Ponsonby Auckland

Lovely lie in and a but of a lazy morning today! Jo worked from home until half 10 and then we dropped her at work and took a drive west to Piha beach. It only took less than an hour and we arrived - it had been quite overcast but the sun was out now and there were blue skies. We drove down to the very end of the north beach then back to the main …

Yesterday we visited the city center and the wharf in Auckland. We were feeling a bit worn out so no heroics were involved but we had a nice time wandering.

Every once in a while we would suddenly end up feeling like we were in Tokyo. There were shops selling the kinds of Asian food stuffs that invite curiosity for western eaters. But the …

I managed to break my razor by dropping it in the shower this morning, so first job of the day was to replace that. Then I went to the post office and mailed my IRD number application. The whole process seems incredibly complicated. I don't know why they can't just issue you an IRD number with the working visa, or when you reach customs. And you …

I sondags, den 26 augusti, bestamde vi oss for att ta taget in till Auckland och mota upp Rob. Trots att jag kande mig en aning krasslig, med ont i halsen, ville jag inte se min lediga dag tillsammans med Paul passera utan ha gjort nagot kul ihop.

Vi promenerade uppfor Queen Street tills vi kom till Karangahape Rd, mer kant som K' Rd. …

We spent today mooching around the pretty victorian formal gardens in Albert Park, watching all the students out on the lawn studying hard (or sleeping!). We also had a nosey at their halls of residence which flanked the park - what a great place to live/study! Once out the other side, we navigated our way to Ponsonby via another pretty green space …

... her husband Ronnie.  It was really nice to meet some more distant family members and we spent the evening chatting about the family, New Zealand, our travels, and dogs (both my mum & dad and Wendy & Ronnie have a great love for dogs).  ...

... spread out) - last time we were here (for all of 24 hours) thought it was a bit souless (a common complaint apparently but Auckland and its inhabitants seem to get a pretty hard time from all the other kiwis!). In summary, have really enjoyed NZ is ...

... our way through the city. Despite our urban surroundings, we were granted one last surprise walk through a lush New Zealand forest when we entered Auckland Domain. It had been many days since we’d been within the woods, and I nearly cried at the ...

... to Kaitaia for the next day, as I was heading north to do a farmstay for a week or two. I'd bought a FHINZ (Farm Helpers In New Zealand) booklet while I was still in England, but I'd never got round to using it (mainly because when I'm working, I like to ...

... enquires desk advised me that the available accounts were not really the best value for money. Free banking does not exist in New Zealand so most accounts come with a combination of monthly fees and/or everyday transaction charges. He informed me that ...

... 'I'm glad' to leave Auckland is probably the wrong choice of words. Despite the bad press and comments from a lot of people, Auckland's not a bad city. There is such a diverse, widely varied culture here. You only have to take a short walk up ...

... of MSN messenger. Like a few of the others who you'll get to hear about at some point, I'd met Johnno on the New Zealand 'backpackerboard' website. The Backpacker Board (BB) is a very useful, resourceful service that allows you to look up and share ...

... of town yesterday to make use of the free transport. We ended up at a very pleasant place called 'Western Springs', not far from Ponsonby and just decided to stop there on the spur of the moment. It was a very pleasant, peaceful park area which walks ...

... every square inch of the Nadi International Airport duty free shops, but I'll spare you. Arrived in Auckland (finally!) at 1am New Zealand time, and booked into Auckland Central Backpackers, which is right downtown and has great facilities ...

... feel to it. We were staying in affluent Ponsonby with the very hospitable Veronique and Stephen, and their son Thierry, winner of New Zealand's most smiley baby award 2005. We scouted out downtown Auckland on the first day (the shops stayed open in the ...