My Wonderful Vacation in Auckland, New Zealand
Many people will do the same thing that I did and that is travel to New Zealand while also visiting Australia. These two countries are so close to each other that it would be horrible to see one and not the other. Auckland is on the North Island of New Zealand and it is where most people in the country live. The trip to New Zealand from Australia and vice versa is short, especially when compared to many people’s journey to that side of the world. The weather in New Zealand is the same as Australia’s as well, so I found that it was easy to pack for these two destinations.
Here are 4 things that I did while I was in Auckland, New Zealand:
1. Rangitoto Island
This island is a volcanic island, but don’t let that scare you away. I loved hiking along the trails while exploring the island and the views that I saw were absolutely breathtaking. The trails can be steep, so I recommend that if you do not think that you can handle the hike, you take one of the four-wheel drive tours of the island instead.
2. Auckland Zoo
This zoo is only four miles from the downtown area, so it was a perfect place for me to spend an afternoon. There are numerous native animals at the zoo, but they also have multiple exotic animals for people to see. The zoo is quite large, because the staff wants to ensure that the animals have enough space to move around and that the visitors have enough to do and see. My favorite parts of the zoo were the encounters that I was able to have with the elephants, penguins, cheetahs, and orangutans.
3. Auckland Sky Tower
The Sky Tower is an astonishing 328 meters high and I was one of the brave ones who walked along the exterior Sky Walk platform, which is 192 meters in the air. This is where I got some amazing panoramic photos of the city. Even though I was brave enough to go out on the Sky Walk, I was definitely not brave enough to jump off the base of the platform for the Sky Jump. What can I say……I really want to live to see more of the world!
4. Auckland City Center
The architecture of the buildings inside the city center is phenomenal and I was amazed at how well the early buildings blended with the newer contemporary ones. There are a few that I always recommend to people, including the Ferry Building, the Chief Post Office, Auckland High Court, Auckland Town Hall, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
It is a toss-up as to which city or country I loved the most on this side of the world, because I loved different things about Sidney and Auckland. Each one is unique in its own way and they both offer wonderful attractions and fabulous views of nature. As I stated in my Australia post, I cannot wait until I can return at some point in the future. You can rest assured that I will do everything that I can to make this return journey more of a reality instead of a dream!
