Auckland - where there really is plenty to do!

It’s not only the small towns that are known for something distinctive. NZ cities also have their unique claim to fame. Auckland is known as 'The City of Sails' for the huge number of boats often seen on the harbour. Auckland has a large, sheltered harbour with small islands dotted around. There are passenger and car ferries which take you to most of the islands. Or you could find yourself on someone’s private boat island hopping and getting up close to the action during events on the harbour.

Mum and Dad have a boat so we went out with them quite a few times. We lost the anchor the first time we went out fishing. Which meant we had to go back the next day to dive and look for it. 

Out with mum and dad on their boat

No luck with our search and recovery (that day or the next), but we did see loads of nudibranchs (colourful sea slugs) we hadn’t seen before. And they were enormous! None of this looking for 3mm long nudi’s like we were in Thailand! We had 1 metre long kingfish circling us and plenty of scorpionfish to watch out for too. Good to be back in NZ waters although a tad colder than the tropical waters I’ve become accustomed to!

And the evening sunsets are stunning on the water

The last Monday in January is Auckland Anniversary Day. Every year, they have a regatta on the harbour with all sorts of races, events and old sailing ships to watch. 

We started off the day with a trek up Rangitoto, a dormant volcano in the middle of the harbour. It last erupted about 250 years ago and has been pretty quiet since then (thank goodness!) I thought I was along for a gentle stroll to the top. But with Mike (my brother) leading the way, it was more like a military march up! The view is well worth the hike up (only about 40 minutes from the ferry wharf or about 75 mins from Islington Bay). Native birds hop around your feet, there are bunkers from WW2 set into the cliff to explore and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the view. 

Another stunning view of Auckland from the top of Rangitoto

Native waxeyes aren't scared to get close

Mike, me, Kris and Uncle Brian at the top

Then it was back to the boat and off to see the old ships racing. They really are spectacular to watch and with a good, stiff breeze blowing, they were getting along very nicely. Unfortunately we missed the tug boats racing - which I think would have been pretty funny to see!

A cruisy day for this old timer

But a bit more action on board here

Our final activity of the day was a spot of waterskiing. Mike set the standard getting up on his first go. I followed suit, even managing a short stint on one ski. Then it was Kris’ turn (who had never skied before). After a few sideways splats and a bit of help from Mike, he managed to stand on his skis and make a few laps of the bay.

Mike setting the standard

I've still got it!

Kris' first attempt

We've all been there!

Got the feel for it now

About 1.5 hours drive north of Auckland is Goat Island, the site of NZ’s first marine reserve. It became a reserve in 1975 and since then, fish populations (and fish sizes) have increased dramatically in the area. In summer, Goat Island is incredibly popular with people turning up to snorkel, dive or watch the fish from the surface in a glass bottom boat. 

Goat Island is packed already, and only about 1030am

Kris, Mike and I decided to do a dive there one hot, summer day. Even though it was shallow (max depth about 12 m), we saw more than enough to keep us all interested. About 8 eagle rays (you’d be lucky to see 1 in Thailand), enormous stingrays (3m from wingtip to wingtip), plenty of nudibranchs, huge snapper hanging just above our heads, crayfish, kina (sea urchins), parore, kelpfish and plenty of other NZ species Kris has never seen. It really highlighted how a marine reserve does help fish populations recover and increase the overall biomass of the area. 

Lunch after a dive

Not so good was how many fish hung around waiting to be fed. In the past, people would bring frozen peas and bread to feed the fish. It’s not encouraged any more although it is taking time for the message to get through - to people and the fish!

If you’re more of an indoor person but would still like to see some of the underwater world, Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World is worth a visit. Kelly Tarlton was an explorer, a creator and a treasure hunter exploring several shipwrecks and recovering their treasure. He developed the first dome aquarium where you walk through a tunnel under the fish. Sadly, Kelly Tarlton died just 7 weeks after his dream aquarium opened in 1985.

Under the original aquarium dome

Kelly Tarlton's display mainly local species of marine life in the aquarium. It's lucky both Kris and I enjoy the marine life as we spent hours here watching fish swimming back and forth and reading just about every sign we came to!

Translucent jellyfish floating around

Stingray - about the same size as the ones we saw diving

NZ Kelp fish

Just a hermit crab saying hello

Native long-fin freshwater eel

Rare NZ Spiny Sea Dragons

Alongside the local species there are several species of brightly coloured, tropical fish that bring smiles of delight to kids (young and old). 

A mandarin fish - I'd love to see one of these in the wild

Anemone fish - super cute in huge schools

Kelly Tarlton's also has an Antarctic section. Beginning with a walk through Scott’s Hut, a replica of explorer Captain Robert Scott's hut in Antarctica, you then come to the penguins. 

