Drawing inspiration from
Auckland’s sailing and maritime culture, the Hilton
Auckland is all white and windows, jutting nearly 1,000 feet into the sea like a double-bowed cruiseliner. On one side, there’s Stanley Point and the Auckland Harbour Bridge surrounded by water. On the other are the pop-up shops of Britomart, the greens of Albert Park, and the Sky Tower, shooting up between the hotel’s two buildings when looking south from the end of Princes Wharf. The hotel’s interiors have a nautical vibe as well; red and salmon-colored Italian furnishings counterbalance blond woods and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The restaurant, called FISH, specializes in the
New Zealand catch, and the central swimming pool even has an underwater view of the harbor. If that’s not enough seafaring spirit, the
New Zealand Maritime Museum sits next door. Welcome to Auckland, the “City of Sails.”