On some of our trips back to the US, we flew on Air New Zealand and connected through Auckland, but never with enough time to leave the airport. Auckland seemed like it would be an interesting city to explore so we planned a short trip to do just that.

(fun fact: maps without NZ is a thing)

It’s only a 3 hour flight, but in the summer there is a 3 hour time difference. We left Brisbane at 6pm on a Thursday and arrived into Auckland a bit after midnight. A short cab ride took us to our Airbnb (free w/ credits left over from the Japan debacle) which was on the 30th floor of a downtown building. It had some great views!

Our plan Friday was to explore nearby Waiheke Island – a 40 minute ferry ride away – mostly known for its wineries. Don’t worry, we managed to find a few breweries as well! We started off a bit slower than desired as the 3 hour time difference took more out of us than expected. But, we made it to the ferry and over to the island for some adventuring after acquiring much needed coffee.  It was beautiful and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. After getting back into the city late, we found that there wasn’t much open, but luckily the one thing that was ended up being a delicious dumpling restaurant. 

Saturday was for exploring around Auckland, apparently without our camera. We found some craft beer bars and interesting shops around town.

Sunday our flight wasn’t until after 7pm, so we had the day free to explore. We stuffed our luggage into a locker at the ferry terminal and then headed over to see the Sky Tower and check out the Sunday market there.  As we walked around we came across floats that were being set up for the (unexpected because it had been delayed from the week before) Santa parade. Some were quite elaborate!

After that, we hopped on a train to head to One Tree Hill for a bit of a hike to take in the views.  On the way there we stopped at a Malaysian restaurant to fuel up – I had Laksa and it was delicious! One Tree hill is part of a large park complex, so quite a few others had the same idea on this Sunday afternoon.

We then headed back into the city to relax a bit before catching an Uber to the airport for our flight back to Oz.