Cosmopolitan Auckland, the largest Polynesian city in the world, is the home to a wide range of shops and restaurants, as well as busy harbours and beautiful beaches. The best views of the city can be seen from Auckland's Sky Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere, and from Mount Eden's summit, the highest point in the city. Auckland Harbour Bridge, connecting Auckland to the North Shore, is an iconic symbol of the city. Don't miss our guides to New Zealand's North Island, the South Island and Wellington - see all here.

AACHEN HOUSE
39 Market Road, Remuera Auckland (00 64 9 520 2329; www.aachenhouse.co.nz). Exquisitely restored Edwardian villa with plenty of modern comforts. Located in the genteel and well-heeled suburb of Remuera, Aachen House is only a 10-minute drive from the city centre. £££

COTTER HOUSE
4 St Vincent Avenue, Remuera, Auckland (00 64 9 529 5156; www.cotterhouse.com). Regency mansions can be hard to find in Auckland, but if you head out to residential district of Remuera, you will find a bit of Old World glamour at the Cotters House. This beautiful hotel can be booked per room and as a whole - ideal if you are looking for a bit more privacy. The two guest rooms and two suites are very sumptuous and come with Egyptian cotton bed linen, DVD-players and internet access. £££

HILTON AUCKLAND
Princes Wharf, 147 Quay Street, Auckland (00 64 9 978 2000; www.hilton.co.uk/auckland). Not your typical Hilton: über-trendy retro futurism in a gleaming wharf shed redeveloped to resemble a cruise-liner. Located in a prime spot on the harbour front, Hilton Auckland is one of the city's most striking hotels. £££

MOLLIES
6 Tweed Street, St Mary's Bay, Auckland (00 64 9 376 3489; www.mollies.co.nz). A Small Luxury Hotel, Mollies overlooks the Harbour Bridge and has 14 luxurious suites, each with its own balcony and unique interior design. Owners Frances Wilson and Stephen Fitzgerald are keen opera fans, and you will find pianos and other signs of the musical interest spread across the hotel. The Villa Suites and Premier Suites have spacious lounges and bathrooms with spa-sized baths, and the dining room offers gourmet cuisine. It is probably the most romantic hotel in the city. £££

STAMFORD PLAZA AUCKLAND
22 Lower Albert Street, Auckland (00 64 9 309 8888; www.stamford.com.au). A modern multi-storey hotel with an impressive inside, the Stamford Plaza Auckland has 332 rooms decorated in a seamless European/Asian mix. Located in the heart of the business district, the hotel goes all out to cosset business people with secretarial services. The Brasserie Restaurant is open from breakfast, and Patisserie on Albert is one of the best patisseries in New Zealand. There is a great chance that you will bump into a celebrity or head of state at the Stamford Plaza - Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Lionel Richie have all stayed here. £

THE HERITAGE AUCKLAND 22-24 Nelson Street, Auckland (00 64 9 379 8553; www.heritagehotels.co.nz). Housed in a department store from 1932, The Heritage Auckland opened in 1998. The hotel has an offbeat edge, well-equipped rooms with both washing machines and microwaves, and is located in the heart of the business district. Hectors Restaurant is set in the hotels seven-storey atrium, and the Lobby Bar has retained its art deco design. Book one of the north-facing rooms for a view over the harbour. £

WESTIN AUCKLAND HOTEL
21 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Lighter Quay, Auckland (00 64 9 909 9000; www.starwoodhotels.com). Westin's outpost in New Zealand is located in the heart of Auckland and has great views from its waterfront location over the marina. The 172 rooms are minimalist and comfortable, and the hotel's Senses Spa has plenty of treats on its menu. The luxurious Q restaurant and bar is a great place to spend an evening. £

DINE BY PETER GORDON
90 Federal Street, Auckland (00 64 9 363 7030; www.skycitygrand.co.nz). Located on the third level of the Skycity Grand Hotel, Dine by Peter Gordon is by far one of Auckland's best restaurants. The a la carte menu offers mouth-watering fare such as miso marinated Akaroa salmon on roast kumara with a sweet-corn ginger puree and roast Cambridge duck breast with Spanish black-bean puree and cranberry galangal compote.

EURO
Shed 22, Princes Wharf, Auckland (00 64 9 309 9866; www.eurobar.co.nz). Food lovers can't get enough of this waterfront restaurant, serving as much locally produced and organic food it possibly can. 'Simple and elegant, traditional but flavoursome, easy on the eye and palate' is Euro's motto.

