The North Island

I recently got back from NZ (by recently I mean three weeks ago; and by NZ I mean the North Island). I was there visiting mama bear.

Four hours south of Auckland, in a beautiful little town, home to a very big kiwi fruit, away from all the chaos and first world problems, mother lives happy and very blissful in her own world. She loves it. I could see why – the grass was greener, the air was fresher, and life was simpler.

I found this in my mum’s garden.

The Big Kiwi

The Kiwi orchid. Home to most of New Zealand’s Kiwi Fruit. They also turn Kiwi Fruits into liquors. YUM.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen my mother. I’ve missed her so much.

They say when things change, people change, but my mother has to be an exception. She’s still the same, hard working as ever, and set in her own way. She’s very giving, and trusting, and she loves her four diamonds (us kids) with all her heart. Spending time with her made me realize how much I’ve grown to be just like her. Its true, if a guy wants to know what his future wife will turn out to be, he should spend some time with her mother!

Mum decided that we were going to take the bus to Wellington. Eleven hours on a bus, I wasn’t looking forward to it, but hindsight catching the bus to Wellington was probably the highlight of the trip. I guess the drive up would have been exhausting for her, as I don’t have my license yet, and the scenery was breath taking.

The bus made little stops along the way, and it was the best way to see the North Island. If I had more time, I’d definitely would have loved to spend more time at Rotorua and Lake Tapau. It looked amazing.

Rotorua

Lake Tapau

In the middle of Some Where

At one of the stops, I tried this ice cream. Ohmegod, it was AMAZING. So creamy, but light. The white chocolate divine. I craved for more.

In Wellington

I found some good coffee and some pretty amazing eateries in Wellington. Most of them was off Cuba St,which quickly also became my favorite street in Wellington.

Coffee

First coffee shop, Memphis Belle. Good coffee. Serves amazing small bites. Love the deco!

Second coffee shop, The Hangar. A coffee roaster and cafe. Supplies local cafes, like Memphis Belle, with Flight Coffee beans. Amazing Coffee. Its similar to Melbourne’s St Ali’s, but smaller. Friendly staff, vibrant atmosphere.

Latte, and a Long Mac

Coffee place number three: Punch Coffee Bar. Cute coffee joint, owned by an American coffee enthusiast. Friendly lad, good coffee. He also sells a small selection of bake goods to go with your coffee.

Food

Floriditas: We only had dessert, but it was scrumptious. Dark Chocolate Tart with apicot and vanilla ice cream and the Apple and Rhubarb Crumble. I also had a glass of their tempranillo, divine. Finished up with a hot water and lemon in a bone china. Lovely!

Street food: A must try. Found a beautiful French lady serving up some beautiful french crepes.

Mac Brewbar: We had lunch here after visiting the Te Papa museum. Fabulous food.

Naturally, we ordered a bottle of wine, some Green Lipped Mussels, a Seafood Chowder and Fish & Chips. Everything was fresh, yummy and brilliant. I’ll definitely be back for more.

El Matador: We discovered this place on our second last night in Wellington, but it was late and kitchen had already shut. We decided to come by again the following night, for drinks and dessert. It didn’t disappoint.

We tried the churos with hot chocolate sauce, and the drunken plums served with hibiscus sorbet. It was YUM. The boys at El Matador were certainly charming, it was the perfect way to end our last night in Wellington.

Places to visit

Wellington Botanical Gardens. Beautiful. Simply gorges. Make sure you wear comfy walking shoes tho.

And you take the Cable Car up from the city. The views are magnificent.

Te Papa Museum. A must. It holds most of the history and artifacts of New Zealand. Definitely gave me a greater insight of New Zealand and its origins.

The view of Wellington Harbor from the Te Papa museum.

Willis St. I’ve been told its one of the major streets in Wellington. I fell in love with this church.

We pretty much walked every where in the city. Its a beautiful city. Similar to Melbourne, where people take their food and coffee seriously, but on a smaller scale. I loved it. Love the coffee culture, and it’s general vibe. Cuba St is the place to be. From food to fashion, night life and street art, it’s got it all. Ill be back!!

Auckland

I was only in Auckland for a day and a half, so I just walked around the city like a tourist. I caught the bus from Te Puke to Auckland. Saying goodbye to mum wasn’t easy. I promised her I’ll be back soon.

 

Food

Cassette Nine: Because I were only in Auckland for a short period of time, I didn’t eat or drink much here. However, a few hours before my departure, I discovered Cassette Nine, hidden in one of the alley ways. It was a Friday afternoon, and one of my most memorable TGIF’s.

Cassette Nine is bar/food joint, serving American inspired food. We (boyfie and me) ordered the Hamburger, Spicy Buffalo Wings, chips and a Reuben. To wash everything down we ordered a couple of beers.

The food was so good, I didn’t want to leave.

And this my lovelies is a NZ brew. An amazing one may I add. We had wine when were at Mac’s Brewbar, if only we had tired the beer, I think it would have been a legendary lunch.

Oh, and I did forget to mention that boyfie flew to NZ with me. Yes, he met Mum. Yes, I was nervous. Yes, Mum gave her blessings. Wee..

FYI we found some Mac’s down at the Acland Cellars (St Kilda) last weekend. Happy days!

Visit

Sky Tower. Yeah, we did the only touristy thing we could in Auckland. It was pretty amazing actually. Definitely a must.

The tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere.

View of Auckland city.

This reminded me of Flinders St Station.

 

Auckland Square, just off Queen St, similar to our Federation Square – live Jazz on a Friday arvo, after an amazing lunch, superb!

Lord Auckland. I wonder if the city was named after him. Mmm..

Over all, I enjoyed my trip. One week isn’t enough to see everything, but I had a blast. I got to spend some time with mama bear, and a week off work is always good. I’ll be back Auckland, to find more gems!

Can’t wait for my next adventure!