The land of the long white cloud... or not! - 26 March - 3 April, 2011

Approval for Lee to attend a work-related conference in Auckland led to a week's holiday on the North Island of New Zealand at the end of March. With one airfare and three night's accommodation paid as part of the work trip, this was a good opportunity for Lee to enjoy a first holiday in New Zealand and also for Ky to take a well-earned break.

The trip kicked off on Saturday 26th March with a very early taxi trip up to Melbourne airport. Leaving in the dark at about 6.30am, we were in the international departures hall by about 7.20am and checked-in to our JetStar flight well before 8am. A slightly delayed departure saw us heading off around 10.50 and an uneventful flight had us preparing to land in Auckland by 3.30pm. It was obvious that the weather wasn't great as we descended through heavy cloud which only cleared what seemed like metres above the runway as we touched down on New Zealand soil at 4pm. Clearing immigration and baggage was easy and we wandered out into the pouring rain to find the Airbus Express shuttle service ready and waiting to take us into the city. This excellent service is meant to drop off at a few different stops around the CBD, but due to quiet traffic and few passengers, the driver decided to drop us off right at the door of our hotel, the Mercure Auckland on Customs Street. This door-to-door service was much appreciated given the inclement weather! Checking in to the Mercure was a friendly affair and we were soon enjoying the view from our home for the next couple of nights, a harbour view room up on the ninth floor. We'd arrived hungry so deposited our bags and headed straight out in search of fodder. The closest vegie option from our research was only a few blocks away so we opted for the Asian mock meat offerings at Golden Age vegan restaurant on Victoria Street. This turned out to be a good choice as the food was great and served quickly - and didn't involve walking far in what had now become drizzle rather than rain. Given that the conference hotel was very close by, we decided to go and check it out. The Heritage was only a block or so from the restaurant and we'd already been in touch with the hotel in regards their all-new pure vegan Lobby Bar menu, with a voucher for discounts for us being left at reception. After collecting the voucher, we got our first experience of the Lobby Bar and its forward-thinking vegie menu. We enjoyed coffee and petit fours (various lovely vegan cakes), this spot would become a very regular haunt in the week to follow! Heading back to the Mercure, the rain eased off completely so we took our first look along Viaduct Harbour and the waterfront before heading 'home' to enjoy an early night after the big day of travelling.

We were pleased to draw back the curtains on Sunday morning and find a dry, if somewhat cloudy, day. Ready for breakfast, we opted for the funky Revel cafe up on the South side of the city on Karangahape Road (universally known in Auckland as simply "K Road"). This involved tackling the full length of the main shopping strip of Queen Street, an uphill climb all the way. Our progress was slowed by the filming of a TV commercial on Queen Street, maybe one day we'll spot ourselves in the ad (though we couldn't work out what it was for!). When we finally arrived on K Road and found the cafe, we immediately ordered the vegan big breakfast each - and this was a massive feed! Fed and watered, we wandered to the nearby Domain, a very large area of public parkland just out of the CBD. Walking past the impressive Auckland Museum building, we were soon in the upmarket area of Parnell and its well-known boutique shopping strip of Parnell Road. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on who you ask!), many of the shops were closed on Sundays but it was a pleasant area to stroll through before we found the La Cigale French market nearby. This was a great little spot to spend an hour or so wandering the inside and outside stalls and enjoying a coffee. From the market, it was off to the Parnell Rose Gardens and surrounding Dove Myer Robinson Park, a pretty spot overlooking the water and the day had cleared up nicely by now, though was still very humid. Taking the shortest route back to the CBD, it was an interesting walk past the massive docks on Quay Street to see us back in the city by 2pm. Still full from the generous late breakfast, we were in no need of lunch, instead deciding to get out on the water with the short ferry trip over to Devonport. The ten-minute voyage offered up some excellent views of the Auckland city skyline, past the Devonport Naval Base (home to the Royal New Zealand Navy) and into the pretty town of Devonport itself. With the weather now cleared up, we decided to tackle the steep climb up to Mount Victoria first and were rewarded with 360 degree views of Auckland and its surroundings. After recovering from the climb and enjoying the vistas, it was an easier wander back down into town to explore Devonport itself. The small historical village was busy with tourists and the Auckland weekend set and the pleasant main street had some interesting shops and lots of eateries. A nice cold cider went down well at The Patriot British pub before stocking up on supplies at the Bramptins UK grocer nearby (including Walkers Prawn Cocktail crisps, an illegal import into Australia so never available from our local pommy shops!). Before catching the ferry back, we wandered along the esplanade between the town and the naval base and enjoyed checking out the beautiful historic waterfront properties, the premium spots overlooking the Auckland skyline. The ten-minute ferry trip back to Auckland was enjoyable and, after freshening up back at the Mercure, we opted for dinner at the Heritage Hotel by sampling a number of items from their tapas menu. The rest of the evening would be spent planning the next day of sightseeing activities!

