Alexia Santamaria

As New Zealand's largest city, Auckland is overflowing with spectacular spots to eat and drink. Its huge multicultural makeup has supercharged the culinary scene, meaning you'll find $10 Sichuan dumpling joints rubbing shoulders with high-end degustation diners.  Ponsonby's inner-city streets are full of foodie gems, while Britomart and the base of the Sky Tower boast a cluster of top-notch restaurants. And if you're after authentic Asian flavours, the enclaves of Dominion Road (largely Chinese) and Sandringham (Indian) can’t be beaten. To help you navigate the best restaurants in Auckland, we’ve gathered local tips from Elle Armon-Jones, founder of The Big Foody Tours, and Alexia Santamaria, a NZ-based writer. Many feature award-winning dishes from the 2025 Iconic Auckland Eats list – so consider this your ultimate tasting roadmap. 🌎 All the best things to do in Auckland

New Zealand was recently crowned the most beautiful country on Earth, and Auckland shows us exactly why. As the island nation's largest city, it's a buzzing hub of top-tier restaurants and bars, world-class cultural institutions, inner-city beaches and unforgettable day trips. Whether it’s sipping wine on the island paradise of Waiheke or exploring the hidden gems of Tāwharanui Regional Park, Auckland proves beauty and adventure are always just around the corner. Nicknamed the 'City of Sails', the best things to do in Auckland celebrate its gorgeous setting on two large harbours, offering countless waterside walks and more view-laden stops than should be possible. First-timers should head straight to the Sky Tower for panoramic views of the city and coastline, then slip into local life by browsing the boutique shops and buzzing café scene along Ponsonby Road. For a dose of harbourside style, Britomart’s boutiques await, while foodies can tick off bites from the city's tasty list of 100 Iconic Eats. Here are the best things to do in Auckland, based on personal recommendations from Time Out Australia Travel Editor, Melissa Woodley's recent trip. 🍴 The best restaurants in Auckland

Before diving into the best things to do in Christchurch, a short history lesson. This city was once synonymous with gardens, green parks and a meandering easy pace – but that all changed in February 2011, when a magnitude 6.3 earthquake took the lives of nearly 200 people and destroyed over half the buildings in the city centre. The city is still green and beautiful but a steely resilience, resourcefulness and creativity has emerged in those who chose to stay in Christchurch. While there are still empty spaces where buildings used to be, the rebuild is vibrant – just take a look at the restaurant scene – and there’s a palpable feeling of excitement and adventure as new pockets of creativity continue to pop up. RECOMMENDED:🍴 The best restaurants in Christchurch⛰ The ultimate guide to New Zealand  

The best things to do in New Zealand are incredibly diverse; the country is often associated with the All Blacks, lamb and Hobbits, but there’s so much more to this South Pacific paradise. Aotearoa (as it’s known in the Māori language) offers strong Māori and Pacific Island culture, glorious natural beauty and endless ways to take your adrenaline levels from 0 to 100 in under 30 seconds. Mother Nature really shows her swagger here with multicoloured geothermal terrain, majestic mountain ranges, gobsmacking glaciers, breathtaking beaches and picturesque lakes of every hue. But don’t think that means a lack of urban fun; despite being the last populated country before Antarctica, New Zealand is no cultural backwater; it has a culinary, art, theatre, wine and craft beer scene to rival much bigger countries. RECOMMENDED: Best hotels in New Zealand Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.

Charm is the name of the game in Christchurch. The South Island stunner is as languid as New Zealand gets, a pretty impressive achievement in its own right, and the city’s culinary scene is fast becoming one of the best in the country. The best restaurants in Christchurch tick plenty of boxes, from innovative modern techniques to contemporary Italian and good old fashioned home cooking. There are plenty of tremendous things to do in Christchurch, and satisfying a rabid appetite is very much at the top of that list. Get your fill of sightseeing in the darling city before settling down for a lunch to remember.