newzealand
5 MUST HAVE EXPERIENCES WHEN TRAVELLING THE NORTH ISLAND IN NZ.
Sunday, 8 March 2020
New Zealand had been high on my list for a long time, although being from Gibraltar means that it isn't the easiest or cheapest place to get to. But after doing a working holiday in Australia, planning a trip to the neighbouring country suddenly seemed a lot more doable. I spent 10 days travelling around the North Island of New Zealand with the help of skip bus. Stopping in Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo and finally the capital, Wellington. These were my favourite 'must do' experiences.
1. Hobbiton Movie Set (Rotorua)
Probably the most visited attraction in the whole of New Zealand, is the Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit movie set. The attraction is in Matamata but there are tours running from Auckland and Rotorua and tickets are priced at $84NZD (£40). This includes transfers to the site and a guided tour around The Shire. Between us, I've only ever seen the first LODR movie so me and my friends just watched the trailers to the rest of the franchise films the night before.
2. White Water Rafting (Rotorua)
This was super fun aside from the 2 minutes I got stuck in a rapid and my life flashed before my eyes. I'd never gone rafting before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, apart from there was a high chance of us falling into water, in January. The team at Kaitiaki Adventures were so much fun and full of energy and it definitely added to the whole experience. We got to slide down the world's highest commercially wafter 7m waterfall, and none of us fell out of the raft! (the same can't be said for everyone).
3. Tongariro Alpine Crossing (Taupo)
Doing this trek first made Mount Batur in Bali seem like a walk in the park. This trek isn't for everyone, it's challenging and cold but the views are amazing. We made the stupid mistake of only bringing a t-shirt and jumper and forgot to factor in that the top of the mountain was going to be significantly colder. We were walking so fast to warm ourselves up that the 0 degrees temperature didn't hit us as hard. The track is 19.4km long and takes around 6 hours to complete. The best time to visit is between November and April, otherwise you'll need alpine skills to combat the snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures (definitely not for me).
Even if you're not the fittest, you are given plenty of time to complete the hike at your own pace, as you're picked up at 5am. Just make sure you bring at least 1.5 litres of water, layers, a ham sandwich (never has the reward of a ham sandwich tasted so good) and waterproofs.
4. Bungy Jumping (Taupo)
Some people go on holiday to relax by the pool or get a massage done, and others voluntarily throw themselves off a cliff. I don't know if I would have been able to do it if the jump was over ground, instead it was over Waikato River. It's a 47m jump which you can do by yourself or tandem, and although their website states that you can 'touch the water with your fingers' I was dunked like a doughnut. As you can imagine the video was quite entertaining for my friends and family to watch. I think the scariest part was actually jumping off the edge, I felt like Wendy when she's made to walk the plank in Peter Pan but then once that's over you kind of want to get up there and do it again. The Taupo Bungy costs $185NZD.
5. Eat ice cream (Auckland)
I'm not talking about a regular scoop of ice-cream - this is a unique, overpriced and gluttonous experience. Giapo's serves a range of unique ice-cream flavours and there's a variety of ways to have it. Including on a weird octopus chocolate cone, a set of lips and on a 'selfie' cone. There's usually a queue for this place, as once you're in you're talked through the process and get to sample all 12 flavours before you choose which one you'd like to go for. I chose the 'hokey pokey' flavour which is unique to NZ (vanilla ice cream with honeycomb pieces) and had it 'a little bit melted'.
Which of these activities would be up your street? If you've been to New Zealand, what were some of your favourite things to do?
G
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF ONE DAY IN AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.
Friday, 17 January 2020
I've done my fair share of city breaks, and what I've learnt is most of the time you can pretty much see everything you want to see in the space of one or two days. Today marks my last day in New Zealand after travelling around the North Island for 9 days. When planning this trip I couldn't leave out Auckland and Wellington, but knew I wanted to spend most of my time in NZ doing some more adventurous stuff and on top of mountains and stuff. Here's my guide to spending one day in Auckland, and where to stay.
Getting to Auckland
Auckland doesn't have an underground train system, but it does have a shuttle that runs 24 hours from Auckland airport to get you to your accommodation (or close to it). The SkyBus costs $17 and I believe has two or three departures every hour. The bus also has free wi-fi!
Where To Stay | Queen Street Backpackers
This backpackers is located right in the centre of the city so you won't need to catch any public transport to get to anywhere you want to go (other than the airport). The hostel provides complimentary breakfast (toast, spreads and cereal) and the rooms were clean. It does get a bit noisy at night because it's close to the clubs, so they also provide earplugs for that if you're a light sleeper!
Breakfast - No1 Pancake
You'll find this place on most eating guides for Auckland, as it's good and cheap! They serve a range of savoury and sweet pancake options that are all under $10, so it's a great option if you're on a budget.
Auckland Sky Tower
I mean personally this isn't the most impressive thing to see so you'll probably look at it for two minutes and get on with your day. However, if you've got money to spend and looking for a more thrill seeking experience, you can actually walk along the outside of the tower for $150 (and lean over the edge if you want to). If you want something every scarier, you can try the SkyJump, which is probably as scary as it sounds.
Climb up Mount Eden
Mount Eden is a dormant volcano (phew) and also the highest natural point in Auckland, which means you can get some pretty cool views of the city. The walk to the top from the city takes 30 - 45 minutes, so its a pretty easy hike up and will prepare you for the bigger ones yet to come if you're travelling more of New Zealand.
Auckland Domain
If you don't fancy walking back down, you can get a OuterLink bus from Mount Eden to the Domain. This is the oldest park in Auckland and if you want to get some picturesque photos then head to the Wintergardens which has a glasshouse full of tropical plants.
Lunch - Better Burger
New Zealand's answer to Five Guys. I was disappointed they didn't have mayonnaise because, who doesn't have chips with mayo?!
Free Walking Tour
I always do these the first day I get to a city because it's a great way to get your bearings, learn a bit more about the city and get some insider knowledge and tips on what to do and the best places to eat. We went with Auckland Free Walking Tours and they do two tours daily at 10am and 2pm and the tour runs for around 2.5 hours. Essentially they're free but you tip them whatever you think the tour was worth at the end!
Have an ice-cream at Giapo's
We were probably in here for 45 minutes so you definitely need to set some time aside for this! There's usually queues out the door for this place but it was pretty short when we went at 4pm. When you enter one of the staff members will take you through the different ways you can have your ice-cream served (there are some very extra cone designs available) and get to sample all 8 flavours before deciding. I went with New Zealand's famous hokey pokey ice cream which is vanilla ice-cream with honeycomb bits, and had it 'slightly melted'. Prices start at $8 so you will be paying slightly more than if you were to just get a scoop up the road.
Dinner - Satya Soul Indian Restaurant
This place is relatively cheap without compromising on taste (or portion size). It's also a BYO establishment so you can bring a bottle of wine along with you and start your pre drinks early if you plan on heading out after.
Frenzi Pub Crawl
If you're looking for cheap deal drinks then I recommend this pub crawl that takes place every Thursday. For $10 you get entry to four nightclubs in Auckland as well as a complimentary drink in each. They also have drink deals for people on the pub crawl so you can get a basic & mixer for $5.
Have you ever been to Auckland? What were your highlights?
G
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