Blog #4 Auckland and Waiheke Island, New Zealand

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Hey Everyone! Hope all is well! We made it to New Zealand, an easy 3 1/2 hour flight from Cook Islands. Here is New Zealand we are 23 hours ahead of Saskatchewan and we basically skipped a day when we crossed The International Date Line on our way.

We had a great 3 days in Auckland (population 1.4 million) especially strolling along the vibrant harbour with all the cafes, restaurants, shops and ships coming and going. We really enjoyed the fresh oysters and mussels that were readily available.

We noticed there is a strong English influence in Auckland with street names, english pubs, and hotels. We stayed at The Shakespeare Hotel and Brewery which was full of english decor and furniture to replica the Shakespearian age. The location was great being only 2 blocks from the harbour. We also noticed many Asian people in the city centre and interestingly enough lots of young Irish people here on a one year working visa. According to some of the waitors and waitresses we talked to things are not good economically in Ireland. They appreciate the opportunity to work in New Zealand for a year.

We did a 3 hour self guided walking tour of the city and hit the hot spots, art galleries, museums, shopping lanes and historical pubs! One of the most enjoyable pastimes for us in a big city is to find a little cafe or bar and people watch!

On day two we took the 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland Harbour to the island of Waiheke. We did the hop on hop off bus and visited wineries, beaches, shops, cafes and walking trails. A lovely island with a population of 9000 and very expensive real estate!

We had been told that Auckland can be a bit iffy weather wise with a chance of cloud, rain and cooler temperatures but we seemed to luck out. The first two days were warm and sunny around 26 degrees. Day three was cloudy but sill great for our walking tour.

We expected New Zealand to be quite expensive but it didn't seem much different than at home. Groceries were maybe a bit more but restaurant meals seemed about the same. However still expensive compared to many of the places we have travelled! We are really enjoying the many craft beers available here. A pint or a glass of wine is around $8 so I guess it's similar to Canada.

Next stop, Waitomo Caves! Thanks for reading.

Malllory and Warren

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Photos

Replica of Moses by Michelangelo
Found in one of the parks in Auckalnd

Our hotel, The Shakespeare
A fantastic hotel!