New Zealand - North Island (Part 1 of 4)

Auckland 22nd nov – 11th dec 08

My trip to New Zealand covers only the North Island where my Journey starts from Auckland all the way down to Wellington where Ill share the things I have done and the places I have explored of this beautiful city of sails.

1.One Tree Hill



On my very first day in Auckland, my friend drove me to the summit of one tree hill which offers a 360 degree view of Auckland city, and this perfect day was complete with the clear skies and strong wind that kept us cool amidst the shining sun, its what I would call a perfect day. Just have a walk, jog, and bring the kids a long to see some sheep or just sit and relax. Just for your information, there is a history behind the name and you can read it from this website below or just Google “one tree hill”.



Two options when planning your trip to one tree hill, either drive to the top or walk to the summit and if you choose the former make sure you are wearing proper walking shoes or you will end up having blisters the next day.



Address:- 670 Manukau Road, Epsom
website: - http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/onetree/history.asp

2- Downtown Auckland



Went walking around downtown Auckland, as what my travel friend Rashid calls it “the chewing gum infested Auckland” , and I dont blame him instead i have to agree because you will spot the chewing gum trail on the pathway when walking around the city. I went walking around downtown Auckland 4 times looking for souvenirs and such and based on my observation, although some shops offers a slightly different selection of souvenirs, the price does not vary that much.

Again comfortable walking shoes are an essential.

3- Auckland tower



From queen street its just a walking distance to the Auckland tower, i didn’t try any of the activities offered at the skytower because basically I have ascended two similar towers in KL (Malaysia) and Sydney tower (Australia) . I guess all towers are basically the same. I just went to the souvenirs section to compare prices and of course it’s a little overpriced there.

4- Auckland Museum



One easy way to get there is by using the NZ1.60 bus which I rode on from downtown Auckland. Personally, valuable information was obtained from the museum exhibition “secrets revealed- the backstage mysteries of your own museum".

The exhibition gave information on what it takes for the goods to be displayed to public in the museum. It may seem like an easy process but it has to go through different stages such as the uncrating process, through registration and research, to storage and finally display, that’s when its finally revealed to the public.

Different exhibitions will be displayed at different times, check the website below for information.

Location:- Auckland museum –auckland domain , parnell
Opening hours:- daily 10am-5pm
Price:- free
http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/

5- Symonds street cemetery

Just a nice place to look at old cemeteries