Overview
** AUCKLAND , NEW ZEALAND TOURS **
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When you think of adventure, New Zealand doesn’t come to mind like other places such as Thailand, Costa Rica, or Mexico, but we are here to tell you that NZ has so many adventurous things to do.
New Zealand is composed of two parts, the North Island where you can find Auckland, and the South Island where you find Wellington. There is so much to do that one week isn’t enough time.
We spent all of our time on the North Island where we stayed with some friends who were extremely accommodating in showing us around.
We started our trip with a Sky Dive at Sky Dive Aukland- the best experience ever. They were extremely professional and funny which made our jump easy. We would highly recommend it.
We rented a car and drove along the island stopping at many different sights such as Hell’s Gate, where you can experience the hot mud shoot out from the Earth and then relax by taking a mud bath!
There are also the extraordinary glow worm caves that you witness when you do the Black Labyrinth Cave Tubing. The water is freezing but they give you a wetsuit. Make sure you use the toilet before.
If you can check out a local dance performed by natives.
Auckland is a great location to stay in for traveling around the north island. There are plenty of day tours offered that will pick you up from your hotel/hostel or a nearby location. For the thrill seekers I would definitely recommend the sky jump and skywalk. For you foodies there is also plenty of great sort of hole in the wall spots. But my absolute favorite part of visiting Auckland was staying in the town of Rotorua. I stayed here for about 3 days and loved it! It was so relaxing and the hostel I stayed in was conveniently located, cheap, and clean. Also I had the best burger of my life here. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant but it is super small and always has a line outside of it so you can’t miss it. Another highlight of this trip was getting to visit a Maori village via the Tamaki Village who sponsor tours and really give you an authentic view into Maori culture. Lunch or Dinner in the village is included depending on what time you go and they also give you a mini lesson on the haka war dance. They are located just outside of Rotorua and when you book a tour you can choose to have transportation pick you up from there. I would highly recommend doing a Maori Village tour with Tamaki.
I didn’t care much for Auckland. It’s just another city imo. It’s always nice to be in a new city but no need to stay more than a day maybe 2 in Auckland. It makes sense to come to Auckland if planning to explore the northern parts of the country like going to Rotorua, Matamata Waitomo, Waiheke, Bay of Islands etc. if going to the northern part of the country, then definitely it’s worth checking out Auckland for a day or two.
You have queen street where you can find your high end shopping stores. Personally I don’t like to go halfway around the world to do shopping at stores I already have access to in my own home country. I prefer doing things that are unique or site seeing etc.
If you’re In Auckland I recommend checking out Skytower. It’s really beautiful by day and night seeing the city from from so high up in the sky. If you’re a dare devil you can also do their SkyJump, or SkyWalk. I wouldn’t dare. LoL take sometime gazing into the city and get coffee or ice cream at the Sky Cafe.
I’d also suggest taking queen street and waking all the way to the harbor where there is more shopping and dining options. I recommend dining at Oyster & Chop. It’s an awesome sea food dining and their cocktails are also pretty good.
You can also take a day trip to Waiheke Island and explore vineyards and have fun wine tasting. Other than that I highly recommend renting a car and taking a drive to Matamata to visit Hobbiton Movie Set (you won’t be disappointed) – about 2 hours drive from Auckland. About an hour from Matamata you have the town of Rotorua. If you’re exploring northern part of the island I highly suggest staying in Rotorua. There is lots to do there for adventure, relaxation and dining etc.
If it is your first time in New Zealand and you have a lot of time, then you should take a flight to the South Island – such as Queenstown. The South Island part of New Zealand is more beautiful and breathtaking.
There’s a ton to do in Auckland depending on what you’re interested in. Auckland can be the jumping off place for a number of things in New Zealand including the glow worm caves, Hobbiton, the Bay of Islands, you name it, u can get to it in a couple hours from Auckland. I spent 3 days in Auckland and wanted to minimize my travel time and decided tour the city one day (via a hop-on hop-off bus), and a wine tour on Waiheke Island (a must!!!). We used Waiheke Island Wine Tours https://www.waihekeislandwinetours.co.nz (great experience) and had lunch on the island at Casita Miro (the food, wine, views and vibe from this place alone made the trip to the island worth it). We stayed in an airbnb near Queens Wharf (https://abnb.me/yG8iQ3ihvW – a little dated but on the same wharf as the Hilton for half the price and twice the space) which is packed with bars and restaurants which made for a good time. Since it was getting cold when I visited (early May), the crowds of summer were gone which made things less hectic and more enjoyable. The NZD is weaker than the USD (about 70 cents usd to 1 nzd which made things a little more affordable!
I visited Auckland, NZ for my birthday. I personally did not find much to do that was interesting for me. What I did find, which was on my busket list was jumping from the Auckland Sky Tower and doing the Sky Walk (walking around the tower). Beyoncé did this so this was a must! I stayed in their Central Business District. It is a very calm and relaxing place. Their “rush hour” is so calm that’s it’s cute. I am a foodie and try to eat a local food while traveling. If you are the same you can try whitebait fritters. Whitebait, is fish that is considered to be delicatessen. They’re very tiny. The wharf a nice place to walk by and try fresh seafood. K road is quirky and reminds be of SoHo/The Village in NYC. Overall I had an amazing experience and I walked everywhere. I wanted to take in everything while I was there and not miss anything by being in a vehicle. As far as money, it is right under the USD, not drastically as far as exchange and purchasing. New Zealand is huge and next time I would love to visit another area. #Abventurous
I love the city of Auckland. The worst part was the flight getting there and getting over the jet lag but once you arrive and get settled in it is definitely a place I would want to live, between the local food and native people it was awesome to spend time here. The shopping is so good and in comparison to the American dollar you definitely feel like you’re getting all of your money’s worth. I loved the food, and the night life is lit!!! It’s definitely a big party scene and a lot of things to do everyday. From beaches to hiking, shopping to a romantic dinner away you can find it all here. It’s really like the New York of New Zealand with the highest population of the country. I would definitely recommend this place to big time beer lovers and party goers and groups of people who just want to explore New Zealand culture. The city kind of has a hippie vibe and reminds me a lot of San Francisco.