AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
- Distance walking: just over a marathon in 4 days
- Coffees drank: 18
- Wines tasted: 23
- Ferry rides: 4
Kia ora! That’s hello in maori language. I want to move to Auckland! What a great city, even in winter. We were surprised by how warm it was even in the coldest month. Mornings started with a chilly 3-6 degrees, but as the sun rose it got as warm as 18 degrees. To wear a coat or shorts, that’s was the dilemma each day. The people of this great city are probably the friendliest bunch I have ever met, everyone is super nice, and strangers come and talk to you on the street. This is particularly strange for Finnish people, as in Finland people rather run away from you than say even a hello.
Wine tasting at Waiheke island was definitely the highlight of our stay. Getting there by ferry took only about 40 minutes and we got to see the most magnificent scenery and walk up beautiful nature paths before reaching the wineries. We chose two out of dozens of vineyards, and enjoyed their warm welcome. Mudbrick is certainly a place to recommend, their customer service is excellent as well as the wines and the premises. What a view from top of the hill, we could see all the way to central Auckland.
We enjoyed just walking around the city, drinking coffee, tasting wines, riding electronic bikes, checking out the majestic architecture, and doing some shopping (mostly for yarn - I was happy to find out merino wool is a big thing in New Zealand!). Coffee really is delicious here. How funny it is that we just came from Ecuador, one of the biggest producers of coffee, but all we could drink there is instant coffee, which I wouldn’t drink if someone paid me, but on this remote island state the quality of coffee in cafes has improved drastically. Hence, we found ourselves in the lovely cafes many a times, the silky taste of cappuccino hurdling in our mouths.
Pie July was supposed to be on, and we read in the newspaper that the kiwis make a mean meat pie. But during those 4 days spent in the city, no pies were served anywhere. The national cuisine here seems to be Asian food, as nearly all restaurants we found served Asian food in some form. Unfortunately our pie hunt did not return any results, but we ate hamburgers, dumplings and Turkish food instead as well as delicious Eggs Benedict, my favourite breakfast dish in the whole world.
A day trip to Devonport was a great experience, and to our surprise the entrance to their navy museum was free (not many things here are free and it is quite an expensive place in general - I think we went over our daily budget three-fold). Kai was excited, and spent about 2 hours exploring the museum while I took a nap on their couch.
Reluctantly leaving the Kiwi land for Aussie land, we hope to enjoy some warmer climates. It is currently quite windy and cloudy in Cairns, which is in the northern part of the country. We are looking forward to some lazy beach days in the sun, and finding a snorkelling tour to the Great Barrier Reef. I remember reading somewhere it’s getting destroyed by the climate change, so hopefully we will still be able to see some corals and sea creatures. I am not that excited about seeing the spiders, though. Just the thought of seeing one of the huge eight-legged huntsmans makes my skin crawl. I have instructed Kai to walk in front of me with an axe everywhere we go.
Our hostel experience certainly started well (this is my first time in years in a youth hostel): the signs at the reception clearly state only 18-35 year-olds may check in - this was not mentioned at any stage making the booking. Thank goodness Kai is still 34 so we get to stay. I feel so old. To our amazement the hostel offers many free things, like yoga, bike rental, shuttle bus, breakfast, games and swimming pool, as well as happy hours for beer. Not bad for a cheap stay. Let's go party with the youngsters!