Auckland has been named one of the best global destinations for next year in a prestigious UK travel magazine.
Condé Nast Traveller's 23 Best Places to Go In 2023 said Auckland is "mightily gearing up for the throngs of foreign visitors anticipated in the coming year", hailing the super city's jam-packed events calendar.
"After a three-year hiatus, the popular Lantern Festival will be held in February 2023 to celebrate Chinese New Year," the list reads.
"Pasifika, the largest Pacific Island cultural festival in the world, is returning in March 2023 after a two-year pause.
"And, in July, the quadrennial FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 will swing down under."
The article also points to New Zealand's recently-reopened status, after borders were closed due to Covid-19.
"Three years' worth of flashy hotel openings await.
"From the looks of it, 2023 will – finally – give Auckland its time to shine."
It comes after a number of other recent global accolades for Tāmaki Makaurau.
Lonely Planet picked Auckland as the best city to visit in 2022 and Kingsland is officially one of the world's coolest suburbs.
'Living up to our name'
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Tātaki Auckland Unlimited's head of visitor economy Annie Dundas welcomed the news.
"It's fantastic to see Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland again acknowledged as a top destination to visit by a trusted international travel publication – living up to our name as a place desired by many," she said.
"We are excited to be welcoming back our international manuhiri to explore our amazing attractions, events and festivals, as well as the many new accommodation, dining spots and activities on offer throughout our region."
On top of this year's Lonely Planet listing and Kingsland's Time Out shout-out, Dundas pointed to other recent achievements.
"This adds to a list of recent awards for our region – Auckland was also recently named the Best Global Music City at the Annual Music Cities Awards, and also awarded Oceania's best destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions for the third year running at the 2022 World MICE Awards," she said.
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Denim, but make it one-of-a-kind 💙
Not every pair of jeans makes it to the rack... but that doesn’t mean their story ends there. Our talented volunteer Annie has been transforming damaged denim into handcrafted bags, hats and aprons in our Onehunga SPCA Op Shop ✂️🧵
This latest batch even features her own hand-sewn designs, and customers have been loving them, they sell almost as soon as they hit the shelf!
It’s creativity, sustainability and community all stitched together, helping animals in need 🐾
📍 217 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga
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Step by step for a great cause!
Our amazing Hillary Hikers from Edmund Hillary Village showed their support for Bowel Cancer New Zealand's Move Your Butt campaign this month!
Sporting the bright purple and orange campaign shirts, these wonderful walkers hit the Auckland waterfront and marched from Mission Bay to Kohimarama, raising awareness for bowel cancer and the importance of early detection along the way.
Click read more to read the full story.
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