, and popped a cord on before throwing himself off, casual as you like (none of the angsty contemplation I had when I tried it a few years ago).

Getting to the top was amazing - talk about views you never usually see! Birds’ eye views of cars driving along the bridge, walking alongside the traffic at the same level, gazing out on the harbour from a totally different angle and hanging out by the flags at the top.

We would definitely have a staycation again. The advantages are endless. No stressful packing or driving - you can always go home if you forget anything essential - and zero cooking unless you want to. It’s fun playing tourist in your own town.

For more experiences in Auckland, see aucklandnz.com/visit