Working from Auckland - What did we miss?

Sadly my time working in Auckland, NZ came to an end earlier this year. If you followed my blog for the past two years, you would have noticed that we made the most of this to explore the North Island from Auckland as a base.

We managed to see a fair bit - including a number of World Cup Rugby games, Bay of Islands, Waiheke Island, Coromandal, Mount Maunganui, White Island, Rotarua, Waitamo Caves, Taupo and of course Auckland itself. But there's a few places we had on our list that we just didn't get to.

1. Tane Mahuta - the giant Kauri, found in Northland in the Waipoua. Ever since seeing General Sherman in Kings Canyon we have been obsessed with big trees

2. Wellington - this would have been a short flight from Auckland, but the Te Papa museum and the vibrant city itself are a big attraction

3. Napier - although I think we'd prefer to visit this art deco city during the Art Deco Weekend in February each year

4. Taranaki - the place where you can surf and ski in the same day, Mt Taranaki in New Plymouth is just one of those things you have to see

I'm sure there are plenty of other places that we didn't visit, that's the problem with NZ, you can never see everything, but if I'd had six more months, we would have definitely crossed the above off our list.

Weekend in Auckland: Gearing up for the RWC

August 2011

So to cut down on my Sunday work travel (and really who needs an excuse to stay in Auckland for the rugby?), DH flew over to visit for the weekend. We didn't do a whole lot of touristy things, having done a lot of them before, and our main focus was the All Blacks v. Wallabies game. Some would say we (the Wallabies) got hammered, and yes at one stage I was a bit worried that it would be a one sided game, but I have to say it was enjoyable and the 30 to 14 scoreline wasn't all that bad.

Even though Eden Park wasn't at it's new capacity, it was still packed, and it's a bit different from the games in Sydney, where there's a 50/50 supporter split, I seemed to be the only one cheering when the Wallabies scored. I would question how "world cup" ready Auckland really are in terms of transport. No Kiwi wants to hear, talk to the Aussies about how they do it, but really they could learn a thing or two from the SCG and Bruce Stadium (comparing it to Homebush would be unfair, we did build that one fit for purpose). Having said that, I am excited about the 2 games we managed to get tickets to.

To do
Check out my last Auckland post for the basics here
Also check out my Waiheke Island post here

Davonport and North Head

One Tree Hill and Cornwell Park

Eat

Love a Duck - Hong Kong Chinese at it's best

Lord Nelson - love the Caper and Blue Cheese Steak

Shaky Isles - great breakfast and coffee in town

Daikoku Britomart - The best fresh, handmade Ramen I've had

Manuka Cafe Davenport - the ratings online aren't that good, but I would go back, we had the muscle fritters

Tauranga and White Island, New Zealand

May 2011

We took the 3 hour drive from Auckland to Tauranga, where we stopped for dinner at Horny Bull's along The Stand which is a street along the harbour with restaurants and bars, before heading to Papamoa Beach to check into our room at the Casa Del Mare.

The next morning we were up early for our 1 hour drive south along the coast to Whakatane to take our boat trip to White Island, New Zealands most active volcano. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the boat trip of 1 hr 40 minutes went smoothly. Once landed we were split into small groups and given a guided informative tour of the island stopping at various points for photos and overall spending 2 hours on the Island.

After boarding the boat again, we had a "light" lunch and saw the rest of the island via boat, before heading back to port. Along the way we came across a pod of dolphins (about 50 odd) playing in the water.

Once back at Whakatane we headed back to Papamoa beach and the B&B, stopping at Kiwi360, which is a kiwi fruit farm, which during the day has tours of the working farm (it was too late for us).

That night we had a pub dinner at The Boulevard, lamb shank for DH and ribs for me, before heading back to our room.

Stay
Casa Del Mare B&B, Papamoa Beach - we stayed in the Paris room, but had the whole area to ourselves as there wasn't anyone in the Rome room

Eat
Horny Bull, Taurunga - a steak place, although DH and I didn't have steak, although the beef salad and the pork were good!

The Boulevard, Papamoa Beach - a local pub, with large, hearty meals

See
White Island Tours, Whakatane - a great tour, a little bit $$$, but nothing like the helicopter tours, which is the only other option to get on the island

Kiwi 360, Te Puke

Mount Maunganui, New Zealand

May 2011

After a late cooked breakfast at the B&B, we took the short drive to Mount Maunganui. From here we took the 3.8 km (return), 235 m ascent to the summit of Mount Maunganui. It's a difficult, steep climb but well worth it for the view.

