The weekend getaway you’ve never considered: Great food, wine, shopping and natural beauty

It’s affordable and boasts first-rate food and wine, breathtaking landscapes and unbeatable shopping. Despite needing a passport, it’s a few hours away.

For roughly the cost of ducking up or down the coast from your nearest eastern capital city, you can spend a long weekend in an overseas city that’s uber cool in an under-the-radar kind of way.

It boasts a first-rate food and wine scene, breathtaking natural landscapes, unbeatable boutique shopping and just about the friendliest locals I’ve ever encountered.

And despite needing your passport, the trip is a short three hours — or one movie and two glasses of wine — from Sydney and Melbourne.

Auckland was not remotely close to the top of my must-visit list before I was invited to spend a few days in New Zealand’s northern city.

But a few hours in, after cocktails on a trendy rooftop bar, a walk through a bustling retail precinct and dinner at a fine dining hotspot on the harbour, I’m ready to book my next trip.

Just look at this place — it wasn’t on my must-visit list, but a few hours in, I was a convert. Picture: Lisa Mayoh

I arrive early on a Saturday afternoon after hopping on an Air New Zealand flight in Sydney that morning, and after the breeziest of immigration and customs experiences, I’m on my way to the city.

Thirty minutes later, I’m walking into SO/ Auckland, the city’s newest and hippest hotel. It’s my base for two nights.

After a suitably cool check-in — a guy in a floral shirt and cropped chinos takes my bag and hands me a fruit juice spritzer — I’m up on the rooftop.

The night has not officially begun, but already the vibe is building at HI-SO, an indoor-outdoor bar and terrace with sprawling views across the CBD and out onto the water, eclectic furnishings, a decadent food and drinks menu and a resident DJ.

The espresso martinis go down a treat. They’re clearly the signature drink here — the crowd of cool young things and the young-at-heart are downing them with glee.

SO/ Auckland is the epitome of comfort and luxuriously cool.

Dinner at Ostro, a short walk away on the waterfront, reminds me of a dimly-lit hatted restaurant I once spent too much money in during a weekend in Melbourne.

The difference here is the price — it’s very reasonable — and the lack of pretension.

With a broad menu of modern European-inspired dishes and an impressive wine list, it should feel snobbier than it does. And while it’s busy, it’s not overbearing.

“We don’t rush people out with multiple sittings,” my waiter explains. “We encourage people to graze at their own pace.”

Ostro Brasserie & Bar in Auckland. Picture: Supplied

That’s the general vibe of Auckland, I’m discovering. Take everything on offer at your own pace.

I start with the buffalo mozzarella, doused in muscatel vinaigrette, zucchini, candied grapes and pine nuts, and a half-dozen of the freshest rock oysters.

The beef Wellington is on special and so I can’t resist. It’s about the size of a particularly large baby, and I’m bound to sleep like one after scoffing it down. The pastry is flaky, the meat is tender and I’m stuffed.

Not too stuffed to polish off a classic crème brûlée though.

By then, I’m well-and-truly rolling down nearby Roukai Lane — a short strip of pocket watering holes that are overflowing with merry revellers enjoying what seems to be the city’s small bar hub.

Racket Bar, AV Club and Orleans are pumping. They kind of open onto each other, clustered around a central courtyard. There’s a waiting list at the door of Caretaker, which is a downstairs cocktail haunt that’s popular for a reason.

Caretaker is an uber cool underground cocktail bar.

In all, it’s been a whirlwind introduction to Auckland, which the French waiter at Ostro told me had undergone something of a renaissance in recent years.

I see plenty of evidence of this in coming days.

High Street isn’t overly long as far as shopping strips go. It stretches for about four or five blocks with a few narrow side streets jutting out from it.

But it’s packed with a curious mix of fashion boutiques, coffee shops, a few bric-a-brac holes-in-the-wall, hair and beauty salons and local jewellers, where I spend a couple of hours on a crisp but sunny morning.

The sprawling Unity Books provides endless opportunity for exploring for bibliophiles or really anyone in search of a quirky read or mainstream paperback to start on the short flight home.