Complete with old tins of food, radios, scientific equipment and a piano!

I worked here for 2 years and it was delightful to see the birds that I grew to love again. The larger king penguins were sitting on eggs, while the smaller gentoos looked miserable going through their annual moult. They still moved with the same grace underwater and stumbling waddle on land and had me reminiscing about my time there.

An old friend coming to say hello perhaps?

Miserable gentoos moulting

King penguin sitting on an egg with her mate beside

So as you can see, 2 blog posts worth of 'nothing to do in Auckland'. And this really is only a small selection of all that the largest city in NZ offers you. I really did enjoy living in Auckland and it was fun to be back as a tourist again. Happy sightseeing and hope you enjoy it too!

Don’t visit Auckland - The City of Sails

If anyone tells you to only spend 1 day in Auckland, I challenge you to think again. There are so many things to do and see, both at a price and for free. Volcanoes, beaches, open-air movies, boating, diving, aquariums and bush walks are just some of the activities we got up to...

A great place to start is One Tree Hill. One of Auckland’s 53 extinct volcanoes with 360 degree views over the city. (It also inspired the U2 song of the same name.) It’s locally known as No Tree Hill as chainsaw-weilding protesters attacked the only tree on top of the hill eventually killing it.

Views from the top of One Tree Hill

We spent a relaxing 45 minutes or so taking in the uninterrupted views from the top. Sir John Logan Campbell, one of the first Europeans to settle in Auckland and a mayor of Auckland is buried here. And on the way down, we saw some of the wild birds and animals living in the surrounding Cornwall Park.

Crazy looking pheasants

Rabbits hiding

About 45 minutes drive from the centre of Auckland are a number of west coast beaches - Muriwai, Bethells, Piha and Karekare. Completely different from the gentle east coast beaches, these are exposed to the winds and often have powerful waves, large swells and strong currents. Take care if you decide to go for a swim as it only takes a few seconds to get stuck in a rip and swept out to sea. The beaches are also popular with surfers hoping to catch the perfect wave. And watch out for the black sand. Kris learned the hard way about how hot black sand can get in the middle of the day so remember your jandles! 

Muriwai was our destination. Not only for some beach time, but also for the gannet colony that breeds here in summer. In January and February, the flat, exposed tops of the cliffs are covered in large, white birds with bright yellow heads sitting on eggs, soft, grey, fluffy chicks or beside larger fledglings. 

Muriwai - black sand, hot sun, cool water

The cliff tops covered in birds

Dealing with a noisy chick

Time goes quickly watching the birds go about their daily life. The adults circling around trying to land next to their mate without getting attacked by their aggressive neighbours. The young demanding food. A fledgling flapping it’s underdeveloped wings hoping to get off the ground. And don’t forget ice-cream afterwards!

Fledgling determined to fly soon

Hokey Pokey icecream - a NZ icon

Throughout the summer months, Auckland has free movies in one of the many parks scattered across the city. Every Friday and Saturday night a different movie is screened. Crowds turn up early to claim their piece of grass, eat a picnic and enjoy a glass of wine or beer. We met up with some friends to take a nostalgic run down memory lane and watch Crocodile Dundee. Actually, it was less about the tacky 80’s movie and more about sitting on the grass, surrounded by people and catching up on 2 years of life.

Hanging out with friends in the park...

...with the movie projected onto an old silo

There are plenty of forest and bush walks to do all over Auckland. We headed to the Hunua Ranges on the southern boundary of Auckland one afternoon. The falls are about 20 metres high and quite dramatic after heavy rain (not so much this day). There is also a 1.5 hour bush walk (with a few steep hills) which takes you to a dam where some of Auckland’s water supply originates. With views stretching out across the ranges and plenty of native birds to spot, I think it’s a very relaxing place to spend an afternoon.

The Hunua falls

Through the bush

NZ Native Wood Pigeon (Kereru)

NZ Native Tui

The dam with some of Auckland's water supply

Framed touristy shot

This was only the start of the things we got to do and see in Auckland. Head along to my next post with some of the rest of what we got up to!

Sneaking into New Zealand...

I didn’t think it was worth writing about our time in New Zealand. I lived there for thirty-something years. I’d been lucky enough to see most of the country, several times. The culture was normal. The food was ordinary. The scenery spectacular but simply my back yard. In short, NZ was nothing new - for me.

But for Kris, NZ was anything but normal, ordinary or expected. He was having plenty of first-time experiences and so I started to look back on our 3 months with a new perspective. I also realised that plenty of people have not visited NZ - and you really should! So here are a few posts about our time in NZ, starting with a big surprise!

11:59pm, December 31, 2014. New Zealand soil. 

