After our 10 days in Fiji, New Zealand was the 19th country on our trip around the world. For the next 11 days we want to explore New Zealand from Auckland in the north to Queenstown in the south with the rental car on our own and we are looking forward to the many scenic highlights.
Table of contents
Our flight from Fiji to New Zealand
Just in time at 1.30 p.m. we took off from the airport in Nadi (Fiji) with Air New Zealand and landed in Auckland in New Zealand about 3 hours later after a very quiet flight.
Even if they are of course mega important, you usually get bored with the safety instructions before a flight. But those of Air New Zealand are really nicely made. For example, there is Safety in Hollywood, Safety in Paradise, Safety Old School Style or for some time in the “Lord of the Rings Hobbit Style”:
Our Hotel in Auckland
At the airport we bought two tickets for the Skybus Express, which drove 5 minutes later towards the city centre. From the stop it was another 10 minutes walk to our hotel VR Auckland City , where we had booked an apartment for two nights.
The location is great, everything is within walking distance. The apartment had a separate bedroom, which could be closed with a sliding door. The kitchen was fully equipped with dishes, microwave, two hotplates, kettle, toaster and dishwasher. Washing machine incl dryer is also available. Everything was clean and you felt comfortable. Breakfast is placed in the fridge the night before 8 pm and consists of toast or muffins, fruit, juice, yoghurt and a cereal bar or cookie. The Wi-Fi worked very well. The room was very quiet, although we had a room facing the street.
Things to know about Auckland
Auckland is the most densely populated and large city in New Zealand, with just over 1.4 million inhabitants, with about a third of New Zealand’s population. The city is located between two bays and is surrounded by 53 inactive volcanoes. Numerous islands close to the coast invite you to day trips with beautiful beaches and varied landscapes. Auckland is often referred to as the “City of Sails” because there are countless marinas on the coastal areas. In addition, the city is ranked in the top 10 in the ranking of cities with the highest quality of life in the world. Among the most famous sights are the 328-metre-high Sky Tower, which is also the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, Viaduct Harbour, Wynyard Quarter, Ferry Building, Town Hall, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Museum of Transport and Technology, Mount Eden Prisons, One Tree Hill, Zoo and Aquarium Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World.
Downtown Auckland
The sights in the city center
The next day Auckland awaited us with blue skies and bright sunshine and we set out to explore the city on foot. We walked over Aotea Square to The Town Hall. Queen Street, located at City Hall, is the main shopping street and leads directly down to the harbour, which now houses a large cruise ship.
The Viaduct Harbour
Viaduct Harbour is part of the city centre that has been completely rebuilt for the Americas Cup. An industrial district has become a nightout with restaurants and pubs. Here you can also see the several sailboats that gave Auckland the nickname “City of Sails”. In Viaduct Harbour we took a lot of time in the great weather.
The Sky Tower
From our hotel balcony we have already seen the most famous landmark of the city: the Sky Tower, which at 328 meters is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. In the evening we walked past the illuminated Sky Tower into the city centre to buy something.
Starbucks Global Icon City Mug of Auckland
Seit einiger Zeit sammeln wir die Starbucks Tassen der Städte (City Mugs) und Inseln, die wir auf unseren Reisen besuchen. Die großen Tassen gibt es leider nicht von jeder Stadt, in der es auch eine Starbucks Filiale gibt. Aber wenn es eine solche Tasse gibt, dann finden wir diese ein wirklich schönes Andenken. Hierbei sammeln wir allerdings (fast) nur Städtetassen der 2008 erschienenen “Global Icon Serie”. Unsere komplette Sammlung könnt Ihr Euch hier ansehen: Starbucks – Unsere Tassensammlung der Global Icon SerieAuckland has several Starbucks stores and also its own cup 🙂
Starbucks Global Icon City Mug of Auckland
Alle Reiseberichte aus Neuseeland
11 Tage lang haben wir Neuseeland von Norden nach Süden mit dem Mietwagen auf eigene Faust erkundet. Angefangen hat unsere Reise auf der Nordinsel in der Stadt Auckland, wir haben die gewaltigen Kräfte unter der Erde in Wai-O-Tapu und Orakei Korako erlebt, wir haben die Hauptstadt Wellington erkundet, sind über die Neuseeländischen Alpen gefahren, haben eine Gletscherwanderung auf dem Fox Gletscher gemacht, bevor wir zum Abschluss eine Fahrt durch das UNESCO-Weltnaturerbe Milford Sound erlebt haben. Neuseeland ist ein wirklich schönes Land, dass uns unglaublich gut gefallen hat.
» Nordinsel: Auckland – Ein Spaziergang durch die Innenstadt» Nordinsel: Waitomo - Eine Tour durch die Glühwürmchenhöhle
» Nordinsel: Die Stadt Rotorua & die Geothermalregion Wai-O-Tapu
» Nordinsel: Die Geothermalregion Orakei Korako
» Nordinsel: Das Tongariro Alpine Crossing & die Stadt Wellington
» Nordinsel / Südinsel: Picton - Mit der Fähre von der Nordinsel auf die Südinsel
» Südinsel: Der Abel Tasman Nationalpark - Bootstour & Wanderung
» Südinsel: Die Pancake Rocks & die Seelöwen am Cape Foulwind
» Südinsel: Der Franz-Josef-Gletscher im Westland-Nationalpark
» Südinsel: Der Fox-Gletscher - Mit dem Helikopter zur Eiswanderung
» Südinsel: Neuseeländische Alpen - Franz-Josef bis Milford Sound
» Südinsel: Milford Sound - Eine Bootsfahrt durch den Fjord
» Südinsel: Die Road to Milford Sound & die Stadt Queenstown