Britomart Auckland Central
Britomart is a well established, popular retail and entertainment area near Auckland waterfront
Smart and sophisticated is probably one of the best ways to neatly sum up the retail and entertainment precinct that is close to Auckland waterfront. Britomart is bustling during the day and all twinkling night lights and stars at night. Shop wise it is home to numerous design favourites, such as Nike, Chanel, Ted Baker…. It also has a number of Kiwi locals like Karen Walker, Deadly Ponies and Kate Sylvester. The only ‘Tiffany’ store in New Zealand is pride of place in one of the recently renovated ‘grandiose’ buildings.
During the day head to Britomart for some excellent coffee - my two favourites are The Store (the pastries are also divine) and Espresso Workshop. At night established favourites such as Café Hanoi, Mexico and Orleans vibrate to lively conversations, good food and bright lights.
Mountain bike the Little River Rail Trail - epic mountain to lake views
Bike riding at it’s best - Little River Rail Trail at Birdlings Flat on the Banks Peninsula
The section of the Rail Trail between Birdlings Flat and Little River township is roughly about 20km return and is, for me, one of the most enjoyable parts of the track. Park up on the road leading down to the small settlement of Birdlings Flat - which is worthy of a trip out on it’s own accord and I will mention it shortly in a future post - and follow the well sign-posted gravel track. The Little River Rail Trail is about 49km in length, starting from Hornby, a suburb of southern Christchurch, out across to the small township of Little River on the Banks Peninsula. It is split into 6 handy sections and, as the name suggests, follows the route of an old railway embankment. The trail is pretty diverse and this part of the track from Birdlings Flat follows the shoreline of Lake Forsyth - or Te Roto O Wairewa to give it the much more interesting Maori name. The lake is home to an abundance of bird life that is easily spottable as you cycle along. On my recent ride I spotted all types of duck, geese, black swans and teals. There were even a few herons nesting.
Top Tip: take some binoculars if you enjoy bird watching as you won’t be disappointed. There are dozens of different types here.
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the trail traverses through some patches of forest and wetland before ending at Little River itself - a welcome spot to enjoy a well earnt break and perhaps a refreshment of two - the town has some great spots which I’ll talk about in a future blog.