Exploring Auckland, New Zealand

This post kicks off my New Zealand travel series. Auckland is the city where my two week New Zealand adventure began and ended. We spent the first and last day in New Zealand exploring and relaxing in Auckland.

New Zealand is a small country, with a population of around 4.7 million people. Auckland is the biggest and most populated city at around 1.5 million people. Auckland is commonly known as the “City of Sails” because of the hundreds of sail boats sprinkled around the harbour. The Maori people’s Polynesian ancestors are thought to have discovered and settled in New Zealand long before it was discovered by Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer.  It was nice to see the Maori people and their culture celebrated and integrated into New Zealand life. From Maori TV channels, cultural villages promoting the Maori traditions and doing the haka (war dance) at school.

We landed in Auckland in the early hours of Sunday morning. After grabbing a quick breakfast at the airport, we picked up our hire car and headed into the city. It was a rainy and gloomy for most of the day. In the short time I spent in Auckland, I found it to be a beautiful modern harbour side city. It consist of mostly modern architecture, with some sprinkle of colonial style buildings around the place. With the limited time we didn’t get to explore the surround areas, known for wine and outdoor activities.

After resting at our hotel for the morning, we walked down the Queen Street, which is one of the main streets in the city, towards Queens wharf and Wynyard Quarter.

We spent some time walking around Aotea Square where there was a statue of Lord Auckland (The Earl whom the city was named after). The Auckland Town Hall is one of the examples of colonial architecture that remains in the city. In the distance we could see Sky Tower. We didn’t get a chance to visit, but it’s a popular tourist attraction. You can dine with stunning views of the city, head to the top of the observatory for city views or bungy jump out of the building.

We had some hotdogs for lunch at Dogmatic and enjoyed some unique and creative gelato at Giapo Haute Ice Cream. The lines at the gelato shop was massive, we figured it must be good if it was that busy. The line moved quickly and it’s definitely worth a try if you’re ever in Auckland.

All in all, it was a great way to settle into the relaxed New Zealand lifestyle. Next up will be our next stop on our road trip, Rotarua.

Thanks for stopping by today.

J.