Welcome to Auckland!
Just north of New Zealand’s North Island is the city of Auckland with its two harbours, an impressive bridge, a Sky Tower, numerous beaches, and an array of volcanic centres that are scattered across the city - 53 to be precise. Auckland has a population of around 1.5 million and weather that can change rapidly throughout the day. This beautiful city has so much to offer and is certainly not to be missed on your trip to New Zealand.
New Zealand and Japan were two places I was due to jet off to before the pandemic struck, and so subsequently both trips had to be cancelled – well, just postponed really. So, anyway, last year I managed to catch up on my Japan trip, and now I have managed to do my New Zealand trip. My daughter is currently halfway through a twelve-month year living and working in Sydney and is loving every minute of it! So, it was the perfect opportunity for her to meet me out in New Zealand and enjoy the experience with me, as well as having the opportunity for a great mother/daughter catch-up.
A long 23-hour journey from Manchester to Auckland, via Doha, left me extremely tired when I arrived in New Zealand in the early hours of the morning. I also had to fill in a lengthy arrival form at the airport when I thought I had escaped anything like that by having the visitor’s visa! On arrival at my hotel, I decided it was time for a bit of a nap since I hadn’t managed to sleep well on the journey. It certainly helped, as I then felt refreshed after my shower and was able to do a bit of exploring with my daughter when she arrived in the afternoon. The hotel was well located in the town and literally right next door to the Auckland Sky Tower.
My first full day in Auckland was quite windy to say the least, and my walk around the centre of Auckland and down to the harbour areas consisted of grey skies and me trying to stop myself from getting blown away! The centre of Auckland is walkable, so you can get out and about without the need for a car or the use of public transport unless you want to go further out – apparently, they are in the middle of constructing an underground train system, so there is subsequently some construction work going on around parts of the city. The underground construction is apparently due to complete late 2025. The city has many of the usual sights expected of a big city, such as impressive skyscrapers, a slick business area, shops, restaurants, and cafes.
After a good wander around to try and get my barings, it was time to escape the wild breeze for a while and have a coffee so that I could plan the rest of the day. I ended up booking a late afternoon visit to the ‘All Blacks Experience’, which luckily just had enough places left to accommodate us, and an evening visit to the Sky Tower.
You really can’t visit New Zealand without experiencing the country’s number one sport of rugby, and even though I’m not a big rugby enthusiast, I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘All Blacks Experience’ and was glad that my daughter had suggested it. The experience is suitable for all ages and lasts for 90 minutes. You get a good insight into the lives of the team members and find out what has made the team so successful over the years. You also get the opportunity to get involved through the interactive section of the tour where you can put your skills to the test! At the end of the tour, you’ll get chance to watch the legendary ‘Haka’ being chanted on the big screen before spending lots of money in the gift shop!
After that memorable trip, it was time to go up the Sky Tower, but unfortunately the weather had taken a turn for the worst with even stronger winds getting up and rain arriving – a bit like being back in Manchester in the UK. So, the Tower was closed for the evening, and so we would have to return another day. The weather that evening was terrible, and the wind really rattled around the hotel. I had opened my window the day before and had forgotten to close it, so I was relieved to find it still intact the following morning.
