Auckland
An amazing city and our introduction to New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND
Andrew and I have embarked on numerous brief excursions abroad throughout the years. Traveling thousands of miles to spend merely a week or two at a destination, we've often found ourselves yearning for more time to delve deeper into our surroundings. We craved a genuine exploration beyond the glossy pages of travel magazines or the confines of tour packages, aspiring to uncover the hidden treasures rarely mentioned.
Initially, our plan seemed straightforward – to simply fly to a destination and linger until we felt ready to depart. However, reality proved less accommodating. Many countries have limitations on the duration individuals can stay without a visa or work permit. Thus, we embarked on a quest to identify countries offering visas or permits enabling longer stays beyond the typical 30-day threshold.
That's when New Zealand, a small nation neighboring Australia, entered the picture. With more sheep than inhabitants, New Zealand boasted a working holiday visa program, permitting us to travel and work within its borders for a year. Admittedly, New Zealand hadn't been on our radar as a travel destination initially, but we embraced the opportunity, thinking, "Why not discover what New Zealand has to offer?"
One of the most popular ways for long term travel was to travel around in a camper van where we could save on accommodation by sleeping in the vehicle. Since we were planning to stay long term, we thought it would make sense for us to purchase a camper van rather than renting one. So our plan was to fly into Auckland, stay in a hotel for a few days as we scoured the market for a suitable camper van to purchase.
Our search led us to a company by the name of Campervan World. We went there and looked at what they had. They didn’t have much of a selection to be honest. We looked at a Nissan Homey and an SUV that had a rooftop tent. The Nissan Homey was built out with a double bed with storage underneath, a small counter with a sink, and separate containers for fresh water and wastewater.
The Nissan Homey was a 1999 model and had over 330 000 kilometers worth of milage on it. But that’s typical of vehicles in New Zealand, where many older models are imported from Japan following their retirement from active service. After careful consideration, we opted to buy the Nissan Homey. Following this decision, we proceeded to open a bank account, facilitate the money transfer, and finalize the purchase transaction.
Our accommodation was situated on Queens Street in downtown Auckland. We dedicated some time to exploring both the downtown district and the waterfront area. While we admired the picturesque waterfront scenery, adorned with impressive boats, we found Auckland to be somewhat lacking in excitement.
We noticed that many shops closed their doors as early as 5 pm. During our visit, we devoted several hours to touring the Maritime Museum. The museum had an extensive collections include artifacts, exhibits, and interactive displays that explore various aspects of maritime life, including navigation, exploration, trade, and leisure activities.
Back near the waterfront we indulged in a rather extravagant $20 ice cream cone from Giapo. It was very delicious! However that's also indeed reflective of the restaurant prices in New Zealand. Even at fast-food chains like McDonald's, the cost of a meal starts at around $15, highlighting the relatively higher cost of dining out in the country.
We also made it up to Mount Eden, a dormant volcanic cone located in Auckland. Rising 196 meters above sea level, Mount Eden is the highest natural point in Auckland and provides panoramic vistas of the city skyline and its harbours. The summit of Mount Eden is marked by a large crater, known as a volcanic crater or caldera, which is approximately 50 meters deep and 1.6 kilometers in circumference.
From the video below, you could also see how quickly the Auckland weather could change with the strong offshore winds blowing the clouds across the sky.
Auckland was a great jumping off point and introduction to New Zealand. The city has everything you need, and is right on the water with amazing views. Happy exploring!