After walking down, we stopped for lunch at The Oceanside cafe, where I had the lamb burger and DH had the fish and chips. Before taking the trip back to Auckland.

Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand

February 2011

Since I've been working in Auckland this has been on the "to do list", it's mainly because it's been highly recommended by all the local Aucklanders I've been working with.

We started the day by catching the Fullers Ferry from Auckland, which is about 40 minutes and we had a beautiful day for it.

Once on Waiheke, you can do tours, catch the local bus, hire a car or do what we do and take the Hop on Hop off bus (buy it when you get your ferry ticket at Auckland). The Island Hopper was a great way to get around. There's three loops and we took the bus on all of them, stopping at the points we felt like, it was a great way to spend the day.

Our first stop was the Azzuro Groves , after trying some of the olive oil and checking out the cute Alpacas we took the short 5 minute walk to Te Whau Vineyard, which had awsome views and would be a great place for lunch (almost every table had a reserve sign on it).

We got back on the bus and headed to Mud Brick for lunch. We thought about eating in the restaurant, but decided to try one of the platters at the Cellar Door instead. It was a beautiful day and the view from Mudbrick is stunning.

We then caught the bus around the Bottom-End Loop, stopping only to check out the view from Trig Hill  and View East (you can tell we love the new panoramic function on the camera!).

We then caught the bus back to Onetangi Beach and walked down Seventh Avenue.

We finished the day by walking back from Oneroa Village to the ferry terminal.

A weekend in Auckland

Auckland

March 2010

On one of our many trips to Auckland this year, due to me being based there for work, we decided to spend the weekend in Auckland. We had a very busy couple of days, and even managed to throw in a rugby game (Brumbies vs. Blues) at Eden Park!

So what is there to do?

1. Auckland Tower

With stunning views of Auckland and beyond it's a great place to get your bearings and appreciate how many volcano cones are in the city.

2. Viaduct

A great place to view the sailing ships and to grab a meal, especially in the summer months.

3. Kelly Tarltons Aquarium
Built in an old treatment plant, the aquarium is small but has a great penguin exhibit.

4. Mt Rangitoto
We did the tour to the top, due to being short on time, only having to walk the final step component and it was great to get running commentary on the history of the Island.

5. Mission Bay

The drive from Auckland around to Mission Bay is stunning, and a great place to stop and people watch in one of the many cafes.

6. Parnell
Full of quait stores, cafes and restaurants, it's a great place to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.

7. Piha Beach
A short drive from Auckland, this famous surfing beach is great to take in Lion rock.

8. Waitakere Estate High Tea
I wasn't overly impressed with the high tea, as the estate is quite aged and would be the one activity I would substitute or skip if I had to re-do our weekend.

Bay of Islands

February 2010

The beautiful Bay of Islands. Located north of Auckland on New Zealand's North Island is a beautiful and interesting part of the world. Who knew you could find out so much about New Zealand in one location?


When driving north from Auckland make sure you stop at Kawakawa, at the Hundertwasser toilets. These are designed by the Austrian born artist and are the only Hundertwasser structure in the Southern Hemisphere. The name mean nothing to you? It's still worth the 1 minute detour to take a look.






Once you reach the Bay of Islands area, take either the passenger ferry or the car ferry to the

township of Russell. This town is full of local history, a beautiful area and plenty of nice places to sit and enjoy the water view.














For something to view on your afternoon boat trip, the Hole in the rock as it is known, is a beautiful sight. Depending on the weather, some boats actually pass through from one side of the rock to the other. There are many options from the jet boat, to your typical cruise boat.











A trip to the Bay of Islands is not complete without a visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The Waitangi treaty is an interesting part of recent New Zealand history, but the grounds are gorgeous. For a true Maori experience make sure you check out the intricate carvings in the meeting house. DH was particularly fond of the Wakas (canoes - small ones shown).







On the Saturday night we took a cruise on the river on Darryl's Dinner Cruise, which takes you down the river to the Harura Falls. Personally I think this is a wonderful distraction while they prepare your meal.










The Bay of Islands is definitely a must stop location for your visit to the north island.