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Here you’ll find travel reports about Auckland. Discover travel destinations in New Zealand of travelers writing a travel blog on FindPenguins.

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  • Izzi and TomTravels
    Day70

    Day 70/72: Goodbye Van

     January 5 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We woke up in our van for the last time, and got the last of the things put away. Mended the velcro window blinds, and tried to give away a variety of things from crackers to an umbrella! It didn't take long, and soon we were on our last drive. We were mega early so stopped off for some great brunch in a quirky cafe (pulled pork eggs benedict, and a full English style thing with slow poached eggs (45 mins at 65°C apparently?!).

    We then drove to the Britz drop off, and said a sad farewell to the campvan, with vows that we were going to get one in the future. We'd done 6838km in total, and enjoyed every single one of them.

    The flight was still 3 hours away, and the airport transfer didn't take long, so we had a while to wait at the airport for the flight to Auckland. It was all very painless, and our bags went through okay, stuffed to the brim as they were! We got to Auckland and went back to the hostel we were at before. It was so strange being back there again, being in bunk beds and having people crashing around. We sat in the gloriously sunny park for a while, wondering what on earth we were going to do with over 24 hours in a city that we'd exhausted at the start of the trip! We went out for some lovely That's Amore pizza for dinner and went for an evening run in the park. It had all gone so quickly, we couldn't believe we were back already, but felt like ages since anything had happened. Time flies when you're having fun, and oh boy we had the time of out lives.    Read more

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  • Izzi and TomTravels
    Day33

    Day 33/72: A day in Auckland

     November 29, 2018 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After the events of the night before, we managed to get into the hostel and sleep at about 0400! Blimey we were tired, and ended up crashing until about midday! We decided to head out for some lunch, which was more of a breakfast anyway, lots of eggs and bacon.

    After breakfast, we headed to one of the cities parks to sit and plan some of what we were going to do in NZ. This was a great idea as the park was lovely and felt/smelled very British. We sat in the sun and moved quickly to the shade as it was a very hot day. We planned our 10 or so days in the North Island, before planning where we were going to stay over Christmas and NY. Everywhere around Queenstown was booked, and after ringing around, we got some advice. The site receptionist said "right, I can hear you're not from here so let me tell you how the Christmas thing works. Through the year we limit our site to 100 guests. Over Christmas and NY, ie the NZ summer holidays, we have over 5000 Kiwi's decend on our site alone, and spend it there with their friends and families. If I can give you any advice, get out of the most popular areas, you'll be swamped by people if you try and stay in these places, and tbh most of them will be booked up months in advance" (she was right). "If I were you, book somewhere quiet with fantastic scenery inbetween the coast and the city, so you can still move around, but enjoy Christmas at the same time!" Strong words, but we took heed and hopefully it'll pay off!

    Feeling much better after having some structure to the next couple of weeks, we headed down the main street looking in shops and generally taking in the city. We wandered down to the harbour and had a look at what day trips Auckland had to offer. We were enticed by the whale watching safari, something we were both really keen to do, so booked that for the following day (writing this in retrospect, it was sadly cancelled due to weather conditions, but not to worry, we have something planned for later in the trip!). We then headed back to the hostel, a strange place where the reception and pool/table tennis area is occupied by loads of people, not just hostel guests. We had a few games of pool, then trash talk turned to bowling so we went up the road and had a game. Interestingly enough in NZ, the barriers can only be raised for under 12's no matter how hard you protest, which put Izzi at a great disadvantage.

    After the bowling, we headed for dinner and came across a very small pizza place, tucked away in a corner. They served brilliant pizzas though, and we enjoyed an extra cheesy margarita and a carbonara pizza, they were lovely. We then headed back to the hostel and played another couple of games of pool to finish off the day.    Read more

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  • Izzi and TomTravels
    Day37

    Day 37/72: Hot Water Beach/Cathedral Cov

     December 3, 2018 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    The rain was on its way out as we got up and breakfasted this morning. An exciting day was ahead! The plan was to go to Hot Water Beach in the morning, head over to Cathedral Cove, and then drive to Raglan for a day of surfing the next day.

    Hot Water Beach was brilliant, and we're so glad we went all this way to see it. We arrived and parked up, rented a little spade and headed for the beach. At low tide, there in an area on this beach, which must be a couple of hundred metres long, where hot springs bubble up through the sand. This only happens in an area of about 40x20m and some areas are much hotter than others. You'd step on one bit of sand, cool under your feet, and then the next stride you'd jump in shock as you scalded the bottom of your foot! We found an area not currently occupied and dug our waterhole, mixing an area of very hot water and cold water. It created a nice bath like temperature and we settled down, watching the sea and taking photos, laughing with everyone else at how bizzare this experience was and trying not to rest our heels in the boiling part of our hole. As the tide came up, the water got cooler and we abandoned our morning bath. As we handed back the spade, the cafe owner said that today was a great day for it, as there was only 30 people or so in the area. On some days, if the tide falls at a popular time, the beach is known to have thousands of visitors in one tide, all crowding around this small area of sand. Very pleased, we went on our way to Cathedral Cove.

