We find ourselves with a spare 24 hours in Auckland after our hunt in July and are looking for suggestion on what to do and see. What would you do if you had 24 hours to see Auckland?

climb the skytower. Go to Kelly Tarltons aquarium. take the ferry to Rangitoto island. Play spot the europeans on queen street.Hire a car and get the hell out of the city for the day - go to Piha and see the rugged black sand beaches of the west coast.

I presume you're staying the night so head for a downtown based hotel.
Catch the ferry to Waiheke Island and have a great lunch with some nice local wine.
Auckland harbour is a nice place to kill time.
If you're looking for something a little more cultural then I would head to the Museum.
Whatever you decide to do - don't stay out where the airport is as this will severely limit your possibilities.

Change your flights so you don't have 24 hours in Auckland

I have to say that was my first thought too , James , but maybe these guys like cities , who knows ???

Think of it like an Anthony Bourdain Layover.....24 hours with some good food, a fair amount of liquor and a bit of culture mixed in. This will be our second trip to New Zealand and we thought it only fair to absorb a bit of culture outside of hunting.

Walk along the bottom of Queen street & Via Duct in the evening after 6 pm & pick a nice cafe or restaurant & enjoy a really nice NZ wine with a great meal.

You can go up the skytower but I think that the view is much better from the top of the crater of Mt Eden.

Definitely go downtown and walk Queen street and do some souvenir shopping. Then walk to the viaduct, there are some great restaurants there.

There is an exhibit that combines penguin viewing and replica of the Shakelton expedition that is fascinating .

not as interesting as an extra day in the South Island would be .....

Thanks for all the suggestions. We checked out some good food and drink along the harbour, walked Queen street and then hit the museum. The museum is awesome. It was nice to spend a few hours in Auckland decompressing after the trip but one day was enough. We stayed at the Rendezvous Grand Hotel and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a hotel in Auckland. The price was higher than some but it included breakfast for two, internet, and a bunch of other things that made it a much better bargain than the lower priced hotels. And, the Super Shuttle is definitely the way to go back and forth between the airport and downtown! Love the Kiwi hospitality and the steak and cheese pies!