We were up bright and early on Monday and the clear sunny morning convinced us to get out on the water again. A short walk and we were at the funky Raw Power cafe where we enjoyed a filling breakfast before heading down to the ferry terminal to start our Waiheke Island Explorer Tour. Leaving at 10am, the fast ferry whisked us out of Auckland and over to (reasonably) nearby Waiheke Island in about half an hour. On arrival on the island, we boarded the bus tour part of the Explorer Tour and the next 90mins or so were spent wandering around this ridiculously pretty and rugged island, now home to many of the area's famous and wealthy. The tour included a stop at Onetangi beach, which was recently the scene of a massive build up of horse mussels with the entire beach covered in mussels to a depth of over a metre! These monster mussels (see photos below) are still in evidence and news of the clean up task can be found here. Returning us to the township of Oneroa, we relaxed with a snack at Ricky's and enjoyed a long walk along the deserted beach before catching a bus back to the ferry port and the 3pm ferry back to Auckland.

We were back in time to catch the Raw Power cafe before it closed and then it was time to head for the sky (at least for Lee), with a visit to the observation decks of the Sky Tower. The glass fronted elevator provided a very rapid ascent to the first of the observation levels, the Observatory. Part of the elevator floor was also glass providing a very interesting view during the ride! The views from this level (at 186 metres) were excellent on this sunny day and then even better from the higher Sky Deck (at 220 metres). From this higher level, there are also good views of crazy folks either walking around the tower outside on the SkyWalk or jumping off it on the SkyJump! Back down on earth, we enjoyed a quick wander through the popular Albert Park before deciding it was time for us to move to our new home for the next three nights, so we collected our stored luggage from the Mercure and walked the couple of blocks to the Sebel Suites on Viaduct Harbour. We were delighted to find room 310 was right on Viaduct Harbour and was a nicely laid out one bedroom apartment, furnished in a modern style and with lovely harbour and bridge views. After unpacking and freshening up, we decided to try somewhere different for dinner and managed to locate the Sunflower Cafe, tucked away inside a small mall in the boutique shopping area off Chancery Lane. This small Asian vegie cafe served up a sizeable and tasty feed and we needed a long waterfront walk afterwards! Watching the sun go down from our harbourfront balcony back at the Sebel was a fitting end to an enjoyable day.

We made an early start on Tuesday as it was the first day of the conference. We walked the couple of blocks from the Sebel back to the Heritage and enjoyed breakfast together in the Lobby Bar, with a few familiar faces from the software testing community also there doing the same. It was time to go our separate ways at about 8.30, with Lee heading off to complete registration formalities for the conference and Ky working out her shopping plans for the day! The first day of the conference went well and gave good opportunities for acquaintance renewals (especially at the after-conference drinks party), but Ky had much more fun on this lovely sunny day. First up, she took the free shuttle bus service out of the city to the Dress Smart outlet where a few clothing bargains were picked up. On returning to the city, she headed back to Parnell Road (surprise surprise!) and picked up a pair of bedside table lamps in readiness for bedroom renovations back home. Meeting up after the conference drinks, we tried a different vegie spot for dinner, this time the Revive cafe on Fort Street. After a hearty feed there, we enjoyed a wander along the waterfront and a quick wi-fi session over coffee at Esquires before calling it a night.

Wednesday and another picture perfect warm and sunny day in Auckland. The second day of the conference for Lee (and another interesting day) and another shopping day for Ky! Breakfast was again taken at the Heritage and, with the conference day finishing a little earlier, we could meet up by 4.30pm and enjoy the rest of the lovely day together. We hopped on a bus to visit the fashionable shopping area of Ponsonby Road. This long and trendy shopping strip is well known in Auckland and had a wide variety of shops along its kilometre or so length. Rather than returning to the city by bus, we noticed that Ponsonby Road crossed K Road so headed there for the loop walk back to the city. K Road is a pretty colourful place and we stumbled across the local Hare Krishna restaurant, Food For Life. We enjoyed a sizeable three-course meal here for just NZ$6 and then walked along K Road, back to Queen Street and down the hill back to the Sebel. After another quick wi-fi session at Esquires, we enjoyed the evening atmosphere at popular Viaduct Harbour from our balcony before making an effort to organize our luggage ready for moving on again on Thursday.

