Some tourist said they loved the cleanliness of the central city, others loved how many shops were located in the CBD. Photo: Sharon Brettkelly
The Auckland CBD is coming back to life after years of pandemic slow down and disruption caused by construction works.
The work from home trend hit the CBD hard, and that was on top of the City Rail Link, and lower Queen Street improvements.
But Heart of the City - the city centre business association - said foot traffic had bounced back strongly and downtown had enjoyed the return of cruise ships.
With a cruise ship parked in the Waitematā Harbour on a sunny Auckland day, the city was humming.
Tourists stepped off to see the sights of Auckland.
Some RNZ spoke to said they loved the cleanliness of the central city, others loved how many shops were located in the CBD.
But just up Queen Street, the streets were busy with construction.
The CBD became a ghost town during the Covid-19 pandemic - with many workers staying home. Adding to the challenge was the construction in several pockets of the city - cutting off some main roads and making the CBD experience a noisy one.
Sightseers from Europe told RNZ they were not so keen on what they had found in the city.
"I'm not a huge fan of the city but there are some nice spots where you can hang out or just have a drink," one said.
"It has it's nice spots but compared to Europe there are a lot of cars so it's very busy and not very cozy," said another.
Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said the central city was seeing significant foot traffic again, made up of tourists, students, residents and those who worked in the city.
"We have around a million people a week coming through our pedestrian count at the moment," she said.
"That is way bigger than one organisation to address these issues that are affecting the wider city and country."
When it came to the infrastructure projects in Auckland, she said it was the job of multiple organisations, including Auckland Council, to ensure the central city ran as smooth as possible.
"A lot of those things, one group might do one piece and another group does something else, so they're not always integrated," she said.
The CBD became a ghost town during the Covid pandemic - with many workers staying home. Photo: RNZ/Jordan Bond
Beck said they were keen to see a much more integrated, less siloed plan for works around the city.
Auckland Council head of city centre programmes Jenny Larking said the city was undergoing a transformation.
"We're really building on the momentum of what's been done Downtown, Wynyard Quarter, Karangahape road," she said.
The focus for the next few years was mid-town, which hinged on the development of the city rail link, Larking said.
She said the results of ongoing investment in the central city spoke for itself.
"We have a lot more pedestrian space, we have a lot more pleasant spaces to hang out in, we are seeing a lot more people in the city centre coming back following Covid," she said.
"We have beautiful spaces that we're all very proud of."