NZ was one of the easier international airports to fly to from Tahiti, so it was only a stop over on our way to
Southeast Asia and we were only there for two nights. This was ok since it's winter time there and the weather was cold and rainy. However, from what we did see, it's a beautiful country with a ton of cool things to do and amazing places to visit. Em and I already decided we would be back here some day during their summer months to do a proper vacation.
Of the little time we did have, we checked into our hotel in the heart of the city of Auckalnd, right around the corner from the Auckland City Sky Tower, one of their more famous structures (supposedly the tallest building in the southern hemisphere). We headed out on foot, down to the water front area to grab some dinner and check out some of the local pubs before we called it a night. With the sky tower and the weather, felt a lot like Seattle, with way cooler accents.
The next day, the rain let up enough to make the weather tolerable. After breakfast at the top of the Sky Tower, we caught a ferry to Waiheke Island, an absolutely beautiful island known for its numerous wineries. We joined a small group on a bus and spent the day wine tasting and touring three impressive winery locations. In addition to wine tasting, we made friends with a couple from Minnesota who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, and a couple from India who now live in Melbourne, Australia, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. After finding out we had been married for less than two weeks, they spent the time in between wineries giving marriage advice and telling old marriage jokes. Incredibly sweet and sincere. Basically, the one thing both couples agreed upon and kept coming back to was to "focus on the good.....let the bad go". Sweet and simple.
Still feeling jet lagged, we ended the night with a pizza and movie in our hotel room. We left NZ without getting to do any of the "thrill seeking" activities the country is known for or without getting to do some of the amazing hikes we heard about......hence our strong desire to return some day. Still enjoyed our brief visit.
Our first taste of driving on the "other side" of the road.
The Auckland City Sky Tower at night.
Top of the sky tower in the morning.
Downtown Waiheke Island
This was the first winery we visited called the Mud Brick.
Beautiful views from almost everywhere on the island.
Emily loved these New Zealand ducks. Apparently they mate for life....and when one dies, the other will mourn for its lost mate and die itself within 30 days or less. Emily thinks its romantic.
This was the last winery we went to. A lot more modern than the first....but once again...stunning view.
