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48 HRS<br />
Auckland has branded itself<br />
an “urban oasis”, with adventure<br />
by day and parties by night<br />
048<br />
BELOW: Abseiling<br />
down a waterfall<br />
is all part of the<br />
adventure that<br />
Auckland offers<br />
uckland put on its party face<br />
A<br />
for last year’s Rugby World<br />
Cup and locals and visitors are<br />
still reaping the benefits. This<br />
cosmopolitan city of 1.5 million<br />
people has a multitude of funky bars, fine<br />
restaurants and crisp, alfresco night action.<br />
Yet within 45 minutes of the CBD you can<br />
surf, hike, quad-bike, golf, bungee, taste<br />
wine, leap about in canyons, and wander<br />
around farmers’ markets tasting a selection<br />
of salami, cheese and beer. Auckland<br />
has branded itself an “urban oasis”, with<br />
adventure by day and parties by night. And<br />
at three hours’ flight from eastern Australia,<br />
it makes a heck of a fine destination for a<br />
long weekend. Let us count the ways.<br />
fridAy<br />
6.25<br />
pm A few short hours<br />
after clocking off at<br />
work my wife and I are on flight<br />
JQ203, Sydney to Auckland,<br />
enjoying Hunter Valley semillon.<br />
In Auckland, we check-in to Hotel<br />
DeBrett, an iconic landmark that<br />
fell on hard times but has been<br />
“stylishly reinterpreted” into a<br />
funky sort of 1960s cat-house<br />
for the well-heeled with just 25<br />
luxurious rooms. It’s a place that<br />
oozes cool: the chairs are cool,<br />
the light-fittings are cool, even<br />
the carpet is cool. It makes you<br />
feel cool just being in it. We enjoy<br />
a nightcap in the busy little bar<br />
on the corner (the aptly named<br />
“cornerbar”) then sleep between<br />
crisp white sheets.
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