Welcome to the second installment of my recap for my April trip to New Zealand! If you haven’t already, check out my previous post for part 1.
Auckland → Bay of Islands → Auckland →Wellington → Queenstown →Milford Sound → Aoraki Mount Cook → Christchurch →Auckland →Hobbiton → Auckland
Auckland
After an easy bus ride back to Auckland, I stored my backpack in the super convenient locker at the bus station (less than $10 NZD), and went to do a bit of sightseeing. My first stop was Sky Tower, among the tallest buildings in the world, and along with other things, it boasts a pretty cool observation deck and a café with killer views.
After leaving there, I headed over to Alberton House, a New Zealand Heritage site at the base of Mount Albert that includes a historic mansion and the nearby grounds. I love old houses, so I really enjoyed visiting this one and learning about the family that lived here – visitors are given a surprising (to me) amount of access. I even went up to the attic and got a look at the former servant quarters. One of the things I found neat was that the kitchen was basically frozen in an earlier time, but was actually in regular use up until the property became a museum in the 1970’s.
I made a brief stop at Eden Park, the national rugby stadium, to get some photos for my younger brother, who requests sports jerseys and stadium visits from everywhere I go. Unfortunately, I didn’t check the opening hours, and they were closed when I got there – but they do offer tours if you plan ahead. Even closed, Eden Park is lovely to look at. There’s just something about being one tiny person in a massive, empty stadium that feels peaceful and meditative.
There were still about 3 hours left before I needed to be back at the Sky Tower to pick up my backpack and catch my Intercity bus to the airport, so I decided to spend an hour of it checking out the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The museum is huge and it’s the type of well-designed space that encourages you to never leave, so while an hour was nowhere near enough time, I was glad to have a time limit so that I had a chance to see other parts of the city in my limited time.
In the Hall of Memories, I was especially moved by marble column after column of engraved names of those New Zealanders who never made it home from the world wars. In part of the hallway, there was a blank wall of marble, the bottom of which was etched with the hope that it remains blank.
In another area, there was a display dedicated to POWs and their stories, and a small plaque invited visiting veterans to add their information to the display.
All in all, I had a great visit, and I’m glad I decided to go even though there wasn’t much time left before closing. Plus, it’s in the middle of the Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, complete with gorgeous trees, lovely gardens, winding paths, duck ponds…and apparently the entire thing used to be a volcano?!
Wellington
After a great day in Auckland, I made my bus, made my flight, and got to Wellington without incident. Even better, half of my Wellington stay was free due to some infrequent points I’d accumulated with Choice Hotels over the years. I’d heard rumors that Choice Hotels (Comfort Inns, Quality Inns, etc) are much nicer outside the US, and I think this was definitely true for the Comfort Hotel Wellington. Located in the heart of things on Cuba Street, I’d recommend it on location alone, but I also had a solidly comfortable and spotlessly clean room, and I was able to refresh my entire clothing supply using the washer & dryer available on the property for like $2 NZD. I paid about $84 USD for two nights – all around #winning.
I’d made plans for the next morning with a friend I’d met through GLT, a Facebook community of women who love traveling, so we met up for breakfast (shoutout to Dixon Street Delicatessen and their lifegiving smoothies) and some exploration. Wellington has a really neat waterfront district, so we walked along that for a while, marveling at the gorgeous views. Eventually, we ended up at the New Zealand Parliament Buildings, where I was surprised to find that I could sign up for a tour later in the day.
Reservation made, we stopped by the National Library of New Zealand and got a look at an incredible display in the lobby called the Lifelines Table, which has taken digitized historic photos and organized them in a touch screen table, then cross-referenced the photos with dates, maps, and the last names of many (all?) New Zealanders. You can explore different decades across cities and follow family names to different places in New Zealand. It was absolutely mind-blowing, and I’d nearly forgotten about it because I was so absorbed that I forgot to take photos. It’s just across the street from the Parliament Buildings, so I’d highly suggest a visit if you’re nearby.
Next, I headed off to the Weta Workshop to see some of the magic behind the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. This tour was effectively free for me, since I was able to pay for it using Ultimate Rewards points from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which I talked a bit about last year in my credit card post. In addition to props and special effects for movies, the Weta Workshop also takes on private commissions, and when I was visiting they were working on housing for someone’s private guinea pig habitat. YES! Guinea pigs. Elaborate dollhouses for someone’s pet guinea pigs. Lmao. I about died.
After the parliament tour – which was exciting in part because we got to see the Debating Chamber, though no photos were allowed – I went to check out the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Te Papa is free to visit, just pay extra for any special exhibits. Five floors of space allowed for a variety of exhibits, many of which are interactive, from Māori cultural artifacts to New Zealand history, to several genres of art, to WWI, to natural science. Te Papa is really a museum experience not to be missed.
The next morning, I caught a bus a few blocks from the hotel for the quick and easy ride to the airport and on to Queenstown. I really enjoyed my time in Wellington. It’s a very walkable city, which I love, and every street had unique buildings and yummy places to eat. There was a welcoming energy to Wellington, and I hope to visit again someday.
