I am not going to lie about this one. Not only going into New Zealand has been the longest flight I have been on, but it can get a little bumpy. I don’t like flying. I do because I have to. But, I don’t like bumpy. Especially when I am trying to sleep so I can land and start exploring from hour one.
However, I did it. I accomplished my task. I was half way asleep and half way with a bad headache. But the pictures turned out to be great. We had a tight schedule for this trip. I couldn’t afford jet lag. Funny enough, jet lag didn’t leave my side for three days there – and three more when I came back.
Regardless of the feeling, New Zealand welcomed us with an open door. Arriving at Auckland was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had at an airport. No hassle, no lines, no problems at immigration. Just a big smiley face waiting for us to come in and visit their beautiful country. What a perfect way to start.
As we came in around 9 am, the day was supposed to be all ours, and it was. We hurried up, picked up the rental car, took a few breaths and started the drive. And yes, the wheel was on the other side. Not the wrong side. Just the other side. My husband took the car like a pro and had no issues adapting to the new way that he had to drive. The lanes, they were another story. The turns a little confusing, the intersections not great, but the roundabouts: those were fun!
Fortunately, people in New Zealand are patient. They don’t honk, they don’t drive fast. Actually, they are very welcoming to the point in which almost all the traffic signals are reminding tourists to keep left, and all the arrows are painted on the road to indicate the right direction. In New Zealand, yes, they really want to help out! So my husband did it. Within a few turns, he was fully confident, he was already bragging.
Our first stop was the Sky City. We wanted to see Auckland. Within minutes we were up at the top. Not very large crowds, clean windows and the most clear morning view. Beautiful. Auckland city finishing up as blue water overtook the horizon. No tall buildings, modern architecture and a bright deep blue/green contrast that dazzled us.
Once down, we headed toward Aotea Square, where Aotea Center, Town Hall and Queen Street are supposed to come together. Is where the life of Auckland is. Certainly, not during the weekend around noon. But very close. Even though there were no crowds, there was still a small restaurant open in the corner that had live music playing loudly. Not many people listening, but sure enticing. We parked at Civic Car Park, walked around for a few minutes, decided to have a quick picnic lunch and then headed towards the Auckland War Memorial Museum, with its astonishing architecture. Wow!
On our way to Mount Victoria we went through the beautiful Harbor Bridge and then crossed over our final destination. I didn’t feel like walking at all. Even less when I could see that I was parking (in one of the few sports available by the way) and the rest of the remaining way was uphill. How can you not?
Lightheaded and tired from a 15 hour flight, we started to ascend into Mount Victoria. After all, is the highest volcano on Auckland‘s North Shore, rising to 87 m. I must admit, it sounds bad but actually the walk is very short. Just seems forever when you are hot and exhausted. At the end, the view makes you forget all your excuses and all your pains. Breathtaking. Windy, Extremely fresh. How enjoyable. A view to stay. Land and bright blue water behind it all around, 360 Degrees. Clear view, interrupted, magnificent.
After, we did a quick stop at the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park. Very small but very cozy, well taken care of. Beautiful garden around a great piece of architecture. Perfect for family time, perfect for a break during the weekend.
At this point, I was starting to wonder about what we have gotten into. Very pretty place and awesome people. I began suspecting that New Zealand was going to be hidden treasure. I was right. It was a full gem. Our next stop was just going to make it real. Kitekite falls is just a little bite of the paradise we were about to discover.
Kitekite Falls was a short hike (1.8 km) that showed us how well New Zealand takes care of its hiking trails, how much it cares for nature. At the time we went, there was a virus attacking and killing some of the trees, so they we found huge machines and clear instructions to wash well our shoes coming and leaving so we didn’t spread it across the land. The trail was magnificent, the weather top notch and you be the judge of the destination.
Wookitu 