Andrea and I arrived in New Zealand at Auckland, where most international flights arrive. We had a two-night stay planned before heading south, and wanted a hotel close to central Auckland because I had no intention of spending much time driving through a large city on the wrong side of the road. And we found what we were looking for at the Duxton Hotel.
Duxton Hotel, Auckland
Parking was a slight challenge. The lot underneath the hotel was narrow and the parking spots were miniscule. Thankfully, our car was small and I had packed a can opener so that I could actually open the door once I found a spot.
The room was simple yet comfortable. It was a challenge to stay awake, as neither of us slept well on the overnight flight from Los Angeles. But we had two weeks in a beautiful country ahead, and we needed to focus on consciousness.
Duxton Hotel, Auckland
Our view was interesting, being able to see downtown and the Sky Tower from our little patio. I had heard a joke from a Kiwi that the value of one’s property went up if they couldn’t see the Sky Tower. Maybe it’s true. In any case, as a tourist, I was happy to see it from our window.
View of downtown Auckland
Greys Avenue, where the Duxton was located, was quiet, except for the occasional fire truck which emerged from the fire station at the top of the hill. Greys Avenue once had an unsavory reputation early last century, lined with opium dens and casinos. Today, plane trees (I’m not judging them and calling them plain, they are actually called “plane trees”) line the avenue providing ample shade and seemingly quiet the surrounding city.
Greys Avenue, Auckland
(As an aside, whenever I walked down Greys Avenue, I would get that Dave Matthews Band song “Grey Street” running through my head. Easy to do, though.)
The narrow Myers Park ran behind the Duxton. Like Greys Avenue which ran parallel to the park, the park sloped downwards from southwest to northeast towards downtown Auckland. It was a small park lined with palm trees, with high banks sloping down to the path that led through the park’s center. The formerly open sewer was transformed into a park, using money donated by former Auckland Arthur Myers in 1914, and there was no residual stench which I could detect while walking through it.
Myers Park, Auckland
The two mornings we stayed at the Duxton, we ate at the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Prices were what one would expect for a hotel restaurant, but the continental breakfast buffet has a nice selection. We were also able to order off the menu, and the banana pancakes were excellent. The porch had a clear plastic screens (it was chilly in the morning) with views of Myers Park.
The web site says that the Duxton is a boutique hotel. When we stayed in 2006, I simply remember it as a hotel, nothing too boutique about it, so the set up may have changed. But in any case, the location hasn’t changed and the hotel is in a quiet spot in busy Auckland.