From December 3rd (Tuesday) to 10th (Tuesday), I embarked on a journey across the North Island of New Zealand, traveling from Auckland to Wellington on the Northern Explorer. On this occasion, I will Auckland, the first destination my trip.

December 3rd(Tue)/4th(Wed)
I first flew to Sydney on flight JL51 departing from Haneda Airport at 19:15, arriving at 6:50 the next morning. After taking a short break in the Qantas lounge, I boarded flight QF143 departing at 8:55 and arrived in Auckland at 14:05. I applied for the NZeTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) required for entry into New Zealand online in November, and also declared the NZTD (New Zealand Travel Declaration) before departure, so I did not need to fill out a paper immigration and customs declaration form and was able to enter the country smoothly through the eGate. The NZeTA costs NZ$23, but I also had to pay NZ$100 for the IVL (International Tourist Tax), so the total cost was NZ$123. I felt that it would be better to consider taxes for foreign tourists in Japan as well.

I took a taxi from Auckland Airport to my accommodation, Crown Plaza Auckland. There was subway construction going on in various places in the city, and the road in front of the hotel was one-way.

The Sky Tower stands close to the hotel.

After taking a short rest in the room, we first went to the nearby Sky Tower. It’s a great place to get a good view of the whole city.

I paid the senior admission fee of NZ$40 for the underground entrance and took the elevator to the observation deck. The 360-degree view was spectacular.

There were glass floors in places, which made my legs stiff.

The skywalkers were getting ready to go. As someone with a fear of heights, I don’t understand what is so fun about doing something like this.

Next, I proceeded to the nearby St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Unfortunately, I was unable to enter as it closed at 6:00 p.m. It was regrettable, as the stained glass appeared very beautiful from the entrance.

This evening’s meal was at a restaurant named The Occidental, which is conveniently nearby.

I heard that Auckland has delicious seafood, so I ordered raw oysters, mussels and chicken schnitzel with white wine.

December 5th(Thr)
Today, I intend to use the Hop on Hop off bus to tour the city. It departs from the boarding point under the Sky Tower, and during the summer, there is a Blue Tour that takes to Mt. Eden, a mountain with an altitude of 196m a crater remnant its last eruption 15,000 years ago, located the outskirts of Auckland. I climbed the slope for more than 20 minutes from the bus stop and finally reached the summit. is quite a challenging path for the elderly, but the view from the top is spectacular.

Beyond the remnants of the crater, you can see the city center.

This area was developed as a residential area in the 19th century.

The small hill you can see in the distance may also be the remains of an ancient volcano.

Next, I visited the Auckland Museum, but as appeared that viewing the numerous exhibits would time-consuming, I admired impressive exterior instead. This location serves as the transfer point the Blue Tour, which traverses the suburbs, and the Red Tour, which runs through the city. Therefore, I transferred to the Red Tour here and proceeded to Bast Point, where I could view the city the opposite side

The view from Baston Point is also spectacular.

This Art Deco mausoleum was built for New Zealand’s first Labour Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage, upon his death in 1940.

Although it was well past lunchtime, I returned to downtown and enjoyed a dim sum lunch. On the way, I saw a large Christmas tree on the street, which felt somewhat out of place during the summer season.

After lunch, I took a ferry to the opposite shore, arriving in the town of Devonport, which has thrived as a port town since ancient times. The photo depicts a building at the ferry terminal.

It took about 15 minutes to reach Devonport.

Victoria Street, extending directly from the pier, is lined with numerous restaurants and shops.

I purchased some delectable-looking chocolates as souvenirs from a renowned shop in this town. The shop has a chocolate factory at the back.

I had heard that the sunset here was very beautiful, but I decided to forgo it because the sun sets around 8:30 p.m. during the summer.

I took the ferry back to downtown and had dinner at a restaurant near the hotel called Tony’s Lord Nelson.

All the dishes were very delicious.

December 6th (Fri)
Today I will take a ferry to Waiheke Island, which has many wineries. The 9:00 ferry is expected to be crowded, so I took the 8:15 ferry and arrived at Waiheke Island at 8:55.

Today, I will travel around the island using the Hop on off bus. Since the bus starts at 1000, I will pass the time by strolling the ferry before getting on the bus. The first stop I got off at was Mudbric Vineyard.

I had the opportunity to sample six different wines at the Flagship tasting, all of which were excellent., the final and expensive wine stood out with its elegant taste and was the best.

By the way, I forgot to take photos of the first and second bottles of Chardonnay white wine.

The terrace is also very nice.

It was approaching lunchtime so I decided to have lunch at Stinyridge Vineyard.

The ivy covered building is beautiful.

Of course, I ordered a glass of white wine from this winery.

The food was delicious and the restaurant was almost full.

Even though it’s summer, hydrangea flowers are still blooming beautifully.

There are vineyards in front of the winery.

After lunch, I went around the island by bus and got off at a scenic spot along the way. The sea was crystal clear and beautiful.

Auckland is a big city, but if you go a little further you will find a lot of nature, delicious restaurants and wines. It was a very satisfying stay. Tomorrow I will board the Northern Explorer and head for Wellington.