# Summer songs. I've always been passionate about travel. That's why I joined Flight Centre as a travel expert. It's given me the opportunity to share my love of exploring new places. I want to share with you my travel diary. How do we make the most of our short time away in a foreign city? We're gonna introduce you to the people you need to know, uncover hidden gems and show you the inside hacks that'll make your whole travel experience an absolute breeze. In this series of The 48 Hour Destination, we're going to see, smell, taste, feel and experience the most a city has to offer in 48 hours. Let's go. So I'm off to Auckland, where I'll be meeting with Danielle, a local Flight Centre travel expert who is going to be my guide for the next 48 hours. I can't wait to experience a city that I send so many of my clients to each year. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) (CHEERFUL ACOUSTIC MUSIC) (TUNEFUL WHISTLING) Yeah, you made it! It's good to see you again ` long time. Good to see ya. How ya been? I've been good. I've been good. Niiice. Nice. Yeah. I'm excited about the next 48 hours. Oh, you should be. You've got an amazing itinerary lined up. Cannot wait. Now that I'm here, tell me a little bit about Auckland. Oh, Auckland's great. I grew up here. Yeah. Yeah. It's the largest city in New Zealand. There's over 1.3 million people. And you can actually walk from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea in under four hours. And if you have a look out, there's heaps of hills out there. Mm-hm. They're all actually volcanoes. I cannot wait to see a volcano. I haven't seen one yet. Well, you've picked some really good spots. And I've also put a little something at the end for you; I got a surprise lined up. Really? Yeah. You got a cheeky grin. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Should I be worried? Ah, no, no, you'll see. Yeah. (BOTH CHUCKLE) Thank you. Thank you. I chose to stay in the heart of Auckland City, where I'm close to all the action and can make the most of my time here. (CHEERFUL ACOUSTIC MUSIC) Ooh, wow. Oh, and look at the view. (CURTAIN RUNNERS SCRAPE) How good is that view? Looks awesome. Can you see that hill over there? Yeah. Yup, that's where we're gonna head to now. Cool. So my mate Baz is meeting us downstairs. We better get going. OK, cool. All right. (ROCK MUSIC) Ah. How you doin'? Hi, Baz. Good to see ya. Nice to see you too. How are you? Donkey, how are you? Hi, Danielle. How are you? This is my friend Greer. Hi, I'm Greer. Oh, Greer. Donkey. How are you? Nice to meet you, Donkey. Yeah, yeah. Hi, Greer. My name's Baz. Nice to meet you. Baz, nice to meet you. Yes. What are we doin'? (LAUGHS) Well, we're gonna take you round the city on 'a' Auckland City highlights tour, and we're gonna show you the city how it should be shown ` on Harley Davidsons. You fancy that? Like the sound of that. Awesome. Yup. (SURF ROCK MUSIC) We're heading out of the city centre, past the beautiful waters of Okahu Bay on our way to our first stop. Whoo! MEN: # Hey! # Hey. Riding around Auckland on a Harley is so much fun. It was my first time on a motorbike, (HESITANTLY) but I think I've been converted. Sorry, Mum. Beautiful! Oh, that was fun. (MELLOW MUSIC) We're at Tamaki Yacht Club here in the Waitemata Harbour. Yup. Mm-hm. It's one of the couple harbours here in Auckland. You got the city here, and you can see the Harbour Bridge over there. Mm-hm. And right there's a couple of volcanoes. Tell me a bit of history about Auckland. Well, Auckland ` the Maori name for this is Tamaki Makaurau, which means 'Tamaki and the place of a hundred lovers'. The precious part of a Maori community was its women and children, so they would always place them at the top of the hills, and then they would build terraces around, and in those terraces, the men and the boys would protect advancing up the hills. So if you look at all the hilltops in Auckland ` which are pretty much volcanoes ` you'll see the terracing of the fortresses. Mm. (ENGINE PURRS) With the sun starting to set, we make our way up to a beautiful spot with glorious views of Auckland. (MELLOW MUSIC CONTINUES) Baz, what an amazing sunset