A visitor to New Zealand's biggest city is in danger of being disappointed: Auckland lacks the immediate buzz of Wellington or the laid-back charm of Dunedin. But while Auckland's centre is a little underwhelming, there is plenty of life in this city - and it's all in the suburbs. Food writer Simon Farrell-Green (eatherenow.co.nz) took me on a tour of the best bits

Cafes

Ponsonby is where Auckland's well-heeled creatives hang out, and as such it's not for everybody (my friends from down-to-earth Hamilton refer to it as "Ponsnobby"). But for those that don't mind drinking coffee with yummy mummies and their ilk, it's full of great cafes. Try Good One (42 Douglas St, +64 9 360 5040), a locals' haunt serving delicious rhubarb and custard muffins.

Shed 5 is a fantastically offbeat cafe-cum-motorbike-showroom in Rhubarb Lane (victoriaquarter.wordpress.com), a quirky development in a former bus depot not far from the centre. When we dropped in, classic cars awaiting auction were parked among the tables, just in case anyone fancied a Ferrari with their flat white.

Little & Friday (43c Eversleigh Rd, Takapuna, +64 9 489 8527) is another oddity: a gorgeous modern cafe, slap-bang in the middle of unfashionable suburbia. Elderly couples sit alongside kids with skinny jeans and enormous afros, united by their love for the amazing sausage rolls.

Bars

Golden Dawn (134 Ponsonby Road) is the bar of the moment on Ponsonby Road. There's no signage and the windows are papered over, making it a magnet for the cool crowd.

Tyler St Garage (120 Quay Street) is a new rooftop bar near the centre, on the edge of the Britomart area. This district was dilapidated for years but is now being sensitively developed to protect its heritage buildings. The bars, farmers' markets and festivals springing up there are making it a new city hotspot.

North Wharf (waterfrontauckland.co.nz) is a new waterside development that should be finished in time for the Rugby World Cup and will house bars, restaurants and galleries. It is hoped that it will be an edgier version of the Viaduct (viaduct.co.nz), a still popular but rather soulless – and expensive – harbour area that was revamped for the America's Cup in 2000.

Restaurants

Scruffy K' Road is grittier than Ponsonby, and a perennial favourite with the local hipsters. We went to Coco's Cantina (376 Karangahape Rd, +64 9 300 7582, cocoscantina.co.nz), a loud and casual local restaurant, for lamb and feta terrine followed by superb steaks with anchovy butter.

Auckland is home to some fantastic Asian restaurants. Simon recommends Ichiban Ramen (17 Albert Street, +64 9 303 4372), a hole-in-wall noodle bar; Mekong Vietnamese (106 Ponsonby Road) for the best pho (beef noodle soup); and Grand Harbour (Viaduct Harbour, +64 9 357 6889, grandharbour.co.nz) for top yum cha (dim sum).

Mexican Specialities (5-92 Marua Road, Ellerslie, +64 9 580 2497, mexicanspecialities.co.nz) only opens for lunch, and only Thursday-Saturday, but serves very fresh and authentic Mexican food. Dida's (glengarry.co.nz) started life as a wine shop and has now expanded to serve tapas-style food in two swish suburbs, Herne Bay (54 Jervois Road, Herne Bay, +64 9 376 2813) and Devenport (54 Victoria Road, Devonport, +64 9 445 1392).

Accommodation

The Auckland branch of Base Backpackers (from £9pp for a shared dorm, 229 Queens St, stayatbase.com) is a reliable choice for cheap, central accommodation. Jucy Hotel (doubles from £35, 62 Emily Place, jucyhotel.com) is a good budget alternative. The Quadrant (studio apartments from £75, 100 Waterloo Quadrant, thequadrant.com) is a hip and reasonably affordable option for self-caterers.

If money is no object, the pick of Auckland's boutique accommodation is Hotel de Brett (from £130 a night, 2 High St, +64 9 925 9000, hoteldebrett.com), a central, stylish 1930s hotel with a mix of vintage and contemporary furniture. Its classic bar was once a regular hangout of the city's hard-drinking hacks.

Culture

The Michael Lett gallery (285/2 Great North Road, +64 9 376 1266, michaellett.com) is in an willfully perverse location: a former car mechanics on a busy road in Grey Lynn. I couldn't make head nor tail of the sound installation, but fans of cutting-edge contemporary art will no doubt fare better.

ArtSpace (300 Karangahape Road, +64 9 303 4965, artspace.org.nz) has great exhibitions; the lovely old Mercury Theatre (9 Mercury Lane, Newton) is putting on plays again for the first time in around 20 years; and radio station 95bFM (95bfm.co.nz) showcases new local bands.

Shopping

La Cigale (69 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell, lacigale.co.nz) is the best of Auckland's many farmers' markets. It's a mix of excellent local produce and great immigrant-run stalls selling delicacies such as spicy Serbian sausage, plus a restaurant. But don't take my word for it: John Key, the prime minister, shops here most Saturdays. I spotted him buying French cheese, casually dressed in shorts and T-shirt, with one burly minder a discreet distance away.

The Department Store (10 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, blog.thedepartmentstore.co.nz) is a "concept store" stocking local designers – and is also New Zealand's only Topshop outlet. Shoppers queue down the street on Thursdays when the new consignment arrives from the UK.

St Kevin's Arcade (179 Karangahape Road) has some lovely boutiques and vintage shops, including Children of Vision and Fast and Loose. Nearby Ironbank (150 Karangahape Road, ironbank.co.nz) also houses some interesting shops. Douglas + Bec (9 St Mary's Road, Ponsonby, +64 9 551 3685, workroom.net.nz) are a father and daughter design team making simple homeware out of reclaimed timber – their shop is well worth a browse.

Beaches

One of Auckland's best beaches can only be found with a little insider knowledge. Park near the Takapuna Beach Cafe and Store (22 The Promenade, North Shore, +64 9 484 0002, takapunabeachcafe.co.nz) and pick up an ice-cream – I can recommend the passion fruit sorbet – then leave Takapuna beach to the tourists and walk over the black volcanic rocks to Thorne Bay. This secluded little beach has trees providing shade and is a safe place to swim (though not when we visited, as there was a tsunami warning). And don't attempt to cross the rocks at high tide.

Outside the city

Beautiful Waiheke Island (waiheke.co.nz) is a 30-minute boat ride from central Auckland, and is unmissable. Go wine tasting at Mudbrick Vineyard (mudbrick.co.nz), try the olive oil at Rangihoua Estate (rangihoua.co.nz), and treat yourself to lunch at Cable Bay (cablebayvineyards.co.nz) – the wine bar is a cheaper alternative if you can't stretch to the restaurant.

• Tourism New Zealand's Rugby World Cup site is at newzealand.com/rugby. Remaining tickets go on sale on 4 July at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com. The Real New Zealand Festival (realnzfestival.com) will feature more than 1,000 cultural events nationwide during the tournament. Emirates (0844 800277, emirates.com/uk) flies to Auckland daily from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle from £950 return