How I Turned a Long Auckland Layover into a Mini Vacation

A layover that’s long enough to feel like a vacation? Yes, please. I got lucky with a trip to one of my bucket list destinations—Auckland, New Zealand—and an extra bonus: a 50+ hour layover.

After working the long-haul flight, two fellow flight attendants and I agreed on a quick nap followed by dinner. I woke up with time to kill, so I went on a solo adventure.

First Stop: Shopping & Souvenirs

I woke up with some time to kill before meeting up with the girls, so I decided to get my souvenir shopping out of the way. I stumbled upon an outdoor mall and found a Kookaï store, which was exciting since I’d only ever been able to look online. I didn’t find anything I couldn’t live without, so I continued in search of some Lord of the Rings merch for my superfan at home. I found Kevin a shirt and got my obligatory destination magnet before heading to the grocery store for some room snacks.

Dinner With a View

Once I met up with my flight attendant friends, we walked along the water, checked out the Auckland Fish Market, and grabbed dinner at Dr Rudi’s. It was a Saturday night, so the Viaduct Harbor area, where we got dinner, was lively, but we had a big day planned, so we headed back to our hotel after dinner.

Because our layover was so long, we had the full Sunday to enjoy Auckland. I started my morning with a coffee and a nice long walk along the water before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our fun-filled day.

A Day Trip to Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island is a short ferry ride from Auckland that hosts dozens of incredible wineries and incredible views of the city. The ferry ride was an amazing way to see the city. After about a forty-minute ride, were arrived on the island where we caught a hop-on on hop-off bus. We were able to purchase our bus tickets at the ferry terminal, so once we got to the island, we were able to get right on. The bus stops at a handful of wineries and restaurants around the island. I wish we could have hit them all, but sadly, we didn’t have time.

Winery Highlights

Our first stop was Stoneyridge. Here we started with a little wine flight in their tasting room. This may be naive of me but I thought going to New Zealand, I would be trying an array of Sauvignon Blancs, to my surprise my flight was mostly reds made on the island. After doing the tasting we sat in their tent outside that overlooked the hills. We had one more glass and split some charcuterie boards.
A short bus ride later, we made it to Batch Winery. I was feeling bold, so I went with another little wine flight. Luckily, the bread we got was delicious and soaked up a bit of the wine. The view from Batch was incredible, and if we weren’t trying to hit one last winery before the last ferry, we would have loved to spend more time there.
Last on our list, and my favorite winery we visited, was Mudbrick Vineyard. This winery felt like it was plucked out of the European countryside. Not only was it stunning, but I don’t think you could find a better place to watch the sunset over the city of Auckland. Sipping champagne during golden hour is the perfect end to a perfect day exploring Waiheke Island. We even got to see a bride walking to her wedding reception through the patio. After enjoying the sunset and peeking at the wedding, we enjoyed a nice dinner outside at their restaurant. We caught the last ferry back and enjoyed some hot chocolate on the ride back.

Perfect Morning Sendoff

The last day of our trip, we were being picked up to head to the airport around noon. Since I knew I would be stuck on an airplane for more than ten hours, I wanted to get outside and breathe some fresh air that morning. I took a scenic walk through Victoria Park to find a cute coffee shop I found on maps. My quick judgment of the surrounding coffee spots turned out well in finding Queenie’s. I don’t know what they do differently, but I had hands-down the best chai latte of my life here. It took a lot of willpower not to go in and order a second. It was the perfect end to an incredible layover.

✈️ Travel Tips:

If you have a long layover in Auckland, plan a trip to Waiheke Island.
Book your hop-on, hop-off wine tour early—some spots fill up fast.
Don’t miss Queenie’s café near Victoria Park for great coffee or chai.

For more photos & videos on my Auckland trip, check out my Instagram & TikTok!

Auckland