4 Best Sights in City Center and Parnell, Auckland

The largest of Auckland's extinct volcanoes and one of the city's best lookout points, One Tree Hill, or Maungakiekie, was the site of three Māori pā (fortifications). It had a single pine tree on its summit, but that was attacked by activists who saw it as a symbol of colonialism, and in 2000 it was taken down. Sir John Logan Campbell, the European founding father of the city, is buried on the summit. There is fantastic walking and running in the surrounding acreage known as Cornwall Park, with avenues of oaks, a kauri plantation, an old olive grove, and magnificent seasonal flower plantings. Or just take a mat and read under an old tree. Free electric barbecue sites are also available.  Because the park is a working farm of sheep and cattle, you'll need to be wary of cows with their calves along the paths. There's also a cricket club with old-style seating, where you can watch a game in summer, and a pavilion that sells refreshments.

These 15 acres of formal gardens contain a mix of established and seasonal plantings, a fountain, and statue- and sculpture-studded lawns. They are a favorite of Aucklanders, who pour out of nearby office buildings and two adjacent universities to eat lunch and lounge under trees on sunny days. Good cafés at both universities serve well-priced takeout food and coffee. The park is built on the site of an 1840s–50s garrison, which kept settlers apart from neighboring Māori tribes. On the park's east side, behind Auckland University's general library, are remnants of stone walls with rifle slits. The park is home to festivals throughout the summer, and the Auckland Art Gallery is on its edge.

Saturday cricketers, Sunday picnickers, and any-day runners are some of the Aucklanders who enjoy this rolling, 340-acre park—not to mention loads of walkers, often with dogs. Running trails range from easy to challenging, and 10-km (6-mile) runs occur throughout the year, organized by the YMCA. The Domain contains some magnificent sculpture as well as the domed Wintergardens (open daily 10–4), two conservatories that house tropical and seasonally displayed hothouse plants. In summer, watch the local paper for free weekend-evening concerts, which usually include opera and fireworks. There are superb views of the city and harbor from the top of the park. Take a bottle of wine and a basket of goodies and join the locals—up to 300,000 per show.  While the Domain is safe during the day, it is not a place to be at night unless you're attending a concert with a big crowd.

Early Anglican missionary Bishop Selwyn built this Gothic Revival wooden church in 1886. The craftsmanship inside the kauri church is remarkable, down to the hand-finished columns. One of the carpenters left his trademark, an owl, sitting in the beams to the right of the pulpit. If you stand in the pulpit and clasp the lectern, you'll feel something lumpy under your left hand—a mouse, the trademark of another craftsman who made the lectern, the so-called Mouse Man of Kilburn. St. Mary's originally stood on the other side of Parnell Road, and in 1982 the entire structure was moved across the street to be next to the new church, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.