A ten-minute boat ride from Auckland's main harbour sets you down at Devonport wharf, next to Victoria Road, venue to the area's main eateries and boutiques. Having sampled their offerings, wander down King Edward Parade, a promenade which faces back across the sea to the Auckland skyscrapers, and then turn north up Cheltenham Road.

Although, of course, New Zealand was never actually a colony, when the British settled en masse in the 19th century they brought the architecture we can loosely describe as "colonial" with them: lots of latticed verandahs, wooden slats and colourful paintwork. Many of the best surviving examples are to be found in Devonport, and the wealthy have built modern, funky versions to add variety. Cheltenham Road affords a plentiful array of these beautiful, aspirational residencies. They are well worth checking out.

At the top of Cheltenham Road is Cheltenham Beach, a long thin strip of white sand that remains shallow for hundreds of yards as you wade in. Looming along the skyline of this north-eastern facing beach is the magnificent extinct volcano of Rangitoto, which has the rather magical effect of looking symmetrical from whichever angle you view it. It looks so close that many a naïve visitor has thought they could actually wade through the shallow waters to reach it, when in fact it is a few kilometres away.

It is worth lingering in Devonport until sunset - when the buildings of the mainland are lit up in a golden light, and the sea looks spectacular. Catching a boat ride home as night is falling, and the sky tower starting to turn the many rainbow colours with which it is lit each evening, provides a lovely close to the day.