In the coming months, Auckland is going to host thousands of visitors as some of the biggest names in music come to town.
The concerts will each take up a few hours of their time, so I decided to spend a weekend in their shoes and check out a few places around central Auckland that out-of-towners should check out.
EAT:
Everybody's on Fort Lane takes about two minutes to walk to from most central hotels. Although it was busy when I popped in, we were given a cosy table upstairs.
The goats cheese stuffed chicken breast was incredibly delicious, although quite small for its $29 cost. A bowl of hand cut chips was needed in order to satisfy my hunger.
The service was fantastic and they paid a lot of attention to my allergies to make sure they didn't make me sick. Believe me, this is not very common.
Their drinks list was extensive, and should you choose to, you could easily spend the rest of your evening here listening to the fantastic live music.
DRINK:
There's no shortage of places to drink in central Auckland - from the backpacker-heavy bars around Fort Street, to the cocktail and craft beer spots in Britomart.
We went somewhere a bit different. Fukoku is a dinner destination in its own right, but its substantial selection of cocktails and the attention to detail from its very knowledgeable staff made this a really good option for a post-dinner drink. It's a small venue, but there's room at the bar. They also do some very tasty snack size dishes should you need one.
DO:
A delightful downtown attraction even many locals don't seem to know about is the Fort Street Friday night market.
The carpark turns into a marketplace and is packed with food and desert options. There was even dairy free fejoa gelato - try holding me back. It was a nice little discovery on the evening stroll back to the hotel.
SLEEP:
I stayed at the recently rebranded and refreshed Avani, which Aucklanders will know as the Metropolis building on Kitchener Street.
It's the city's tallest residential tower at 155m and has been a part of the city skyline since 1999.
My room was facing south-east, overlooking the Auckland Museum emerging from morning fog, right around to the harbour as the first morning ferries from Waiheke approached the city.
The one bedroom suite was really more like a studio, but I enjoyed the large, modern bathroom with a deep bath.
CAFFEINATE:
Central Auckland has countless great coffee spots and one of my favourites is Melba on Vulcan Lane.
It's reasonably priced, the coffee is fantastic, there were plenty of food options and importantly - the avocado isn't overpriced.
Melba is often full of overseas travellers, too, so popping in means you'll get to hear a mix of accents and conversations about peoples plans while in Auckland.
Once you've finished for the morning, and if you're not in a rush, the unique mix of shops that make up High Street are literally on your doorstep.
Our reporter stayed as a guest of Avani Metropolis Auckland Residences.
