New Zealand – North Island (Part 2 of 4)

22nd Nov to 11th Dec 08

AUCKLAND SHOPPING



1- K-road



Besides downtown Auckland, Karanghape road or as many would call it k-road is another popular shopping destination and because I am not… hmmm.. Or should I say I have not ventured to the shopaholic stage, the stage where I would want to purchase just about everything I see, all I do around K-road was enjoying what Auckland had to offer… nice cold weather and plenty of good shops for me to admire.



2- Parnell

Parnell offers nice shopping outlets but what caught my intuition was the chocolate cafe. There I had a scrumptious creamy chocolate drink with a slice of cake which helped stoped my chocolate craving for my whole NZ trip because the drink was just so yummy.

I went to Parnell by bus at night, hopped on the green NZ1.60 per ride; just ask the bus driver if you are unsure, not to worry, they are friendly.

3-Victoria Market



To get to Vicotria Market, I walked from Symonds rd to destination, to me NZ is all about walking from one place to another, the weather is just perfect for a day out walking and exploring the city. Victoria Market has souvenirs for you to purchase but the price difference are not apparent, I would say more or less 50cents from other shops around the city. It is also important to know that the choices and designs of souvenirs vary from one shop to another.

Website : - www.victoria-park-market.co.nz


Aotea square market

Some of what you can find at Aotea Square - scarves, jewellery, arts and crafts as well as selected type of clothes. I didn’t get anything; nevertheless I thought some of the scarves were pretty.

Opening Hours - Every Friday and Saturday
10am – 6pm
Location - Aotea square, 299 queen street, Central Auckland


TRANSPORT

1- Get on the green bus which costs NZ1.60 every time you hop on which will bring you all around the Auckland city ( museum, Parnell, k-road, )

2- The free bus is usually red in colour; it will bring you around the city centre. It’s no harm hopping on a free bus and get a free tour of the city.



I-CENTRE



The information centre is located at the Auckland tower. I would suggest if you still need some idea on where to go and what to do, try make your plans from there.

The best thing I found out in NZ is that if you use land lines ( including pay phones) you can make arrangements for car hire, hotel reservations etc etc for free. How wonderful is that? I was amazed for a moment : ). So, from the I-centre, I went to the second floor, search for a pay phone and made some car rental enquires for my road trip around North Island.

Packing essentials in November: - Hat, jumper, proper walking shoe, water bottle, windbreaker (preferable rather than an umbrella).


that was what happened to my umbrella