I’m not a big city person, but when you’re in a new place, it feels rude not to give it a chance and check out the main attractions. I can confidently say Maungawhau, also known as Mount Eden, was my favourite thing in Auckland. I was lucky enough to have sunny weather, which definitely added to the experience!

It’s a dormant volcano standing at almost 650 feet tall. Its last eruption was around 28,000 years ago, so no need to worry about any lava flows!

Once you find a car park, you’ll need to walk up a somewhat steep hill to the observation platform. It’s only about 200 meters from the upper car park and 400 meters from the lower one.

Now, hear me out, this might sound a bit strange, but the platform was actually built with the help of a royal elephant named Tom. Yes, you read that right! A real life elephant helped haul heavy basalt up the mountainside to construct the platform. It’s such a unique piece of history on top of a beautiful natural landmark.

Walk around the platform and soak in the incredible views of Auckland City.