Auckland Art Gallery

The Auckland Art Gallery, at the southeast corner of Albert Park, is a must. This impressive building, with towers and high pitched roofs in French Renaissance style, was designed by the Melbourne firm of Grainger and D'Ebro and built in 1887. It houses the famous Gray Gallery, a surprisingly rich collection of old European and contemporary New Zealand art, including works by McCahon and Wollaston. The earliest New Zealand works date from the time of Captain Cook, some of whose companions painted remarkable views of different parts of New Zealand.

There are numerous oil paintings by the Czech artist Gottfried Lindauer (1839-1926), noted for his marvelous portraits of Maoris.

The gallery also puts on spectacular special exhibitions.