Auckland and some of its islands

Ponsonby, Auckland

From Uluru, we flew to Auckland, New Zealand, where we had seven nights in an Airbnb with Yan and Renee. Also there were lodgers Laura and Thibault; we had initially thought that Thibault was the name of a cat, and whilst he was a very nice guy, it has to be said that we were both a little disappointed.

Ponsonby, Auckland

We were staying in Ponsonby, which is a great area for eating and drinking, in particular Ponsonby Central, where, as well as having a small but excellent food market, we found a great Argentine steak place and The Bedford, which had fabulous cocktails. I took them up on their offer to make up something not on the list, and the cocktail arrived under a smoke filled cloche. Very nice.

Ponsonby, Auckland

Auckland

Parnell, Auckland

We did our usual bit of wandering around the neighbourhoods, and there were some decent areas, but we liked Ponsonby the best. Parnell was another good area. It is the oldest neighbourhood, so has some interesting buildings, and they have created a lovely villagey feel, with lots of boutique shops. The down side is that perhaps it feels just a bit too smart and pricey.

Parnell, Auckland

Parnell, Auckland

Parnell, Auckland

The harbour area was good to have a wander around, and we found an interesting sound and light event on one night.

Auckland from the Skytower

The centre is small, but has some nice shopping areas. We went up the Skytower, which did have a good views out over the coast and islands. You could also see the huge cruise liners in port. One thing we found very strange in the centre, was the lack of cafes that stayed open beyond about 2-3pm.

Mudbrick, Waiheke

A good thing to do in Auckland is to get over to a few of the islands. We took a ferry over to Waiheke Island with the aim of using the wine hopper bus to get around some of the numerous vineyards. What we didn't know was the wine bus doesn't run in the winter, so we wasted time waiting for it and then ended up just walking to a few of those closest to the village.

We visited Cable Bay, which was fine, but the building work did rather detract from the atmosphere, and Mudbrick, which was a particular favourite of ours. We also checked out a few other wines in the wine shop in the village, which has a tasting system set up, albeit with a more limited range than I would have expected.

Waiheke

The island was absolutely beautiful, so even if you aren't interested in the wines, I would definitely recommend a visit to Waiheke just to walk around.

The other island we visited was Devonport. This has a really village feel to it, and lots of nice cafes; we especially liked Corelli's just at the base of the hill, as it had great homemade food. The walk up the hill is worth doing, as the view is lovely. Devonport Chocolates is worth a visit too. I could imagine living here if you wanted to have a relaxed life as an artist or something - a little like we felt about Victoria, on Vancouver Island.

Otakamiro Point, Auckland

One of the days we were here, we managed to meet up with a friend of Nic's, who emigrated here some years ago. It is nice to be able to catch up with old friends on our travels, and this year has been a good year for that.

Otakamiro Point, Auckland

Dave took us out to a couple of coastal areas. On the south shore we visited the Muriwai Beach area and Otakamiro Point, which houses a large colony of gannets. It is fun to watch the birds to one side of you, and to the other, the paragliders swooping over the beach.

Otakamiro Point, Auckland

Otakamiro Point, Auckland

Otakamiro Point, Auckland

Takapuna, Auckland

On the north shore, we went to Takapuna, where a volcanic eruption left the beach covered in beautiful volcanic rocks and the fossilised remains of the forest that once stood there. It is quite fascinating to see the holes that remain in the rock where the lava surrounded the tree and then the tree trunk burned away inside it.

Overall, we liked Auckland. It is small, especially for the biggest city in the country, but it has enough to do and some lovely places nearby. If we were to live in New Zealand for any length of time, I think it would have to be here. Anywhere else would probably feel to quiet after London.