Kia Ora! From Auckland, New Zealand
We arrived in Auckland, New Zealand after a little over 3 hour flight from Sydney. It was almost midnight when we arrived so the airport was quiet, which made getting our bags quick and painless. We found a cab out front and off we went to our final stay of the trip! How bittersweet!
Where We Stayed
We are staying at the Waldorf Stadium Apartments Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand which is close to the city center and the harbor. It was a little difficult finding a place to stay within our budget so we had assumed that everything here would be slightly more expensive than average, or New Zealand is just a poppin off place. We lucked out finding this gem. We found a 2 bedroom apartment for a little over $100 (US) a night. The apartment was really nice. Full size kitchen, living room, big ol’ bathroom, bedrooms were big with plenty of storage, and a huge balcony! Oh, and a washer and dryer! I wish we were staying here a little longer than 2 nights.
By this part of the trip, we were hurting. Tired is an understatement, and also feeling like a cold was coming on, we decided to take it easy these next few days. As in, we’ll take it easy while trying to see as much as we can. We slept in the next day, which is so unlike us on this trip!
The next day we woke up and found a cute little coffee place next door to the hotel that still had a few bagels left. We sat outside and ate, enjoying the cool weather. It felt perfect in the sun. We walked around towards the harbor, stopping in and out of souvenir shops that had some very interesting displays. Knowing tomorrow we would be “hitting the pavement”, we didn’t linger long. Wanting to get some comfort food and head back to our little apartment to call it an early night.
Queens Street, Auckland New Zealand
The next morning we were off. We headed to Queens Street, which is known for its high end shopping. The streets here are extremely clean, and the buildings are tall and pristine. There were a lot of people out, everyone very well dressed.
We stopped at a cute, laid back vibey place called The Coffee Club and grabbed some much needed food. They had the best avocado toast I’ve had in a long time! They also had these loaded fries on the menu that we just couldn’t say no to. I mean, it was almost lunch time.
Make Sure You Check Out the Bathrooms in Auckland,NewZealand
After refueling we strolled down the street heading towards the harbor. They have the most amazing public bathrooms we’ve ever seen. It almost looked like elevator doors lined up on the sidewalk. Big metal sliding doors and buttons you pushed on the outside to open the doors. Talk about ultimate privacy! They were so clean inside, complete with sink, soap, towels. It was great! Honestly a great bathroom experience. Go New Zealand!
Quay Street
We made our way back towards Quay Street which is along the water and where the port is. It is also the northernmost street in Auckland, New Zealand. The Auckland Ferry Terminal is located here which takes passengers to local islands located within Waitemata Harbour. We strolled along the piers, flitting in and out of local stores, and obviously on the search for some food.
We found a restaurant that looked like it had just opened. There was one little table for 2 sitting outside, so we decided to take it. It was pretty chilly out and quite breezy, but it was a beautiful setting. The sky was turning beautiful colors, the sounds of the water and the birds were so relaxing. We ordered a few drinks and some appetizers and just enjoyed being there. They offered kangaroo loin on the menu, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to order it. Maybe next time.
Try the Pavlova!
The last thing we ordered was the perfect send off for this trip. We asked the server for his recommendation on the best dessert, and he delivered. He brought us their signature Pavlova. If you don’t know what this is, then run, don’t walk! Go find out now. Right now. It was perfection. Light airy meringue, filled with a light orange cream and fresh berry sauce. We died. And went straight to the golden gates. I think I have over 100 pictures of this dessert on my phone, and cannot bring myself to delete any of them. What is wrong with me?
After the sunset, we made our way back towards town. The Sky Tower all lit up, towering over Auckland, seemingly calling out to us to come closer. We cruised the streets for a little bit, picking up last minute souvenirs along the way. Auckland has quite the night life. There were so many people out! The sidewalks were packed, every store was filled, and every restaurant had a line of people. Come to find out it was New Zealand Fashion Week, and we were staying in the heart of it! Man, was I severely underdressed for the occasion.
We woke up early the next day and headed back to the airport. The Auckland Airport had the most amazing “brekkie” at a McDonald’s we’ve ever had. They had this sausage egg breakfast burger thing that was so amazing, and this sauce on it? I don’t even know what it was, but it made this sandwich. Why doesn’t our McD’s have all these cool things?!
Goodbye World
It is a long, extremely long, flight home. So many feelings. I think I experienced every emotion possible on the flight home. I can’t believe it’s over, and I can’t believe we did it in the first place! What an experience that was. It changed us, for the better. Traveling has helped open our minds. We’ve learned so much about so much. Make sense? I hope to one day travel back to some/most of these places with my family or my friends. To share these places with the people I love the most, would be the most rewarding. And I hope, if you’ve read my ramblings on, that maybe you got a little inspired to travel yourself. If you do, let me know. I’d love to hear your experience.