    Cathedral Cove is a beach with a huge rock archway leading to another beach, all in a cove. Its very impressive and we got the impression that you could only really get there by boat or kayak. As the water was choppy, neither were running but we found out you could do a few hour round walk and get there along the coast. We prepped with suncream and a couple of cheese toasties, and walked along the cliffs, admiring the scenery and jumping at goats that stuck their heads out of the bushes on the sides of the track. The cove was impressive, with huge waves crashing on the sand and against the rocks that stood resolutely in the middle of the bay. We walked along the sand, taking photos, walking through the archway and being blasted by wind and salt off the sea. It looked like a beach you might see someone stranded on, on a large desert island. The walk back was just as enjoyable and by mid afternoon we were back and ready to drive to Raglan.

    The drive was easy and apart from a landslide that blocked the road we were on, high above a raging river, very safe. The driving was just as good as the day before and we saw the best rainbows of our lives, so clear! We arrived at Raglan and booked to have a surf session the next day. We again were situated right next to the sea so went for a walk along the black sand beach past people fishing and a woman playing the diggerydoo as the sun fell over the land. We made tortellini for dinner, and as it started to drizzle (learning more and more not to predict NZ weather) we got ready for bed with Buble's Christmas album playing through the van.    Read more

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  • Izzi and TomTravels
    Day34

    Day 34/72: another day in Auckland

     November 30, 2018 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We woke up to our whale watching trip having been cancelled due to the weather, which was drizzly and windy and cloudy- probably fair enough to cancel the trip. We spent the morning sat with the person on the travel desk at the hostel discussing what we could do around New Zealand- some very exciting activities planned now!

    For lunch we got bacon and cheese pancakes from a Korean pancake stall- absolutely incredible, and ate them in the park. We window shopped for a bit along the expensive highstreet, and thought about buying jumpers and hoodies, as we aren't packed particularly well for rain and cold...

    We both got quite restless so decided to go for a run through the parks and up to Mount Eden- a dormant volcano just outside the city centre. The views were incredible, if slightly foggy.

    Auckland have a system kind of like Boris bikes in London where you can pick up an electric scooter and unlock it with an app and drop it off anywhere by the side of the road for the next person who comes across it, so instead of running all the way back home we hopped on 2 scooters and rode back down the hills.

    We went out for a nice pasta meal for dinner and finished the evening with tiramisu. Unfortunately when we got back to the hostel a girl decided to start throwing mattresses around and swearing at everyone because she didn't want a top bunk but it was the only one without someone sleeping in it... It was about 2 in the morning when a different guy came in and asked why she had put his bed on the floor, so she found another room!

    Looking forward to not being in a hostel tomorrow as we are picking up our campervan!    Read more

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  • imagepensioniertenreisli
    Day77

    Auckland

     January 3 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Hier ist Sommer! Aber nach dem badewannenwarmen Wasser in Myanmar ist mir das Wasser im Meer viel zu kalt zum Baden! In der Bucht, wo ich barfuss die x km spazierte, soll es auch Pinguine geben - leider habe ich keine gesehen.
    Es gibt in dieser Stadt etliche Angebote für den Nervenkitzel: Man kann sich z.B. vom höchsten Turm stürzen mit dem nötigen Kleingeld und anderes mehr.Read more

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  • Astrid van der ZouwenNieuw Zeeland Noordereiland 2
    Day38

    2-3 Lake Karapiro

     March 2 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Vannacht ín mijn slaapzak! Het is 9 graden als ik 's morgens kijk. Om 13.00 32!
    Ik vind de route onverwacht mooi. Heuveltjes met af en toe van die gigantische keien, wat bomen en niet te veel kaalslag. Leuk dus. Het tweede deel heeft een groot Ardennen/Eifel gehalte; dat je 3 manieren ziet om niet te hoeven klimmen, maar toch moet klimmen. En moet dat met 8-12%? Pff. Maar de beloning is een mooie tocht en een lange afdaling.
    Helaas vertelt de dame aan de receptie pas nadat ik betaald heb, dat er zowel een event is met food-trucks alswel een trouwerij. Daardoor kan ik alleen pal aan de weg staan en verwacht bovendien van 2 kanten herrie. Ik wil mijn geld terug en dan 8 km door. Kan niet omdat ik met ftpos heb betaald en omdat ze van de Gemeente zijn. Grrr, ambtenaren. Waarom ik dan besluit om te blijven, leg het mij maar uit. Ik wilde ook graag bij het meertje. Daar blijkt trouwens niks aan te zijn helaas. Ik hoor nu alleen wat muziek van het event, de trouwerij is binnen. De weg is klote, maar dat wordt vast beter als het donker wordt.    Read more

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  • Astrid van der ZouwenNieuw Zeeland Noordereiland 2
    Day41