FRENCH CAFE
210 Symonds Street, Auckland (00 64 9 377 1911; www.thefrenchcafe.co.nz). As the name of the place cleary states, the food served in this restaurant has its roots firmly attached in modern European cooking. Chef and owner Simon Wright has trained in some of the best restaurants in Europe, and his passion for France can clearly be seen in his menus. Definitely one of the best restaurants in Auckland. Open for lunch Tue-Fri and dinner Tue-Sat.

KERMADEC
Viaduct Quay, corner Lower Hobson and Quay Streets, Auckland (00 64 9 309 0412; www.kermadec.co.nz). Named after the Kermadec Islands halfway between New Zealand and Tonga, Kermadec opened in 1994 and is going from strength to strength. The restaurant offer formal dining and a menu that combines European flavours with New Zealand produce, while the more relaxed brasserie gives you an opportunity to admire the outstanding views of the harbour.

ROCCO RESTAURANT & BAR
23 Ponsonby Road, Auckland (00 64 9 360 6262; www.rocco.co.nz). Great food, great service and a lovely atmosphere are to be found at this Ponsonby gem. Spain meets the southern hemisphere in lovely concoctions like baked poached tuna with caper bean salad, skordalia & mojo verde. The set menus (with choices like black olive and parmesan gnocchi with salsa arrabiata and basil crumbs) and the cocktail and wine lists are also very inspired. Well worth a long visit. Open for lunch Mon-Fri and dinner Mon-Sat.

SAILS
Westhaven Marina, Westhaven Drive, Auckland (00 64 9 378 9890; fax: 00 64 9 378 9890; www.sailsrestaurant.co.nz). Sails is always going to be a classic venue for good food and atmosphere in Auckland. Set in the Westhaven Marina, the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, Sails serves beautifully cooked and presented food, such as pure beef fillet with horseradish dauphinoise, asparagus, wild mushrooms and truffle hollandaise and crayfish straight from the tank. Open for lunch Mon-Fri and dinner daily.

THE ESPLANADE RESTAURANT AND BAR
1 Victoria Road, Devonport, Auckland (00 64 9 445 1291; fax: 00 64 9 445 1999; www.esplanadehotel.co.nz). The restaurant of fancy boutique Esplanade Hotel serves fresh New Zealand produce in an Edwardian dinner room with amazing views of Auckland from across the harbour. The menu contains mouth-watering dishes such as New Zealand venison with butternut and chive mash, piko piko fern and pomegranate jus. Open for Tue-Sun.

MUSEUMS AND GALELRIES

AUCKLAND ART GALLERY
Corner Wellesley and Kitchener Streets, Auckland (00 64 9 307 7700; www.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz). This is the largest art institution in New Zealand. The permanent collection contains a large number of works by New Zealand, Maori and Pacific artists, both historic and contemporary. The Gallery also showcases European paintings, sculptures and prints, from 1376 to today. Don't miss the New Gallery, an added wing to the main museum, on the corner of Wellesley and Lorne Streets.

AUCKLAND MUSEUM
The Domain, Auckland (00 64 9 306 7067; www.aucklandmuseum.com). If you want to learn everything there is to know about the history of New Zealand and its Maori heritage, this is the place to go. Auckland Museum shows 'the natural, cultural, and social history' of the country, and has plenty of interesting short-term exhibitions. It also hosts daily Maori performances. Open daily.

KELLY TARLTON'S ANTARCTIC ENCOUNTER AND UNDERWATER WORLD
23 Tamaki Drive, Orakei, Auckland (00 64 9 528 0603; www.kellytarltons.co.nz). Built completely underground to best resemble the natural habitat of the species on show, Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World offers a rare chance to see some rare creatures. A see-through acrylic tunnel protects you from the water, and provides close encounters with sharks, stingrays and a large colony of penguins. Open daily.

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM
Corner Quay and Hobson Streets, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland (00 64 9 373 0800; www.nzmaritime.org). Situated in the heart of Auckland's harbour, the National Maritime Museum holds a large number of Polynesian and Maori vessels, artefacts from the history of whaling and trading along the coast, settlement and immigration, and European discovery voyages. Open daily.