cruise. (CHUCKLES) It sure is, Greer. We're on another one of the volcanoes here. It's the second-largest volcano after Rangitoto. Yup. So this called Maungakiekie,... more famously known as One Tree Hill. Mm-hm. You know the` You're young enough to know the band U2. Yup. (CHUCKLES) Yeah? They wrote the song One Tree Hill about this ` Yeah. dedicated to one of their roadies. So, Baz, how long have you been riding motorcycles for? Oh, since Tuesday. (LAUGHS) No, no, no, no. To be fair, since I was 7 years old, actually, so I've been riding a long time. Well, we've been blessed with the weather today. It's been absolutely incredible. Yeah, it's been a stunner of a day. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) It sure has. And the sun's just setting And it's just setting. Over Ranui. Thank you so much. You're welcome. I really appreciate` Oh, that's right. (CHUCKLES) Biker shake. Biker shake, eh? Biker shake. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Lemme just show you this here. READS: Bularangi. Bularangi. (CHUCKLES) Bula ` welcome. Rangi ` to heaven. Welcome to heaven. Welcome to Harley heaven. There are moments in life you'll never forget. Finding Harley heaven on One Tree Hill is definitely one of them. I can't wait to see what adventures tomorrow morning will bring. It's day two of my 48-hour Auckland adventure, and Danielle and I are up bright and early to explore Waiheke Island. Yup. You? Cool. All right. To the wharf, please. Can't wait. I know ` so exciting! Hey, Danielle. Hey, Michael. How are you? Good. Good to see you again. Good to see you. This is Greer. Hello, Greer. How are ya? Hi. Greer. Lovely to meet you. Yeah, likewise. Welcome to Auckland Seaplanes. GREER AND DANIELLE: Thank you. Keen for a fly this morning? Definitely. Definitely. Absolutely. Great. It's looking like good weather today, so it should be nice for our trip over to Waiheke. Yeah. Fantastic. If you're ready to go, we'll head over to the map, and I'll show you where we're going quickly. Cool. Thank you. Great. All right, girls, so this morning we're gonna take off outta the harbour straight behind us down there` Mm-hm. Yup. ...and head out to Rangitoto Island on the map here, which is straight over the hill behind us. We'll head round the volcano there, have a look down inside, then once we've done that, we'll head across to the western side of Waiheke and set up for a landing into one of the bays. MAN: # A-one, two, three, four! Hey! (FUNKY ROCK MUSIC) # Mm. I aim to be one of few, rather than one of many ` # the desire to be legendary. # I do whatever that's truly necessary, uh. # This is revolution; I'm revolutionary. I got the fire in my belly. Waiheke Island is a quick trip east of Auckland and is the perfect escape from the city, with its abundance of beautiful beaches and boutique wineries. # Can't keep a good man down ` # I turn my life around. I don't think the thrill of landing on the ocean could ever wear off. # So high, I don't wanna come down. Righto, girls, welcome to Oneroa Bay, Waiheke. Awesome. Take your hand there ` mind your step. Thank you. Thank you so much. You all right? (CHUCKLES) Thank you. Oh, this is incredible! Great spot, isn't it? This is amazing, Michael. This is definitely, definitely the way to get here. Yeah, it's a lovely little` Definitely the way to travel. Lovely part of the bay here ` nice little sheltered area round the corner from the wind and all the swell. Yeah. And do you normally fly just around the Auckland area? With this company, yes ` very common out here at Waiheke. Yeah. Most of our work would be either landing here or flying around the island. Yup. We do other flights up to Kawau Island, which is just up to the north ` 'bout 20 minutes' flight from the harbour. Mm-hm. I noticed when we were flying over, Michael, that there are a lot of wineries. Yes. How many? (CHUCKLES GENTLY) On Waiheke Island, there are 27. 27. That's right, and` Yeah. ...many of them you would've seen on this end of the island as we flew over, and the` Yeah, definitely ` it's got me hungry. Yeah. (ALL CHUCKLE) We're just about to go to Mudbrick for lunch. Mudbrick? Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. You will enjoy that; I guarantee it. Yeah. Great. Well, thank you so much. No worries; my pleasure. Really appreciate it. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Thanks for flying with us. Thank you. As we wave goodbye to Michael, it was time to make our way to the famous Mudbrick Winery to meet Bob. ...beautiful the scenery is. It's incredible. Yeah. Oh, hey, Danielle. Lovely to see you again. Hey, Bob! Nice to see you. Good to see you. Hi, I'm Greer. This is Greer. Pleased to meet you, Greer. Welcome to Mudbrick. Lovely to meet you. Got a gorgeous place here. Oh, we have a magic place. Yeah. Would you like to have a look around? I would love to. Let's go. Come on up. (CHEERFUL COUNTRY MUSIC) Walking around the stunning ground of the winery is such a treat, but Bob is proving to be the real hidden gem of Mudbrick with his valuable knowledge. This is our Cellar Shop, and you notice the bricks there. Uh-huh. They're actually made of mud. That's why it's called Mudbrick. Mudbrick. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) So come on in. We'll do a little bit of a wine tasting, if you'd like that. Yes, please. Great. Head on through. What I'd like to show you is three wines today ` Mm-hm. our Reserve Viognier, followed by our Onetangi Valley Syrah and our flagship wine, the Velvet. Yum. (CHUCKLES) Looks good. Interesting, this. Have you tried Viognier? I have not. It's got a lovely big mineral finish. It's got nice crisp freshness in the mouth ` makes it so good with food. Give it a go. (SMOOTH JAZZ MUSIC) It's got freshness; it's got richness, and it's got finish ` Yup. the three things you really need to make a wine a good food wine. So, this is our Onetangi Valley Syrah from 2016. It's the sort of wine ` you could cellar this for three years` Yup. ...but the question is ` why? It's drinking so well now. Just, 'Drink me. Drink me.' Yeah, just enjoy. 'Drink me. Drink me. Yeah, hey, I'm here.' (GREER AND DANIELLE LAUGH) Go for it. But it has got that subtlety; it has got the complexity; it's got the layers of flavour. It's beautiful. So, yes, it's got the balance of both worlds. This is our flagship wine. It's a wine that is basically your best. Velvet is based on the fact we will take whatever red grapes we need... Mm-hm. ...to blend to give us a velvety textured wine. It's a dark red fruit, black fruit rather than red fruit. Mm. It's amazing how drinkable it is for a wine so young. No, it really does my heart good to have somebody who maybe learning about wine to come say, 'Wow. I'm really beginning to see what wine's about and enjoy it.' That's the meaning of life ` Yeah. enjoying wine. Cheers. Cheers. (GLASSES CLINK) And so, here we are in the Mudbrick Restaurant with a couple of delightful main courses for you to try. It looks incredible. Enjoy. They look delicious. They are. I'd describe myself as being a wine nut. Yes. Not a connoisseur ` I love wine, but 'connoisseur' is too many connotations of knowing everything,... Mm-hm. Mm-hm. ...and I don't know everything, and I know also know that the only way to learn about wine is to keep drinking. And it's all about appreciating its flavour rather than its alcohol. Mm-hm. Bob, thank you so much for having us. We've tasted some incredible wines. Cheers. Absolute pleasure. I really enjoyed hosting you. (GLASSES CLINK) Cheers. Nice to get such enthusiastic response for our lovely wines, and I'm sure you're gonna have a very similar response to that food, so don't let me stop you. Get in and enjoy. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers. Thanks. The wine paired with the modern cuisine really made lunch one to remember. (CHEERFUL ACOUSTIC MUSIC) The day isn't over, but it's time to make our way back to the city of Auckland. Coming up are some thrills and spills on Calypso Bay, followed by a local feast fit for a queen. We're on our way back to Auckland from Waiheke Island, and I can't think of a better way to make our journey than by boat. This is my friend Greer. She's from Australia. Hi, Greer. Welcome. Hi. Lovely to meet you, Steve. Hi, Greer, nice to meet you. Simon. How are you? Good! Really good, very excited. So, welcome to Luxury