Thursday saw us leaving Auckland for some sightseeing further South. It was of course another clear and sunny day as we checked out of the Mercure. The car rental pickup was a little out of the CBD and considering our baggage load, walking wasn't an option so we caught a train a couple of stops out to Grafton and then walked the short distance (albeit uphill with heavy bags!) to the Thrifty office on Khyber Pass Road. Our shiny little Hyundai Getz auto was ready and waiting and we soon filled it up with our bags and hit the road. The roads out of Auckland were quite busy but once past the airport turnoff, it thinned out considerably and it was then very easy and relaxed driving all the way to Rotorua. As it happened, our road into town went straight past a paint shop that Ky had been investigating for New Zealand wallpaper she liked for the bedroom renovations. So, of course, we stopped at Resene for a while and picked up a couple of rolls of Vision wallpaper to add to our baggage! On finally getting into Rotorua itself, our overnight accommodation was easy to find and we were pleased to find a lovely room (with in-room spa) at Silver Fern Accommodation & Spa. We didn't hang around for long as it was way past lunchtime, instead heading back the short distance into town to grab Subway for lunch. With a few hours before sunset, we made the most of the time to fit in plenty of the tourist attractions around the town. First up, just on the edge of the CBD, we found Kuirau Park, a very low key thermal pool area. The park is free and so close to town, yet seems to be almost unknown. We enjoyed wandering around its bubbling pools and taking in the delightful smell of sulphur all around! The park also has a couple of public hot pools fed from the thermals below, so we enjoyed dangling our feet in the lovely warm water for a while, very relaxing. Next on the list, we drove a few kilometres out of town to take a look at the Blue and Green Lakes. The Blue lake is a public lake, the green one now private, so access to the blue was much better and it was a lovely serene spot on this gorgeous sunny afternoon. Heading back towards town, it was time to head higher for some views with Lee taking the Skyline gondola cable car up Mount Ngongotaha. The view from the peak over Lake Rotorua and the town was incredible (especially in the late afternoon sun) and the cable car trip was also enjoyable. We'd filled the afternoon well and it was then time to head back into town to fill ourselves! A Thursday night treat was in order when we stumbled across the Rotorua Night Market and it was a very pleasant vibe there before we opted for Hell Pizza's vegan pizza for dinner. Back at the motel, that in-room spa just had to be done to bring another full day to an end.

We enjoyed a leisurely start on Friday and awoke to yet another sunny day! Our first stop of the day was some 27km South of Rotorua, where we would visit the "thermal wonderland" park known as Wai-O-Tapu. After buying our tickets at the impressive visitor centre, it was a short drive to the first attraction of the day - the eruption of the Lady Knox geyser at 10.15am. A large crowd gathered in readiness and a short talk from a park employee led to the geyser gushing in impressive style! Not sure what to expect, we were surprised that after the initial rumblings under foot and the first big squirt, it just kept flowing. We watched for almost half an hour and it was still going, albeit at less impressive pressure.

Heading back to the main park, we walked all of the marked tracks and this was a very well laid out attraction, with lots of interesting thermal pools and coloured lakes. The highlight of the park was the massive and colourful Champagne Lake. The photos can only capture so much of the atmosphere of this special place, highly recommended for anyone visiting these parts. On our way out of the park, we stopped off at the park's mud pools, a massive boiling pond full of grey mud bubbling away, quite surreal.

