Wow. South America was fantastic. Kim and I can’t wait to make it back there one day and see more. We were sad to leave and I will definitely miss speaking Spanish all the time, but both of us were very excited to move on to New Zealand! Familiar faces for Kim and new and amazing scenery and fun for me!
We knocked out our longest flight of the trip with ease and made it into Auckland bright and early. One of Kim’s old flatmates, Ben, was there to pick us up and take us to his and his wife‘s Jo’s place for the next couple of nights. It was so nice to be out of the hostels for a bit! A nice comfy bed, cleanliness, privacy…awesome.
We rested up for a couple of hours and then Ben took us for a drive around town. Our first stop was at the “biggest supermarket in the Southern Hemisphere”, Pak n’ Save, for Tim Tam’s, a local treat. Kim has not shut up about these cookies since she returned from here in 2002, and I totally understand why! They are phenomenal. T wo delicious cookies with cream in the middle then covered in chocolate. Milk chocolate, dark, white, whatever you prefer. Wonderful.
Then we went to a beautiful lookout point near his house called the Te Atatu Pennisula, drove over the Harbour Bridge, and then headed into downtown. We went to Doug Robinson MeyerPark, drove down Paratai Drive, home to the most expensive real estate in the city because of the ocean views, and went to Mount Eden, which had a great view of Auckland.
Kim and Ben with city view in the background
Auckland
We then went to meet Jo for a drink after she got off work at a great little bar called Sales Street Bar and then checked out the biggest Les Mills gym in New Zealand. For those of you that aren’t familiar with who/what that is, all of the programs Kim and I have been doing at Gold’s Gym in Austin for the past few years are choreographed and originated here. Afterwards, we took a drive down by the pier and then headed home for some Thai take away and TV.
Jo and me at the bar
Since Ben and Jo were both on holiday for Christmas, they took us around town again the next day. We went to Soljans Winery for a quick drink and then to Muriwai Beach to check out the gannet nests and black sand. After stopping for some ice cream, we headed over to Mission Beach for some beers and delicious green lipped mussels, one of the things New Zealand is known for. Then they took us to the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial for an amazing view of the entire city. Auckland is definitely one of the most beautiful big cities I have ever seen. It is known as the City of Sails because the it has the highest number of sailboats per capita than any other place in the world. The water is the most incredible shades of blue. It’s breathtaking.
The girls at the winery
Muriwai Beach
Gannets
Fooling around on the beach
Black Sand!
On the way to Mission Bay
After a nice day around town, we rested for a bit at the house and then went out for Indian food. Kim has bragged on the amount and quality of the Indian restaurants here due to the large number of immigrants in New Zealand. I was finally getting my chance to see what she was talking about. Ben and Jo took us to their favorite place in town, Chapati. It was unbelievable. The lamb korma literally melted in my mouth. We finished the night off with a few bottles of wine and headed to bed.
We had a scenic 10 hour train ride to Wellington the next morning. Ben and Jo gave us a proper farewell and saw us off at the train station. The were so nice and hospitable. Thanks so much guys! We’ll see you again for a drink our last night in New Zealand!
Jo and Ben, our fabulous Auckland hosts!
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