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.

Aitutaki, Cook Islands

April 2010




On our recent trip to visit the MIL and one BIL, we took a side trip to the beautiful Island of Aitutaki. DH and I had thought about visiting Aitutaki as part of our honeymoon in 2007, but we have expensive tastes and decided to go at another time when we could afford it more comfortably!




We stayed at the beautiful Aitutaki Lagoon Resort and Spa in one of their over water bungalows and it did not disappoint. http://www.aitutakilagoonresort.com/

While the resort and surrounding area was beautiful (especially the sunset at the bar), the snorkeling was truly at best in the main lagoon. So on one of our days we took a boat trip with the Aituatki Adventures and their yellow boat! It was a fantastic day Island hopping, snorkeling and of course the wonderful fish BBQ lunch.

So if your visiting the beautiful Cook Islands (which I highly recommend), I suggest spending some time in Aitutaki. While I'd love to say we'll be back when we next visit the family, unfortunately there are 15 Islands all up and I think we'll be visiting Aitu or Mauke.

Raratonga, Cook Islands

April 2010






This was our third trip to the Cook Islands and the beautiful Rarotonga. Our first trip was for our wedding and honeymoon, the second to visit DH's mother and the latest to visit family again.






Rarotonga is defiantly not a large island, nor thankfully is it dominated by tourists and the tourist "culture". It's always wonderful to try a few local restaurants (which there are a number and always of high quality), have a snorkel and have some adventure.






My favourite Cook Island dish is the Ika Mata, a raw fish dish, marinated with coconut milk, vegetables and spices. But the food is always so good no mater what you choose.












This time we tried out the buggy adventures, and the recent rain had made it a bit muddy to say the least!





For a city girl one of the great experiences this trip was the little piggy's that were born. They are so cute and cheeky! Although I can't say we'll be getting any for our backyard in the near future!



Although our next trip is still a little way off, I'm already looking forward to it.

My top 5 recommendation (if I had to)

Once again because i can barely limit myself to 5 let alone classify them they are in no particular order.

1. Aitutaki, Cook Islands. A beautiful island in the South Pacific. We visited after a recent hurricane, and while the devastation was heart breaking the way the people got on with their lives and made sure their neighbours were ok really lightened my heart. DH is Cook Islander so maybe I'm biased, but I think you would truly struggle to find a more beautiful location in the world. Oh, and make sure you try the raw marinated fish, Ika Mata.

2. Singapore. My favourite stop over city, the gateway between Australia and Asia and Australia and Europe. Who can pass up the Chili Crab, a night visit to the zoo or a ride on the MRT. A clean and safe city that is a great first trip into Asia.

3. Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina. I didn't know what to expect of this city, but I was completely taken back by it. It's a little bit of the east, with a little bit of the west. The food is awesome, try some cevapcici (sausages) with Avjar (red pepper paste) and Sopska salad. Wind your way through the city in both day and night to get the contrast with the lights on. Enjoy some sweets of helva and baklava (starting to see a trend?). Once in Sarajevo take a day trip to Mostar.

4. San Antonio, Texas, USA. One of those locations where the food got me, that wonderful boarder town flavour that's hard to find in most American/Mexican restaurants around the country. The atmosphere and the blending of cultures and times are also big draw cards for this city.

5. Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. They always say you put off those places in your own backyard and I still can't believe that I put off the Great Barrier Reef for so long, but our day trip out their was amazing and I've been told that you can go overnight and these are even more spectacular. Even though sections are showing signs of too much human interaction, the underwater beauty is still stunningly so.

This was a struggle, maybe next time I'll have to classify my top 5 by area or "genre" e.g. favourite cities, most unexpected, favourite Islands, favourite outdoors