Cruising, to Tawaki. Thank you. We'll get you on board, and let's get you back to Auckland. So, we'll have a quick drink and get underway. Thank you. You're welcome. We might go via a few bays and have a look at the Hauraki Gulf. (POP!) Great. Awesome. Thank you. (FEEL-GOOD MUSIC) How is this? (CHUCKLES GENTLY) This is incredible. So, we're just arriving here at Calypso Bay. This is on Motuihe Island. I'll get the anchor down; we'll get the boat ready. Why don't you guys get your swimmers on? And we'll do some tubing. Cool! Sweet. Awesome. Let's go. (CHUCKLES) Whoo! I'm gonna die. Whoo-hoo. (BOTH SCREAM) (POP ROCK MUSIC) (MOTOR ROARS) OK! Hold on! (YELLS) (SCREAMING) (SCREAMING) They can't get us off. (LAUGHS SMUGLY) (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Can they? They try. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) They've tried very hard. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. They have. (BOTH SCREAM) (THUDDING, CRACKLING) (SCREAMING) (CHUCKLES) Aargh! Kiwis sure love the water and an adrenaline rush. (CHEERFUL ACOUSTIC MUSIC) Thank you so much for that. That was incredible. You guys did great on the tube ` really good. (CHUCKLING) Yeah, that was so much fun. Yeah, it's a lotta fun. Usually, we don't throw people off, but you did well, Danielle. (CHUCKLING) There's always an exception. Yeah. So, Steve, how long have you been in Auckland? I've lived in Auckland about 20 years now. All those years, I've been involved in some sorta boating activity, water activity. Yeah? Yeah, yeah. And now you're into Luxury Cruising. Yeah. Yeah, we've been doing this for about five years now` Yeah. ...and really enjoying it. We always meet a great bunch of people ` get a lotta international guests. It's just so neat to show people the Hauraki Gulf and Auckland and Waiheke and, you know, all these hidden gems. And, I mean, we've had lovely nibbles; we've had champagne. It's been such a... luxury cruise. (LAUGHS) Yeah. Excellent. Excellent. Well, we'll have some dinner, and we'll have a great barbecue coming up, and then we'll head back into Auckland, and we'll see the sunset; we'll see the lights of the city, and it's a beautiful ride back in. Fantastic. Cool. After such a beautiful and full day, I couldn't think of a better meal than succulent New Zealand steaks and fresh seafood cooked on the barbecue. Mmm-mmm. With food this good, who has time for a plate? (POP ROCK MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) Watching the city lights come into view as we make our way back into Auckland was a great way to end the day. It's my final morning in Auckland, and I only have a few hours left, so I wanted to explore the city area. Danielle and I have decided to walk around and stop at a few of her favourite places, including her number-one cafe. We'll head in here. This is Stables. Cool. After you. Cool. Thank you. Let's get some coffee. Yum. Sorry? WOMAN: It's 13. $13, cool. You want a hot chocolate? Yes, please. 'A walking tour of the city ` or strolling, in our case `' wouldn't be complete without a locally roasted coffee in hand. Oh. I wonder how we got here ` Milse, Auckland's original dessert restaurant. Oh, this is Milse. Hi, Danielle! Hey, Sophie. DANIELLE AND SOPHIE: Good to see you again. This is my friend Greer from Australia. (DANIELLE AND GREER GREET EACH OTHER) Welcome to Milse. Thank you. Have you enjoyed your time so far? It's been beautiful ` really beautiful. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Yeah. I'll just give you a little tour in our patisserie. Thank you. Just come in. Great. So, that's our first cabinet with our tarts and our tart of the day that's changing every day. Huge 'macaroon'. It is. (CHUCKLING) And here are the 16 different macaron flavours. They're amazing. And over here are all the gelato sticks we do. Oh my gosh. These are the best. