Auckland

We left ourselves two days to explore New Zealand's largest city. While the country is much more renowned for its outdoors, Auckland is uniquely positioned on an isthmus between the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean (Hauraki Gulf), and offers trendy dining options.

The first order of business was finding new black sandals. There was a cruise ship in port for the day making the streets extra crowded. After 2 hours up and down the main Queen Street, we finally proclaimed victory. Next up, we took a stroll into the North Wharf / Viaduct Harbor neighborhood. The waterfront area is pretty nice and we were fortunate to have nice weather. We stopped at a few beer gardens on the way and then headed back to the hotel.

Dinner that night doubled as Nico's birthday dinner. We had reservations at an upscale restaurant, The Grove. We started with 4 small snacks that were very creative and flavorful - a good sign for the rest of the meal. We chose the four course tasting menu and supplemented our meal with one of the offered specials (fresh fish). We thoroughly enjoyed all courses, particularly the special.

The next morning, we brunched in the Parnell neighborhood, and then took a long walk through the Auckland Domain which is home to several forest paths, nurseries and a museum.

The city is definitely worth a few days on the trip. The time from Christmas to New Year is pretty quiet as many people leave town and shops close down.Read more