After a three hour flight we arrived in Auckland on Friday afternoon and had to quickly adjust to a new temperature. New Zealand is entering its winter and, unlike Fiji, NZ's temp actually changes each season. After taking care of some outgoing flight arrangements, we headed out of the airport and pulled out our warmer layers. NZ is set up perfectly for tourists and there are a lot of cheap options available for transport to the city centre. We hopped the AirBus and took a quick 20 minute ride to our hostel (booked from LA) called the Surf & Ski. We had no problem checking in and the facility provided access to laundry machines (greatly needed after the beach and frequent bug spray applications), a full kitchen, travel services, Internet access, and a welcoming double bed. We felt like we had been out of touch for so long so were excited about each of these amenities. We planned to use two days in Auckland as a place to check in with family, update the blog and make some travel arrangements for the weeks to come.
Our first evening in Auckland we spent strolling around downtown and orienting ourselves to the city. Auckland has a very cosmopolitan and European feel and we easily fell into window shopping, cafe hopping, and people watching. This was also our first introduction to 'Extreme NZ' as we found various options for testing our spirit of adventure. Within a one block radius of our hostel we had the option of free falling 500 feet from a giant swing or throwing ourselves over 300 meters off the top of the Sky Tower (highest needle on the globe). We decided to lay low, however, and save up our adrenaline rush for a little later in the trip.
The next day morning in Auckland we went to a great cafe called Vulcan for breakfast. The rst of the day was spent taking care of items back home and making arrangements for the rest of our stay in NZ. After MUCH investigation and deliberation we decided to rent a camper van in order to explore the rest of the country. Again, NZ is designed for tourists so there were a lot of options including packaged tours, back packer buses, a NZ version of Greyhound and others. In the end, we decided that we wanted as much flexibility and freedom as possible and the camper van would allow us to see as much of the country in the time that we have available. The camper vans also come fully stocked with a stove, fridge, heater, bed for two, linens, pots and pans and a few other camping necessities. The van will help cut costs as it can also serve as our accommodation.
After making our van decision and reservation we used our time in Auckland to explore more of the city. Auckland enjoys a tremendous harbour area lined with restaurants and a port full of sailing boats. Weekend nights are 'happening' in this area with numerous bars and cafes to sample any of NZ's excellent wines or beers. We had a nice meal on the water before turning in early for our early morning van pick up and the starts of our second road trip!
Our first evening in Auckland we spent strolling around downtown and orienting ourselves to the city. Auckland has a very cosmopolitan and European feel and we easily fell into window shopping, cafe hopping, and people watching. This was also our first introduction to 'Extreme NZ' as we found various options for testing our spirit of adventure. Within a one block radius of our hostel we had the option of free falling 500 feet from a giant swing or throwing ourselves over 300 meters off the top of the Sky Tower (highest needle on the globe). We decided to lay low, however, and save up our adrenaline rush for a little later in the trip.
The next day morning in Auckland we went to a great cafe called Vulcan for breakfast. The rst of the day was spent taking care of items back home and making arrangements for the rest of our stay in NZ. After MUCH investigation and deliberation we decided to rent a camper van in order to explore the rest of the country. Again, NZ is designed for tourists so there were a lot of options including packaged tours, back packer buses, a NZ version of Greyhound and others. In the end, we decided that we wanted as much flexibility and freedom as possible and the camper van would allow us to see as much of the country in the time that we have available. The camper vans also come fully stocked with a stove, fridge, heater, bed for two, linens, pots and pans and a few other camping necessities. The van will help cut costs as it can also serve as our accommodation.After making our van decision and reservation we used our time in Auckland to explore more of the city. Auckland enjoys a tremendous harbour area lined with restaurants and a port full of sailing boats. Weekend nights are 'happening' in this area with numerous bars and cafes to sample any of NZ's excellent wines or beers. We had a nice meal on the water before turning in early for our early morning van pick up and the starts of our second road trip!
1 comment:
Sounds like the two of you are having a grea time. Matty, wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Wish we were there with you. Love you guys. ~ Gretch, Ben, & Britt
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