Beautiful Piha Beach.
Arriving in Auckland we were hit with a wave of traffic - something we hadn't experienced yet in this country! One third of New Zealand's total residents live in Auckland, so that explains the increased congestion. While it was very fun (and inexpensive) to stay in so many hostels and meet a lot of international travelers, in Auckland we decided to stay at an airbnb with a local! We stayed in an area called Point Chevalier, only about 15 minutes to the city. Our first afternoon we checked out a popular area called Ponsonby where there are a ton of cute restaurants and shops! We ventured into an alleyway (apparently where all the cute places can be found in New Zealand) and happened upon a great little marketplace area.
On December 3rd, we headed to Piha Beach - a spot recommended to us by a friend of Allie's and my mom. Piha is known for its great surfing and its black sand beaches, caused from volcanic materials. Oh man, was this beach beautiful. It had bright green tropical hills leading right up to it and amazing rocks and cliffs surrounding it. One large rock, called Lion Rock, you can hike part way up and get a great view of both North and South Piha beaches. I had never seen sand that color before - it looked like pepper! It was pretty hot on our feet but I couldn't believe how soft it was. We sat for quite awhile enjoying the beautiful scenery and watching the hundreds of surfers catching endless waves.
On Sunday we had scheduled to turn in our rental car (made it the whole trip driving on the wrong side of the road unscathed!) so we did that in the morning and spent the day downtown. We walked along the water, checked out Queen street (the main drag), and the many souvenir shops in the area. We went to the National Art Gallery (check that off as another museum for us!) and Albert Park next to it. At the park they were filming an episode of the Power Rangers! 1) Who knew the Power Rangers were still on TV? 2) Who knew they filmed in New Zealand?! I had no idea, so that was pretty fun to watch.
The next day we stayed in the Point Chevalier area and headed down to the little beach in the area. There were quite a few people swimming but we were happy just sitting and people watching. We were able to get to know our airbnb host, Robyn, a bit which was fun and she had a very cute little house!
Sadly, this is where Allie's road ended. She headed back to the states and I was set to stay in New Zealand for two more weeks - as a lone wolf!
Highlights:
1. Piha Beach - stunning views and a very unique looking beach.
2. Ponsonby Road - so many cute shops and restaurants!
3. Auckland City Waterfront - great areas with views of the harbor.
Lessons Learned:
1. If you are going to travel with someone for 6 weeks, make sure its somebody you get along with. Luckily, Allie and I are great travel buddies! We definitely had a lot of bonding time but I'm so glad we embarked on this adventure together.
Thanks for following along!
Auckland Harbor.
Ponsonby Road charm.