DEPARTMENT STORES

SMITH AND CAUGHEYS
253-261 Queen Street, Auckland (00 64 9 377 4770; www.smithandcaugheys.co.nz). New Zealand's favourite department store is represented both in downtown Auckland and in Newmarket. Level one contains the fashion hall, with brands like Benetton and Ralph Lauren. The Fine Foods Department is also well worth a visit, stocking both local and European goodies. Open daily.

FASHION

KAREN WALKER
15 O'Connell Street, Auckland (00 64 9 309 6299; www.karenwalker.com). Feminine fashion as shown during London's Fashion Week, Karen Walker is a native Kiwi with a good reputation and plenty of customers in her home country. The shop on O'Connell Street also stocks Seven for all Mankind, Citizens of Humanity and Victor and Rolf.

MINX
Unit 4, 359 Church Street, Onehunga, Auckland (00 64 9 622 0808; www.minx.co.uk). Cool and cute New Zealand designed and produced shoes. The first collection, launched in 2001, used Moki fish skin as upper material, and subsequent collections have made use of other New Zealand raw materials, such as paua shells and wool. Open Mon-Sat.

TRELISE COOPER
Princes Wharf, Quay Street, Auckland (00 64 9 366 1964; www.trelisecooper.com). Feminine and funky clothes, designed by Kiwi native Trelise Cooper, are sold in this shop. Trelise Cooper provides slightly serious clothes for women between the ages of 30 and 55, whereas Cooper by Trelise Cooper caters to a younger audience.

ZAMBESI
Corner Vulcan Lane and O'Connell Street, Auckland (00 64 9 303 1701; www.zambesi.co.nz). Established by Elisabeth and Neville Findlay in 1979, Zambesi has become known in the southern hemisphere for its cool designs, with sharp edges and flowing fabric. The label avoids obvious trends to produce timeless fashion, and is heavily inspired by the nature and landscape of New Zealand. The shop also sells Nom*D's dark, intellectual and deconstructed clothes (www.nomd.co.nz).

FOOD

NEW ZEALAND WINEMAKERS CENTRE
Corner Victoria and Elliot Streets, Auckland (00 64 9 379 5858; fax: 00 64 9 379 5859; www.nzwinemakerscentre.co.nz). This shop houses one of the largest collections of New Zealand produced wine bottles in the country. The Winemakers Centre also delivers wine around the world for a small fee. Open Mon-Sat.

BAY OF PLENTY
Head to the Bay of Plenty for beautiful stretches of beaches and secluded bays. Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatane are the biggest towns in the area, which is almost the bread basket of New Zealand with its abundant and productive agriculture.

LAKE TAUPO
The largest lake in New Zealand, Lake Taupo is situated in the centre of the island. It is a very popular spot for fishing, in particular because of its great quantities of trout and eel.

NORTHLAND
At the top of the island, Northland has a strong Maori heritage, and is the home to numerous sites of historical interest. It is also the place to go for sailing, big game fishing and pleasure cruising. There are still some Kauri trees to be seen, although many were felled during the 19th-century. Cape Reinga and Spirits Bay, on the northernmost tip of the island, is believed to be the place from which the souls of the dead depart on their journey to the afterlife, according to Maori folklore.

ROTORUA
Known as 'the thermal wonderland' due to its hot mineral springs, boiling mud, geysers and volcanoes, Rotorua is unmissable on a trip to New Zealand. Hydrogen sulphide gas produced by the geothermal activity under ground is to blame for the rotten-egg odour in the area.

AIRPORT
New Zealand's main international airport is Auckland International Airport at Mangere (www.auckland-airport.co.nz), 24km south of the city. There are other international airports at Wellington and Harewood, close to Christchurch.

AIRLINES FROM THE UK
Air New Zealand (0800 028 4149; www.airnewzealand.co.uk)
British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com)

Both fly to Auckland via Los Angeles. Air New Zealand offers connecting flights to numerous destinations within New Zealand.

The high season runs during the southern hemisphere summer, from October to May, but New Zealand also offers plenty to do during the winter season from June to August.

NEW ZEALAND TOURISM BOARD
Skycity, corner of Victoria and Federal Streets (00 34 9 367 6009; fax: 00 64 9 363 7181; www.newzealand.com). There are plenty of i-SITE tourism offices run by the New Zealand Tourism Board across the country and in Auckland, offering advice on accommodation, tours and sights.