North Island, New Zealand
Auckland
We were so excited to travel to a new continent and starting our New Zealand trip off with a few days in Auckland was the best introduction. Two days is perfect in Auckland. Before going to New Zealand, I heard mixed reviews on Auckland but I must say I really enjoyed it. The city reminded me a lot of Cape Town; they have a cool coastal and modern vibe. While in Auckland we stayed at the Hilton on Princes Wharf which was a great location for walking around nearby shops and restaurants. We arrived in Auckland at 6:30am after a 12 hour flight from Argentina however I booked the night before in our hotel so we were able to go straight to our room to freshen up for the day. After a “wake-up” workout in the hotel’s gym, we used an Uber to make our way to La Cigale – an open-air market full of locals and tourists. The plethora of intercultural foods there was amazing. They had American, Indian, Mediterranean, Asian, Middle Eastern and French – basically every culture was represented. I tried a wrap from a Turkish stand and veggie dumplings. Both so delicious.
After getting some food in our tummies we headed over to Mount Eden. There, we climbed to the top of Maungawhau, a volcanic cone which is the highest natural elevation in Auckland. The super-rich volcanic soil helps create the greenest grass you have ever seen. My dogs would have loved spending hours sniffing around in it but no dogs or humans were allowed, which is probably why the grass stays so beautiful.
Our second day, we decided to take it easy with a day of wine tasting on Waiheke. Waiheke is a beautiful little island just off Auckland, which makes it a great day trip destination. The ferry was only a 5 minute walk from our hotel and it departed every hour. The ferry ride went quickly with all the beautiful scenery to watch. Once we arrived on Waiheke we took the Hop On Hop Off bus. It has about 14 different stops around the island, each at a different winery (most stops have several wineries located within short walking distance) so you can easily jump off, do some wine tasting, enjoy the view and maybe a cheeseboard then hop back on when you’re ready to go to the next location. We typically spent about an hour at each winery and longer when we had lunch.
Mudbrick was our first stop and an absolutely beautiful prized wedding location for locals. It’s not hard to see why everyone would want to get married with a backdrop like that.
Wild on Waiheke was a newer winery with brews as well. This stop was mostly for Andrew to try some craft beer but the wines didn’t disappoint. All the locations had great food but Wild on Waiheke’s cheese plate was to die for. Huge hunks of cheese and delicious fruit.
We finished for a very late lunch at Batch Winery. We had the Thomas Bach wine flight with our meal that came with a Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The wines were awesome but the highlight was the vegetarian shepherds pie; it’s super hard to find vegetarian foods in Buenos Aires that isn’t pasta so we were in pure heaven with all the vegetarian options New Zealand had to offer.
On our third and final day in Auckland we had a lot of down time. We spent the day at a museum and went to a mid-afternon movie. If you’re travelling to other parts of the country I feel like two days in Auckland would have been perfect. I would recommend 1 day to sightsee around town and a second day to sightsee around Waiheke Island – if you enjoy wine. Auckland was a great place for us to sightsee and get used to the time zone before heading off to visit the rest of the country.
Hawkes Bay
Our trip continued as we flew the one hour flight down to Hawkes Bay. There, we stayed in a gorgeous hotel - The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. Each guest had their own cottage with an amazing view over the farmland and bay. Our first day, we chose to go mountain biking with a picnic lunch. The hotel prepared an amazing sac lunch for us and provided a map of their acerage.
We spent the majority of the day riding around the property, from cliffs overlooking the bay to hills with resident cows. At lunch, we stopped at the Ganat colony to observe the birds. It was amazing how so many birds live and breed so close to each other. Later that night (and every night there) we dressed for dinner and headed to the main lodge for drinks and canapes. This is going to sound nuts but my favorite foods each night were the canapes! They were so creative and delicious; in my opinion, they were better than the main dishes each night.
The second day we wanted to relax a little more so we headed to the driving range to hit some balls and then ended the afternoon with a relaxing massage before dinner. All in all, Hawkes Bay was a very picturesque and relaxing few days. But a warning - if you’re not into getting dressy for dinner then maybe skip this hotel.
Hawkes Bay was the end of our first week in New Zealand and our time on the North Island. Our second week on the South island was just as memorable with tons of wine, driving on the left side of the road and picturesque landscapes.