The High Street shopping precinct and its array of side streets has something for everyone.

It’s just across from Stolen Summer, a coffee shop that’s about the size of a broom cupboard but has a bigger heart than some of Melbourne’s best bean roasters. The little tables out front, bolted to the wall, provide a convenient place to perch and people watch.

I’m bummed that Parlour, a basement-level vintage shop, is closed today. I lean down to peer through the window and spot this velvet green blazer that has my name on it.

I must come back, I decide. Not just for the jacket, but it’s a big part of it.

Just around the corner is Britomart, this stunning fusion of restored historic buildings, shining new builds and a row of black pavilion buildings housing boutique shops, eateries and bars, all coated in fairy lights.

Retail junkies will find plenty to look at. There are high-end shops from Chanel to Karen Walker through to local labels like Huffer, World and Zambesi.

The Britomart precinct at night. Picture: Supplied

Each of the distinct areas of the Britomart precinct are linked by outdoor spaces and gardens, which regularly host markets, events, fashion shows and pop-up art exhibits. It’s all very cool.

The Auckland Fish Market is more than a place where locals buy fresh seafood — it’s filled with a winding array of eateries, from the Japanese-themed Azabu to Sanford & Sons, the city’s newest fishmonger from its oldest fish seller.

And the market’s watering hole, The Wreck, is well worth a visit.

Auckland Fish Market is filled with eateries and bars.

Just after dusk, I venture 20 minutes out of the city to Heletranz for what will be the cherry on top of my experience — a helicopter joy flight above Auckland.

I’ve been in a helicopter a few times — once when my husband was medevaced off the side of Everest with altitude sickness and again on our wedding day.

This experience is far less urgent and far less nerve-racking. Put simply, it’s beautiful.

I feel like a six-year-old who’s just seen fireworks for the first time. I momentarily feel sorry for the pilot who has to hear my sharp intakes of breath and repetitive gasps of “wow!” through his headset.

But I’m quickly distracted once more by the twinkling lights, the enormous moon shining across the harbour and the fairly awe-inspiring Sky Tower.

My picture of Auckland by night from the Heletranz helicopter joy flight.

And the beautiful Mount Eden in Auckland.

We circle by the latter again, taking in the glowing 328-metre needle, before banking right and heading back to the airfield.

By accident, I stumble across Madriz, a tapas restaurant down a little laneway that I would’ve missed if not for the floating sounds of a Spanish guitar luring me down.

And thank God. The lamb shoulder leaves me speechless. The enormous meatballs, which I’m told are made using a recipe from the chef’s grandma, served with fried potatoes, are exceptional.

But it's the croquettes that I’ll daydream about for weeks to come. Perfectly crumbed, deliciously creamy, incredibly tasty. Forget a coffin — bury me in a big one of these please.

Spanish tapa restaurant Madriz in the heart of Auckland.

Then, as I’m about to walk into my hotel’s lobby, I notice an excited crowd spilling out of a little shop across the street.

It’s Giapo, an ice-cream shop with daring creations that make Messina in Sydney look tame by comparison. When I finally reach the counter, I ask for a suggestion and I’m encouraged to try the signature Kiwi As. It’s chocolate chunk cookies ice cream coated in roasted cornflakes.

That description doesn’t really capture it, so please let my Instagram snap — because I just had to share one — paint a thousand words.

The Giapo ice-cream creation I tried. Enough said.

Auckland is a very pretty city. To truly appreciate it, take a relatively comfortable walk up Mount Eden, a volcanic peak full of hiking and jogging trails that lends itself to spectacular views.

I don’t really know how to sum up my Auckland experience in a way that does it justice. It was all a pleasant surprise.

It’s a city with a small town vibe and an understated sense of cool.

It’s perhaps a bit like the once-awkward kid at school who returns after summer holidays one year suddenly very cool and popular.

Or if you want a local destination comparison, think of it as having a dash of Sydney’s natural outdoorsy beauty and a dose of Melbourne’s food and bar scene but without the snobbery.

Auckland's CBD seen from across the water at dawn, with the Sky Tower in the centre. Picture: iStock

The journalist travelled to Auckland as a guest of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development