Kia Ora from New Zealand!

Our stop in the Bay of Islands was canceled due to torrential rainfall on the North Island, so onward we cruised to Auckland. We arrived mid-day on January 31st and then spent three full days exploring the area – in between rain, sunshine, torrential rainfall, high winds, no winds…. You get the picture.

With a population of five million people, New Zealand’s sheep population outnumbers people five to one. They have 53 extinct volcanoes, several of which are in Auckland. Fun fact: Auckland claims to have the highest percentage of boat ownership in the world. Currently holding the Americas Cup, they will defend the Cup again in 2024 when the race is held in Barcelona.

Lots of fun exploring the city on foot, even in the rain. Auckland is a very walkable, albeit steep, city. We can attest to the fact that there is good shopping, as we visited our favorite NZ store, Global Culture, several times. And we found good sources for our favorite chocolate, Whittaker’s. And we found a good source for Pounamu, also called Greenstone. Found only on the South Island, carvings from Pounamu play an important role in Māori culture.

Our bus tour of the city was fun because we had never seen much of it on our prior visit in 2014. Our driver, Eugene, referred to it as the “tiki tour”, which is Kiwi slang for taking the scenic route or the long way to get to a destination. There were many roadblocks due to damage from the 100-year rain event the area experienced this week and he had to get creative. We got to see “lakes” that have appeared in places like outdoor concert venues, most city parks, and any other low-lying area around. The ducks and gulls were okay with it, but the other birds were just trying to dry off. A visit to the Domain Wintergardens, most of which were still intact, and a drive across the Auckland Harbour Bridge, with a stop to look back at the city were highlights of the 2-hour tour.

Viking provided a destination performance aboard ship by Te Puawai – “A Taste of New Zealand”. An authentic cultural folkloric show by traditional Māori performers, they even taught the audience how to “Haka”. Only men stick out their tongues. Women shake their hands and bulge their eyes. Think New Zealand All Blacks…. Or go look it up.

Waiheke Island was our destination for one of the days in port. The second largest island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, it is 21.5 km from Auckland. We took the ferry over and back, used the hop-on/hop-off bus, and had a great time hiking, walking on the beach, and doing a couple of wine tastings. After arriving on the ferry, we hiked into the town of Oneroa and stopped for a flat white. Then we road the bus out to the town Onetangi and hiked our way up to Miro Vineyard. Great wine and amazing views. After a walk on the beach, we then we hopped on the bus over to the Whakanewha Regional Park, where we did and steep & muddy hike to the Cascades, a small waterfall. Then we celebrated with a visit to Batch Winery, located on one of the highest points on the island. A 9+ mile walking day was just what we needed to recharge our batteries.