Kris and I were counting down the last seconds of the year with hundreds of others…on board a plane! I’d been away from NZ for nearly 2 years. Kris had never been. So we snuck into NZ alerting only my 2 brothers and my cousin to our plans. Ben and Mike were in other parts of NZ so Katrina was an absolute gem agreeing to pick us up at possibly one of the worst times in the whole year. (I owe her big time!)

We finally crashed at her place having celebrated the New Year properly a couple of hours late. The next morning, phase 2 of our plan began…surprising my folks. Katrina called them under the pretence of returning a tent she had borrowed. Time and place agreed, we did a bit of sightseeing in the city before heading out to their home. 

Stunning new years day in Auckland

Kris & Katrina

While Kris and I hid, Katrina tried to show mum and dad a photo she had taken of us when we landed. Mum looked confused. Dad couldn’t see. Wait a moment, get the glasses. Take another look. What’s all this about? By this time, I had waited long enough and stepped out from my hiding place. Mum laughed and clapped. Dad couldn’t see again because of his glasses! Oh yes, happy times! Big surprises!

Dad finally recognised me

So did mum

Now, Mum and Dad are just as scheming as me. They were heading down to Waihi Beach the next day to see her brother and his wife and do part of the NZ cycle rail trail. They asked if we would like to go, see the beach, bike the trail and surprise my aunt and uncle. Why not? 

The next morning we headed out. While pointing out ‘normal’ things to Kris, I began to see how scenic and different NZ is from other countries and wanted to stop for photos…a lot! 

Another fun thing I noticed, almost every small town in NZ is known for something. Kumara (sweet potato), salmon, Huntaway farm dogs, gumboots. And most towns also have an enormous sculpture of what they are known for. We passed through the town of Paeroa which is where a soft-drink called Lemon & Paeroa (L&P) was originally made. So the town has an enormous L&P bottle standing proudly beside the main road. (You have to try L&P at least once.)

Hugging the L&P bottle

We were running slightly late because of all the photos, so vague messages about picking up hitchhikers were sent to Uncle Lloyd and Aunty Liz. (This confused them a little as it's not normal behaviour for mum and dad at all). After surprising them, the first of many questions to be repeated over the next few weeks began. When did you arrive? Did your folks know? Who else knew? Did you plan this for long? How did you do it? What’s it like being back? ...

Typical kiwi dinner with Uncle Lloyd & Aunty Liz

Waihi Beach began calling. This is one of many beautiful, long, white, sandy beaches on NZ’s east coast that stretches far off into the hazy sea-spray. We took a relaxing walk, admired sand castles from a competition earlier in the day and casually avoided games of touch rugby and beach cricket. And it’s not possible to go to a beach like this without swimming, especially when a boogie-board is nearby. 

Waihi Beach from the lookout

Touch rugby games

In for a quick dip 

Boogie boarding in the not-so-big waves

Waihi is at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula. It’s a region that is often missed by tourists but I think is one of the prettier places to visit in NZ.

We woke on day 3 to the already warm sun brightening up our room. (I love the NZ summer!) The day of the cycle rail trail and surprising another cousin Emma. I’m pretty sure Emma had the most fun response. A scream, a run, arms outstretched, nearly bowled me over…a very cool welcome home!

Bowled over by Emma

With our bikes sorted, helmets in place and matching blue t-shirts on (not planned) we started on the Hauraki rail trail from Thames to Paeroa. 

The Blue t-shirt Brigade

The NZ cycle rail trail is a network of cycle trails that traverse NZ, often following an old railway line through the ‘back streets and towns’ of NZ. The railway tracks have been removed and the trail upgraded for cyclists to safely ride along. And while some sections are flat, others are not. At all. (Pick your rides carefully!) 

You can do single or multi day rides. Many small towns have been revived as a result of the trail, providing accommodation, food and activities for cyclists. The Otago Central Rail Trail from Clyde to Middlemarch is one of the most popular in summer and you should book your accommodation well in advance.

Our ride from Thames to Paeroa is one of the flat sections passing through farmland, over streams where you can see trout and with a handy rest stop halfway along at The Cheese Barn, a cheese factory and cafe. If you do stop there, I can recommend buying a slice or two of their Kallarney blue-vein cheese. 

One of the cows you see along the way

There are real ones though

Turkeys - in many of the paddocks along the way

The Cheese Barn at Matatoki

Looking for trout in the stream

How many people does it take to change a flat tyre...

Our return journey to Auckland meant more stops in the Kaurangaheke Gorge - the site of an old gold mining plant/ quarry. The cycle rail trail passes through here also and although it is steeper, looks like it would be a really interesting ride to make. Maybe next time. 

In the gorge

Looking for more trout in the Kaurangaheke River

Only foundations left

Old miner