Auckland is a fantastic city.  It is vibrant, friendly, and wildly diverse.  We spent three full days exploring its sights, and we loved all of it.  Well, almost all of it.  Our feet did NOT love the twenty-plus miles we pounded into the sidewalks!  Here are a few highlights—excluding photos of our blisters.

Public Spaces:  Auckland is dotted with numerous spacious parks.  We enjoyed the greenery and play spaces dedicated to relaxation and fun.  The streets are clean and lined with thriving shops, restaurants, bars and take-outs.  There is a pleasant “buzz” of pedestrians at all times, and the diversity of the population is remarkable. The Britomart and Harbour Districts are great fun, with intimate hip restaurants, high-end stores, and bars/coffee shops galore lining the boat-filled waterfront. You cannot be bored in this city!

The Auckland Museum: Housing a terrific array of Pacific Island and Maori artifacts, this is an excellent place to begin to understand New Zealand’s history and complex relations with its Maori citizens.  One of our favorite exhibits was a suit of armor woven from flax, accompanied by a helmet made from a dried blowfish. There is also a helpful diagram showing migration patterns of early Pacific Island populations, and beautiful examples of Maori carvings.

Waiheke Island:  As if Auckland’s splendid Hauraki Gulf (between Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula) isn’t enough, the Gulf is home to the beautiful Hauraki Gulf Islands.  The largest island is Waiheke.  The island features beautiful, long, soft sand beaches, hiking trails, restaurants, galleries, and vineyards/wineries overlooking turquoise bays dotted with sailboats.  The Hop On Hop Off Bus lets you roll from one lovely activity to the next.  I thought the place would be sort of kitchy and touristy, but it’s not.  It’s magical.

The Kiwi Accent: Need we say more?  The lilting speech pattern always sounds like there is good cheer and a little laugh just around the corner. They really do say “Gidday Mate!”  We are smitten. Someday we will come back to this colorful city. It is well worth a second visit!

As always, thank you for reading this (or if you only looked at the pictures that’s fine, we know you’re busy).  We’ll be back with more soon!