Visit Piha with Mighway

Gibbs Farm

Gibbs Farm is an unusual setting for a sculpture collection. The North Auckland property is dominated by the Kaipara Harbour, the largest harbour in the Southern hemisphere. The harbour is so vast it occupies the whole western horizon; and it is very shallow, so when the tide goes out, the shallows are exposed for several kilometres and the light shimmies and bounces off it across the land. Equally, it is the forecourt to the prevailing westerly weather that sweeps, sometimes vehemently, across the land. Everything in the property flows towards and eventually into the sea; and every work contends in some way with the slide seaward. The flow of the land, the immense body of water, the wide harbour flats and the assertive variety of the elements have all imposed themselves on the artists. Gibbs acknowledges that “the challenge for the artists is the scale of the landscape; it scares them initially” and demands something more from them. Walking the land visitors can appreciate how each artist has come to terms in their own way with the gravitational pull that is exerted on everything as the mountains roll into hills and slide into gullies and slope down towards the wide flat expanse of the Kaipara harbour. After nearly twenty years Gibbs Farm includes major works by Graham Bennett, Chris Booth, Daniel Buren, Bill Culbert, Neil Dawson, Marijke de Goey, Andy Goldsworthy, Ralph Hotere, Anish Kapoor, Sol LeWitt, Len Lye, Russell Moses, Peter Nicholls, Eric Orr, Tony Oursler, George Rickey, Peter Roche, Richard Serra, Kenneth Snelson, Richard Thompson, Leon van den Eijkel and Zhan Wang. Most works in the collection are commissioned; and commissioning new works rather than buying from an exhibition involves the satisfaction of dealing with the artists, as Gibbs comments “they’re interesting because they’re winners, tough, ambitious”.

Sky Tower

At 328 metres, it is the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand and offers breath-taking views for up to 80 kilometres in every direction.

Travel up in the glass-fronted lifts to one of the three spectacular viewing platforms, or for more thrills and excitement, SkyWalk round the pergola at 192 metres up or SkyJump off the Tower!

The Sky Tower also offers various dining experiences to satisfy every palate. Peter Gordon’s chic and elegant restaurant – The Sugar Club, offers the finest dining experience. Orbit restaurant is Auckland’s only 360-degree revolving restaurant and boasts stunning views of Auckland city. If you want relaxed dining, the Sky Café is located on level 50 (now in partnership with Kapiti Ice Cream, another iconic kiwi brand).

The Sky Tower is one of New Zealand's most exhilarating and spectacular tourist attractions, you will be amazed at what you can see and do under one roof!

Depot

It’s chef Al Brown’s place and reflects perfectly his attitude towards food: in season, beautifully cooked, to be enjoyed with friends. Al’s joined by Kyle Street in the kitchen and Joe Williams and Warren Ford out the front. Most of the cooking is over charcoal or hard wood so there’s a real succulence to the flavours. Order a selection of small plates and pass them round. Try the freshly shucked oysters. Then there’s the wine list – small, but perfectly formed, with many of Al’s top picks. Park yourself up. Coffee served every day from 7am.

Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira

Auckland War Memorial Museum is New Zealand's first Museum. The Museum tells the story of New Zealand, its place in the Pacific and its people. The Museum is a war memorial for the province of Auckland and holds one of New Zealand's top three heritage libraries. It has pre-eminent Māori and Pacific collections, significant natural history resources and major social and military history collections, as well as decorative arts and pictorial collections.