Advice for Rugby World Cup Trip
 

I'm coming to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup and will spend 3 days in Auckland - will see S Africa v Samoa and England v Scotland and will then travel down to Palmerston North to visit family - two guys (rugby fans) travelling together

Any suggestions on what to do in Auckland apart from the matches and any decent restaurant suggestions in Auckland for two guys - preferably local or Polynesian style - nothing European or American

Also any suggestions on what to call in and see on a day's drive down to Palmerston North and the best route to take and anything to avoid

Any ideas welcome as this is my first trip to New Zealand
:p

I wanted to goto the RSA v SAM game but am away that w.e unfortunatly! SkyTower is pretty good, (unfortunatly) I'm a local now, but I still enjoy going up it. I would have suggested Kermadec as it has some great NZ seafood and other meat dishes, but has been booked out by France! There are many good restraunts down in the Viaduct area so I would head there. I'm not sure you will get anything Polynesian unless you head to Otara markets or something....

On the way down to PMR you could call in at Taupo or slightly out of the way is Rotorua - both of these places are tourist towns so will have a range of activities to do. Rotorua is more cultural and geothermal, where as Taupo is more adventure tourism.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

To be honest, there isn't much in terms of Polynesian food. We often joke about having a "polypack", which means a massive bucket of KFC! Maori food likewise isn't standard, you'll only find it at tourist locations such as Rotorua The only well known Maori fare is a Hangi -- their version of a Sunday roast but using the ground as an oven. It does taste nice and Rotorua has lots of places that offer it for tourists.

Local food is still quite British/European. BBQs and Fish n Chips are traditional summer fare. Mission Bay has some great Fish n Chips shops and a beach to relax around. There's also a very active Asian community in Auckland and so it's well represented food-wise (not just cheap takeaways). Regardless of food type, I'd suggest heading down to Auckland Viaduct (RWC heart I believe) where there are dozens of top quality restaurants.

In terms of Auckland activities, I'd suggest taking a 1/2 day trip to Rangitoto Island. It's a 30min trip each way from downtown Auckland CDB and is an icon of Auckland harbour. The climb up to the top of the island volcano is maybe 35-50mins depending on your fitness (I've seen kids run it). The views are very rewarding.

If you're into wine, I'd suggest a day trip to Waiheke Island, or drive north about 50 minutes to Matakana where there are a bunch of wineries that also offer great food. 20mins north of Matakana is Goat Island Marine Reserve, which in warmer months is great to swim and snorkel in.

Piha Beach is well known for surfing (and has a reputation for very dangerous waves), might be a bit cold though.

Skytower has already been mentioned. Fantastic views.