Gateway to Fantasy Land: Auckland, New Zealand

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Hi Everyone!

On February 8th I left Brisbane and flew to Christchurch and then to Auckland. I had paid to check up to 15 kg of luggage so I spent quite a bit of time trying to get my backpack to weigh less than 15 kg. Eventually I put some things in storage in Brisbane (since I am flying back there in March) and I put everything heavy into my day bag to use as a carry on. It is a bit distressing to know that if the airline looses my luggage I wont have any clean underwear or shampoo but I will have my scrapbook, journal, and about 100 postcards.

About three months ago I booked a ticket for a travel company called Kiwi Experience. It is this hop on, hop off bus that takes you to all the major places of interest in New Zealand. They were having a sale at the time and I got my ticket for less than half the price of a current ticket. (I love a good deal!)

I have heard nothing but good things about the Kiwi Experience, though I was reluctant to commit to anything that looks like a group tour. I greatly dislike waiting around for 50 other people. But on the other hand, it is nice not to have to book every individual ticket to and from each place. I don't have to find each hostel because the bus drops you off and picks you up from the hostel. So there are positives and negatives.

I have heard alot about New Zealand from my fellow travelers. The thing I heard most often was that Auckland is boring and the best part about it is leaving. I spent 6 days there and I can't agree. I found Auckland to be quite nice. I guess it is a city like any other cities, and if you don't like traffic and skyscrapers and conveince stores it probably isn't anything special. I thought there was plenty of things to do. Auckland is built on a volcanic plateau. There are several volcanic islands you can visit with a short ferry ride. There is a great Antarctic aquarium, a zoo, a few museums and some nice parks. The only reason I can see for people disliking Auckland is because everywhere else in New Zealand is SOOO much nicer. It has been 2 days since I have left the city and you can immediately see how beautiful the countryside is. There are misty mountains, twisty rivers, bubbling brooks, rolling hills, mysterious caves, beaches with turquoise waters. The mind boggles at how pretty everything is. I guess next to all this a plain old city is just boring.

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