Paihia and Auckland, New Zealand - Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand
We landed in Auckland late afternoon after our short flight. The weather was not as hot as Fiji but still warm at 24 degrees. One of the first things we noticed about Auckland was how similar to England it was - the roads, buildings, cars and shops. After resting for one night in Auckland we headed North to a town called Paihia, the town was one of the closest to the Bay of Islands - a group of over 20 Islands in North New Zealand. We had booked an all day cruise around the Bay of Islands, the area is known as the birthplace of New Zealand as it is the first place James Cook landed when he discovered New Zealand back in the 1800's. The cruise was really enjoyable and we learnt a lot about the history of New Zealand. The Islands are now either owned by the government or they are owned privately - we were able to have lunch on one of the Islands and the views were gorgeous with warm sunshine and crystal clear water surrounding us. One of the most iconic islands in the Bay of Islands is The Hole in the Rock - a rock formation where the water has eroded the middle away creating a hole, the ocean here was very rough so you can appreciate how the hole was formed over thousands of years. The Bay is also home to various marine life and we were fortunate to see 2 pods of bottle nosed dolphins including a 5 day old baby. The next morning we made our way back to discover Auckland. We arrived in Auckland at the same time as Santa Claus - the annual Christmas parade was happening down the road from our hotel where thousands of families lined the streets to see the big man. Our sightseeing time was somewhatlimited but the atmosphere was great although it was strange witnessing a Christmas parade wearing shorts and sandals. Auckland is a cosmopolitan city with it's main shopping hub in the business district which shares it's space with the iconic sky tower, the tallest structure in Aucklands skyline. We spent the afternoon walking around an affluent area called Ponsonby with high end bars, restaurants and shops and then back into the central business district where we enjoyed a delicious Thai meal. There are many Asian immigrants in Auckland so there is plenty of food varieties including Korean, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Japanese and Indian. We spent the evening at the cinema and rested up ready for our drive to Rotorua in the morning. After our whistle stop tour in Auckland we headed South to Rotorua - a city sitting in a volcanic crater and one that apparently smells of rotten eggs. Xxxxxxx