Queen Street was returned to its former glory on Tuesday after the street was closed to traffic to allow horses to ride along its length.
The closure was part of Equitana event, a four day horse show and exhibition that is usually held in Australia or Germany.
Traffic was diverted and passers-by stopped to take photos as the horses made their way towards Aotea Square for the official launch.
Organisers say the showcase will bring some of the best talent in the world to New Zealand and will be a multi-million dollar money spinner for Auckland.
Olympic horserider Andrew Nicholson is here for the first time in nine years and says he's excited to be part of the inaugural event.
"You sort of appreciate how beautiful New Zealand is and how friendly the people are when you've been away for a couple of years."
Nicholson suffered what could have been a career-ending injury in 2015 when he broke his neck, but made a remarkable come back to win at the Badminton Horse Trials in 2017.
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