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Those are the gateaux, all mousses. And over here are the chocolates, and we also have a little dine-in area. I'll just lead you through. Come on. My mouth is watering already just seeing the chefs work their magic. We are in the heart of Britomart` Mm-hm. ...so it's just a 10-minute walk to the Auckland centre. Mm-hm. So we're in the fashion district of Auckland, so we have Chanel and Bobbi Brown next door. Oh, gorgeous. Yeah. (CHUCKLING) So, tell me a little bit about Milse. So Milse's the first real patisserie in New Zealand, so the first real dessert restaurant. Yeah, you've got a great reputation ` (CHUCKLES GENTLY) I've heard so much about it from Danielle. Yeah. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Yeah. This place is amazing. Every time I come here, there's something different on the menu. That's because we always use locally sourced products and seasonal products,... Yup. ...and that's why we always change our menus. Thank you so much for showing us around. You're welcome. It's been incredible watching the chefs create all of these incredible desserts. Thank you for coming around, and you are always welcome. Let's try some desserts. Yum. Can't wait. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) It's not often I start my breakfast with a dessert, (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) but when it's on offer, who am I to refuse? We're lucky enough to sample the best of Milse's menu ` the one I can't pronounce, the chocolate (QUESTIONINGLY) gianduja, the bombe Alaska gelato stick,... This is my favourite. I love this. Actually, all of it is. Mm. (GROOVY BRASS-BAND MUSIC) I can see why it's your favourite. Amazing. And that one's lemon and... My nails. ...and my personal favourite, their famous macarons. Love 'macaroons'. With so many delicious treats on offer, I couldn't help buying a few to take home with me ` if they last that long. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) My time in Auckland is coming to a close, but Danielle has one more surprise in store. We've seen Auckland from the sky,... Yup. ...from the harbour, from Harleys. Time to go check it out from the Auckland Sky Tower. Ooh. (CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) OK. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Let's go. Let's go. (CHUCKLES) (TENSE ROCK MUSIC) Walking out on to the Sky Deck and looking down, it hit home ` we're really high up. OK, so, yeah, OK. This may be a little bit scary. (BOTH CHUCKLE) Right. Oh my God! (LAUGHS) And look down. All right. (EXCLAIMS) (BOTH LAUGH) - (GRUNTS) - (BOTH LAUGH) You go like this. MAN: Nice. Look down. Oh. Oh! (BOTH LAUGH) As my heart rate slows down, I can appreciate the strange and surreal calm of being 192m above the city. It's beautiful. I mean, look at the view. It's incredible. What's been your favourite experience so far? I reckon definitely Mudbrick, just because we had Bob and we had gorgeous wines and that it was complemented with this food at the restaurant and... I absolutely loved it. I really did. What about you? Yeah, Bob was great. My favourite would have to be the luxury cruise with Steve. Yeah? Incredible ` the water activities were so fun. (BOTH CHUCKLE) And you fell off. Yeah, I did. (LAUGHS) So, thank you so much for having me. It's been incredible. Thank you for coming up the Auckland Sky Tower with me. Oh, it's all right. It's a bit nerve-racking up here, but... (CHUCKLES GENTLY) Little bit, (CHUCKLES GENTLY) but you realise there is only one way down. Hmm? Take a look behind you. SkyJump? Yep. We're doin' it. (CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS INCREDULOUSLY) (PERCUSSIVE MUSIC) (SUSPENSEFUL NOTE) (PERCUSSIVE MUSIC RESUMES) Bye! K, concentrate now. Oh my God. On three, two, one, go. I'm not gonna lie ` jumping off a building was not on my to-do list, but after Danielle took the plunge, my Aussie pride kicked in. Here she comes! In three, two, one! Go! (SCREAMS) (FEEL-GOOD ROCK MUSIC) (CONTINUES SCREAMING) (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) Well, there it is, my 48 hours in Auckland ` incredible. If you'd like to know more about my 48 hours in Auckland, head to... If you're looking to design your next holiday, our passionate Flight Centre travel experts can help you plan and book your time away. Visit us in-store, online, download our app or call... Captions by Shrutika Gunanayagam. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.