    5-3 Terug in Ambury Park

     March 5 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Gisteravond een prachtige zonsondergang, eindeloos kroelen met de honden, gezellig kletsen met Penny en Anita en later buiten met fietser Tim.
    Na net zo'n mooie zonsopgang vanochtend wordt de dag daarna een heel stuk sneller niet zo leuk dan ik al gepland had. Na 10 km of zo wordt het al druk en veel alternatieve routes zijn er niet omdat je steeds over een rivier of spoorweg of zo moet. Héél bijzonder ook de cycle lanes die om de klipklep ook gewoon weer verdwijnen. Volgens mij is het veiliger om ze dan maar helemaal niet te hebben. Ik blijf hopen op betere tijden, maar tot ín Ambury Park is het pet. En wat is Ambury dan een oase, zó gaaf. Ik had me zorgen gemaakt over het betalen, omdat dat alleen online kan. Maar er is nu een kampmannetje. Omdat ik zelf naar hem toe kom mag ik gratis! Het grasveld is nu open, blijkt het een hele gave camping te zijn! Enig nadeel: mijn kont doet zeer, zit niet zo lekker. Ik ben bekaf. Misschien blijf ik wel weer een extra nachtje.Read more

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  • Astrid van der ZouwenNieuw Zeeland Noordereiland 2
    Day42

    6-3 Muriwai Beach

     March 6 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Ik ben dankzij een schreeuwende vogel erg vroeg wakker en moet natuurlijk plassen. Levert wel weer mooie plaatjes op. En gisteravond was ook al weer zo mooi. Ik besluit om toch door te gaan, ik wil op de terugweg nog 2 nachten in Ambury, lekker dicht bij het vliegveld.
    De leuke oude brug is afgesloten, staat op instorten. Duurt nog 2 jaar. Jammer hoor. Gelukkig kan je langs de snelweg ook over het water en zo zit ik meteen op de Noord-west route. Hartstikke mooi fietspad, meestal helaas pal langs de snelweg en wie heeft die 15% er in verzonnen? De doelgroep is mij niet helemaal duidelijk. Op een gegeven moment wordt het echt even heel erg leuk,..... en rijd ik dus verkeerd, nou ja, om.
    Buiten Auckland door een rare streek met veel bomen en struiken in knetter grote tuinen met mega huizen (die je dus niet ziet). Maar ongeveer de helft staat te koop, dus kon ik op alle borden zien wat ik miste. De weg is wel wat rustiger gelukkig, maar wat een steile klimmetjes allemaal. Soms valt het wel mee, maar ik heb geen zin.
    Camping is groot, je ziet de zee niet en een camper pikt net het plekje in waar ik wilde gaan staan en morgen en overmorgen gaat het regenen. Raar is alles nog strak blauw. Als ik om kwart over 5 fish en chips wil gaan halen bij de take away zijn ze al dicht!?! Grrr. Ik blijf nu echt, morgen naar de gannets wandelen en luieren in de tent als het echt gaat regenen. Ik heb wel veel minder ontbijt dan ik dacht. Heb nu quinoa uit de free box gevist.    Read more

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  • Astrid van der ZouwenNieuw Zeeland Noordereiland 2
    Day43

    7-3 Muriwai Beach: gannets

     March 7 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    's Morgens na de was meteen naar de gannets want het gaat regenen. Veel makkelijker bereikbaar dan in Clifton. Weer gaaf en nu hebben ze jongen. Daarna toch nog maar even zwemmen, mag alleen tussen de vlaggen. De regen komt pas om 4 uur, maar dan héb je ook wat. Zoals verwacht kan de tent dat niet hebben. 😒 Nou ja, heb ik wat te doen (dweilen). Gelukkig is mijn slaapzak nog wel droog.Read more

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  • Astrid van der ZouwenNieuw Zeeland Noordereiland 2
    Day44

    8-3 Wellsford

     March 8 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Deze dag knippen we er uit.
    Ik kan droog inpakken, om half 11 begint het te regenen. Ik ben net voorbij een winery met koffie, dus ik terug. Ik ga op een goed moment toch maar fietsen, goed idee want het wordt niet meer droog. En steeds hellinkjes van 8-12%, jemig wat vermoeiend. Ik wil stoppen na 35 km bij een hotel maar ik moet al mijn creditcard gegevens invullen, inclusief security code. De eigenaar snapt niet dat ik dat niet fijn vind, en wil me spontaan geen kamer meer geven, ondanks het feit dat ik het al ingevuld heb. Ik door (met het formulier!), volgens de winery zijn er motels. Not.
    Om 4 uur ben ik zo nat en koud en het spuugzat, er komt nog weer een steile berg aan, en zo leuk is de weg nou ook weer niet, dat ik probeer te liften. Dát gaat makkelijk. Zelfs met de auto was het nog een eind. Motel 1 is duur. Motel 2 vol, er is een biker conventie dus 3 zal ook vol zijn. Terug naar 1. Natuurlijk wordt het vlak daarna droog. Maar er zijn toch geen campings en ik heb ook best zin in een gewoon bed!    Read more

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You might also know this place by the following names:

Auckland, أوكلاند, Окланд, Ώκλαντ, اوکلند, אוקלנד, Օկլենդ, オークランド, 오클랜드, Achelandia, Oklendas, Tāmaki-makau-rau, Град Окленд, Окленд, ئاۋكلاند, 奧克蘭市

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