Auckland is Awesome

My recent trip to New Zealand included more than just Hobbiton (although that is definitely a highlight). We spent a few days in Auckland after Brisbane.

This is my second trip to Auckland. The first trip was over a decade ago so the details were hazy but I remembered I liked it. I wasn't such a foodie back then so I don't know if the food scene has come a long way or it was always good and I'm better at finding things now. Regardless, the food in Auckland is amazing. The city itself is beautiful. It's in the northern tip of New Zealand, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea.

There are multiple direct flights from the west coast to Auckland. We flew to Auckland from Brisbane but we flew back home from Auckland. From the US, you need to get a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority to travel there. You download the app, fill out the application, scan your passport and take a selfie. The fee is $17. It's pretty simple. It says it can take up to 72 hours to process so definitely do it before you take off.

We went at the beginning of December so it was summer. The weather was definitely cooler than the scorching heat of Brisbane. It was humid, windy, and overcast when we got there. It rained really heavily one day and it was sunny the next day. Bring sunblock and an umbrella.

Our hotel was next to the Ferry Terminal and the Viaduct Harbour which is in the Waitemata Harbour. It was a great location. We had dinner nearby at Hello Beasty which was Asian fusion. We had the roasted hapuka, burrata with the scallion flatbread, prawn and crab toast, and butternut shitake wontons. It was delicious!

We had breakfast included at the hotel. You can order your entrees but they had buffet set out with cereals, breads, pastries, fruits, and veggies. The food was pretty good. Here's all the breakfasts we had.

We took the ferry to nearby Davenport. It was a lovely ride.

We walked over to the North Head Historic Reserve. It's an old military post so you can explore the old bunkers. It's an easy hike to the top. There's a "disappearing gun" at the top with stunning views of the water. You can get a perfect view of the Auckland skyline too.

It started to pour when we got back to the ferry. So we hung out at the hotel, watching the rain.

When the rain stopped, we went to grab coffee. The coffee in Auckland is excellent.

We wandered around the Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Quarter.

For dinner, we got Japanese food from this little stand in the train station called EKIBEN. My sister picked this and I was skeptical. But it was SO GOOD. The sushi was fresh, the noodles were chewy. The dessert was a scoop cake which is pound cake with cream and toppings. We got the matcha azuki walnut. It was mind blowing good.

The next day was spent in the Shire in Middle Earth. (See last post if interested.) When we got back, we ate dinner at Advieh which is the Mediterranean restaurant inside of our hotel. We had the Turkish pide (bread), scampi and crayfish kataifi, roasted eggplant, hummus made from edamame, and a couple of others things that I can't remember. It was interesting, a little different from the Mediterranean food we get at home.