Spending 4 days in Auckland. Day 1 is getting adjusted from the jet lag. We took a tour bus and then went up the Sky Tower







2nd day we did a food tour- farmers market, cheese and olive oil place, fish market and ice cream shop- we love food tours as they give a historical talk, a taste of local foods and are not that expensive. We had a small group and a great guide, the owner. These guides are always willing to talk about local issues if you ask- politics, schools, health care, etc. I love it as a way to talk to a local other than the person behind the counter at your place to stay or a cab driver that isn’t normally a local.


3rd day we did a bike tour- 32km with an elevation change of 431 meters- only 3 guests with the host (a corporate attorney that has tired of office work all the time so he does both now). A few glitches with bikes (ok ebikes so we had a little help but the electric part cut out a few times)- the main one being a flat on his fat tired bike that wouldn’t take a patch- we went into a nearby indoor botanical garden while he RAN back to his shop pushing his disabled bike and then biked back- he humped it and we saw some beautiful plants









4th day we did a walking tour, ate a great lunch and then chilled




Off to Taupo New Zealand by car- that damned British influence means I drive on the opposite side of the road again!!!
We liked Auckland. We walked most of Parnell Street and liked the hill top museums. The ferries are available to a lot of the nearby islands. We stayed in town on one trip and harbor side in the Hilton on another. You will also like the Wellington area and the wine areas of Martinborough and Marlborough. NZ is a nice country!
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Headed to Christchurch but stopping in Hanmer Spring on the way to soak in hot springs for a day.
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