From the park, it was less than an hour's drive continuing South to our next port of call, Taupo. On the road into town, we stopped off at Huka Falls, the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand. The site was busy when we arrived but soon cleared as the tour buses moved on, to reveal the amazing rushing waters of the falls. Some crazy folks were jet-boating around the bottom of the falls, typical New Zealand! By the time we arrived in town, it was early afternoon so lunch was long overdue after a hectic morning of sightseeing and we headed straight to the Fine Fettle Cafe. This groovy wholefoods cafe served us up an amazing bowl of kumara (NZ sweet potato) soup, the first time we'd eaten purple soup! After lunch, we drove out of town the short distance to our overnight accommodation, in the shape of the Cottage Mews Motel. Check-in was very friendly and our two-storey unit was the closest to the lake and upstairs enjoyed fine wide views out over Lake Taupo. We couldn't resist the lovely sunny afternoon weather, so enjoyed a walk on the lakeside track for a few kilometres. Heading back into town later, an enjoyable drink at the Pub 'n' Grub overlooking the lake passed the time before dinner and we enjoyed a decent Thai feed at Thai Delight in the town centre. After stocking up on a few snack supplies for the long driving day ahead and refueling the Getz, it was time to get an early night back at the Cottage Mews.

It was an early start on Saturday, which saw us packing up and leaving Taupo (in the dark and in the rain!) by just after 7am. The roads were quiet and the 145km trip to Waitomo was dispatched in just over two hours, with some windy and hilly terrain along the way accounting for the relatively slow progress. Heading West had turned out to be a great idea, though, as we arrived in Waitomo to find it bathed in lovely early morning sunshine with a crisp feel to the new day. Checking-in to the Spellbound Tower at about 9.30, we were prepared for our Waitomo Caves experience. Our tour was full (but only 12 guests per tour) and the old Transit minibus headed off at 10am with a twenty-odd minute drive out to the operator's cave area. The drive was spectacular (or plain scary depending on who you ask), taking in a narrow and windy gravel road high up into the surrounding mountains before descending steeply into the valley floor to begin our adventure. The first cave required us to kit out in hard hat and lamp for our descent to a stream leading to a waterfall, with the resulting tunnel being home to the glowworms for which this tour is famous. It was a case of "all lights off" as we took to an inflatable to be punted along the tunnel towards the waterfall. After twenty minutes immersed in this total darkness, night vision really kicked in and the amazing sight of the glowworms and the natural light they manage to emit was quite an experience (not one that was universally enjoyed perhaps!). After a quick coffee break, it was time to explore one of Spellbound's caves and this recently-opened cave, though far being particular large or spectacular, was very enjoyable to wander through, especially with our guide Norm who had helped discover and open up this cave to tourists. Heading back out into the bright sunlight, we survived the tortuous route back to Waitomo and, due to our tight schedule, bid farewell to the pretty township at about 1.40pm. The run back to Auckland was straightforward highway and motorway travel and we were back at the Thirfty depot by 4.10pm to return our trusty Getz. Rather than navigate back into the city by train again, we went for the luxury option and a new Prius operating as a taxi took us the short distance into the CBD and our overnight accommodation, the Mercure Auckland again. Our room this time was again of the harbour view variety and up on the tenth floor. After all the driving during the day, it was a pleasure to step out onto the Auckland waterfront again and enjoy a walk in the lovely evening sunshine before we headed back to the Heritage Hotel, where we happened across Happy Hour so a half-price Marguerita was in order (paying homage to Quo of course!). Relaxing there for a while, we decided upon the Golden Age restaurant for dinner again and enjoyed a variety of excellent dishes there before a final wi-fi session at the Esquires coffee shop right opposite the Mercure rounded out a long but memorable day.

After an extra hour's sleep thanks to the end of daylight saving time, we enjoyed a relaxed start to our final day in Auckland on Sunday. The day dawned clear and sunny (of course!), so we headed up the long Queen Street hill to enjoy breakfast at Revel cafe on K Road again. Wandering back into the city, we enjoyed one last stroll along the harbour precinct before one last visit to the Heritage to take advantage of their "free muffin with a coffee" promotion before catching the Airbus at about 12.15 to make our way to the airport. The easy half-hour trip and lack of check-in queues saw us all checked-in and through immigration by 1.15pm, so we had an hour or so to relax before boarding our on-time return flight to Melbourne. The flight was again uneventful and deposited us back in a chilly Melbourne just on 5pm and, with the immigration and baggage formalities out of the way, a friendly taxi trip had us back in Drumcondra by 6.30pm.

We had an excellent time in New Zealand, with the fine weather, friendly people and interesting sights making for a genuinely relaxing and enjoyable week's holiday. The conference was also well worth the trip, with the chance to renew acquaintances and keep up-to-date with industry trends. Maybe our next trip will be to the South Island..!