Auckland

Auckland, on New Zealand's North island, is the country's most populous city. About 1.5 million residents live in the Auckland area. At just over 4.5 million residents in the country, that means about 1/3 of kiwi's live in one city.

According to Wikipedia, Auckland is the only city in the world built on a basaltic volcanic field that is still active.

We swam at Cheltenham beach, visited the Auckland Zoo and Bug Lab, went to the top of the Sky Tower and visited Hobbiton. We also relaxed. The kids were wiped out from a long (and wonderful!) school year + loads of activities.

M at Cheltenham

One of the highlights at the zoo was seeing the kiwi bird. Kiwi are flightless birds about the size of a chicken. They're related to the emu, ostrich and cassowary but are far smaller than any of those. They're nocturnal and tend to mate for life. Their population is declining and there are massive efforts across New Zealand to save the country's national symbol from extinction. 

Kiwi's are incredibly challenging (at least for me!) to photograph. Thankful the San Diego Zoo has a kiwi and shared this great photo. There are a few American zoo's and wildlife parks that have kiwi's!

Consider:

- Only half of kiwi eggs hatch

- About 90% of chicks that have hatched die within 6 months

- Fewer than 5% of chicks reach adulthood

If you live near Washington, DC; Boston, Massachusetts; San Diego, California; Toledo, Ohio, or a few other American cities, your zoo or wildlife park has kiwis for you to visit!

The Auckland Sky Tower was a great arvo (afternoon) activity on a clear day. At 328 metres, the Sky Tower is the tallest manmade structure in New Zealand. On a clear day, you can see about 80 kilometres in every direction! If you're feeling really adventurous (read: crazy!), you can walk along the perimeter outside or bungee jump from the tower. We passed on those options, but enjoyed our visit nonetheless. 

Some of the Auckland CBD from the Sky Tower

Our final full day in Auckland we journeyed to the Hobbiton movie set near Matamata. Hobbiton was a major filming location for the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. The movie set is on a (still operational) family farm! After all the filming wrapped, Peter Jackson left behind some of the set for visitors.

The Fidler crew at Hobbiton

E checking out the Hobbit homes

M tackling the (trick) axe challenge!

Auckland was nice but not somewhere I'd rush back to. There's a lot to do within a few hours, but we just weren't feeling the long car rides. All that said, I'm glad we checked it out!

From Auckland we went to Christchurch on the South Island. Stay tuned...

The land of the long white cloud

New Zealand consists of two main islands, referred to as the North- and South island. I'm pretty sure at some point in the not so distant past I thought New Zealand was part of Australia. New Zealanders, referred to as kiwi's, do not appreciate this. New Zealand is far from a little sibling of Australia.

Thanks for the cool NZ & AUS flag pic, Quora.com

I'm not sure I had a huge desire to visit New Zealand until I got to Australia. Once you're in Oz, you hear a lot about the magic of New Zealand; you realise how close you are to NZ; and you realise how far you are from most everything else in the world. Thrill seekers flock to New Zealand!

New Zealand history dates back about a thousand years when it was discovered and settled by Polynesians. These indigenous people developed a distinct Māori culture centred on kinship and land. Today Māori make up almost 15% of New Zealand's population. Aotearoa is the Māori name for New Zealand. Aotearoa commonly translates to the land of the long white cloud.

With school out for summer, Aaron's parents in tow and some public holidays, New Zealand seemed like a great place for a holiday. It did not disappoint!

Our itinerary was as follows:

     Five nights based in Auckland
     Two nights based in Christchurch
     Four nights based in Queenstown

Thanks for the map, Lonely Planet

Read more about Auckland and the rest of our New Zealand adventure in the coming blog posts!