Tiff & Jared's adventures

I’ve been so busy the last few days that I haven’t had time to write our last blog! I’m going to keep it brief because honestly last week in Auckland feels like ages ago. Since January 8, we’ve flown home, packed up a U-haul, and headed out to Denver for our move. It was really hard leaving New Zealand after 50 days; it felt like we’d been there forever, but then at some points, for no time at all.

The last few days were spent around Auckland and its surroundings. We drove up to Whangarei and saw the Whangarei Falls. Our last two camping sites were both near bodies of water, one an estuary and the other a lake, and we got beautiful views and opportunities to soak our feet a few more times.

We didn’t make it up to the Bay of Islands but we did make it to Whale Bay, Manapouri Bay and Mermaid Pools. The former two have been recognized worldwide for their beauty. The clear blue waters and white sand were reminiscent of the Caribbean. The water was still a bit chilly for summer but we braved it and swam around the crystal clear water. Mermaid 🧜‍♀️ Pools was located right off of Manapouri Beach and could only (safely) be accessed during low tide. We ended up having to crest this super steep hill before getting to the other side of the beach where we were met with igneous-like rock. There were all of these natural pools created when the ocean retreated during low tide, leaving behind the perfect swimming holes. It was like nothing we’d ever seen before! We sat at this one spot for thirty minutes, watching the ocean surges spurt through a tiny channel before breaking and spilling over into some swimming holes. There were a bunch of crabs hanging on to the rocks, completely unfazed by the natural power of Mother Nature. The swimming holes were a little full so we ended up going back to the beach and soaking up some last sun on our last beach day.

The last two days in NZ were spent in central Auckland. Our AirBnB was in the trendy and hip Ponsonby neighborhood, which happened to be where we did most of our eating and drinking. We used that First Table website to go to an Italian restaurant for my birthday and walked down to this cool indoor food court for cocktails and cards.

Even though we were in the city, we found some time to explore the outdoors. We took a ferry out to Rangitoto, a quasi-dormant(?) volcano twenty minutes away from downtown. It was an hour hike up to the summit where we saw panoramic views of the water surrounding the city, as well as the famous Sky Tower. Being a volcanic hike, all the rocks were black and therefore hot. The hike itself was pretty exposed to the sun and not very pleasant because of the heat. However, I’m glad we got a hike in even while in the city!

Overall, Auckland was a cool city but I think both of us preferred Wellington for its relaxed vibes and eclectic restaurants and breweries. The last day in Auckland, we ended up meeting up with a couple we’d met earlier in the South Island for drinks before our afternoon flight. The trip back was long, but nice because we left New Zealand on January 8 and arrived in the US on January 8 despite an 18-hour time difference!

New Zealand was an amazing trip, full of memories we will get to share for a lifetime. Here are a few pictures to sum up the highs, lows, ups, downs, triumphs, defeats and unexpected adventures of our grand journey.