Auckland

Welcome to the city of 100 lovers. This is the native Maori name because it was desired by all and conquered by many. And it truly is desirable - which other city has 3 natural harbours, 2 mountain ranges, nearly 50 volcanic cones and as many islands? All this, and a population of only 1.3 million, almost one third of the population of the entire country.

Among others, Auckland has two very famous sons. If you have ever wondered where Sir Edmund Hillary was from, the first man to climb Mount Everest, well now you know. And as for fans of Formula 1, we all know that Enzo Ferrari was from Italy but did you know that the Mclaren team was started by Bruce Mclaren, born and raised in Auckland?

So, what to do here? The first thing that strikes you is the Sky Tower. Well, it would really, being the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Some numbers to digest: It's 328 metres high. It took two and a half years to build using 15000 cubic metres of concrete. The mast alone weighs over 170 tonnes. It opened in March 1997 and is designed to withstand windspeeds up to 210 kph and an earthquake of force 7 on the Richter scale. The upper tower has 2 revolving restaurants and attracts 600000 visitors a year. It's the 12th tallest tower in the World Federation of Great Towers. The CN Tower in Toronto is number 1. It's located in the heart of the central business district and is home to various broadcasting and telecommunications companies as well as providing entertainment facilities. Oh, and you can jump off it too. Uh huh, you heard right. They tie you to a steel cable, slip you into a special 'flying suit' and off you go. 192 metres later you arrive safely at ground level. I'd have done it myself but they didn't have a flying suit in my colour.

So, other attractions? Well, I can thoroughly recommend the Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World. At ground level you can watch the penguins playing on the ice and then you go under the sea to watch the sharks. You can even choose to go on a snorkel safari, not with the sharks of course.

If you book in advance you can visit Connells Bay Sculpture Park. It's a coastal park with a 2km walk along which you can find enormous modern sculptures blended in to the landscape. Instead you can take a ride on an authentic steam train at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, but take note it only runs on Sundays.

If none of this really takes your fancy then do some shopping, and where better than the Victoria Park Market, the earliest example of Victorian architecture in New Zealand. It was built over 100 years ago and houses loads of shops and cafes, selling predominantly New Zealand arts and crafts.

Finally, if you think you need to cool off after all that shopping, then get down to Princes Quay where you'll find Minus 5. This is a bar made completely out of ice, from the walls to the chairs, tables and even the glasses. Perfect for a relaxing ice-cold vodka cocktail.