Mike and I lived in New Zealand in 2005 so it is very exciting to be back here with our children. We flew to Auckland from Sydney and spent a few days reconnecting with friends and exploring the city.
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| Auckland Skyline |
Auckland is New Zealand's largest city - weighing in at 1.5 million people.
It is a city like no other. Its quaint burroughs, plentiful green spaces, friendly people and melting pot culture make for easy enjoyment.
It has several downtown green spaces that are actually extinct volcanoes - and they're currently tended to by flocks of sheep! Mt. Eden, One Tree Hill and others offer up amazing views of downtown... to the sound of bleating!
But...the real reason we stopped in wasn't to marvel at Auckland's charms- it was to meet up with some great friends to say hello and to launch into a North Island roadtrip.
One Tree Hill Domain and Cornwall Park
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| Funky roots! |
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| Just another walk in NZ |
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| Sheep, sheep and more sheep |
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| Watch where you step |
Mount Eden Domain
Mount Eden is a trendy, residential village in Auckland. Mike and I lived here when we lived in Auckland and it was fun to relive many memories. Running up the extinct volcano was part of our weekly routine so climbing it with the kids was a must-do.
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| The boys at the edge of the crater |
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| Climbing the cone |
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| A view over Auckland |
KareKare Beach
The Waitakere Ranges lie about an hour west of Auckland and boast native bush, wildlife and black sand beaches. Our favourite spot in this part of New Zealand is KareKare Beach. Immense stretches of fine black sand, jagged peaks, bright green bush and high surf in the turquoise water all make this place magical. Having it practically to ourselves only added to the magic!
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| What a place |
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| Collecting shells |
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| Black sand dunes |
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| Jumping down the steep dunes (where the grasses won't grow) |
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| A duck skull amongst the shells |
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| The wild west coast |
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| Who needs CGI? |
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| Stunning and raw |
Downtown
No trip to Auckland is complete without a quick stop downtown - it's bustling but not uptight or pretentious.
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| Harbour front |
Friends!
When we first arrived in Auckland in 2005, my soon-to-be colleague took us into her home, sight unseen; and fed us, housed us, and treated us like family. We've never forgotten how generous and heart-warming she and her family were... and this visit was altogether the same - 15 years later, and with 3 kiddos.
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| If only we could have lemons trees at home |
It was absolutely wonderful to reconnect with our friends - thank you S & S!
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