This One Time In Auckland..!

This One Time In Auckland

We left Nelson for a 6:40am flight to Auckland. We did self check in, printed out boarding passes with the help of the crew and boarded the plane...all without someone asking to verify our IDs and passports! The one thing one of the counter folks made a stink about was my carry on bag. How much does it weigh she asked? It won't fit in the cabin she said. Look, I've carried this bag on a bunch of flights and planes around the world, even on the smallest of planes in SE Asia. It fits! "I'll let you through this one time!" She says and added, "remember next time." Jeez Louise...I don't plan on coming back anytime soon, so works for me!

Auckland surprised me. I wasn't expecting much but this city is not too shabby! At first it felt a bit like Seattle to me but Vancouver fits the bill more. It's also where we would see a bunch of the Asian tourists again. We haven't seen them since Queenstown. I suppose they make their way to Milford and then to Auckland and call it a trip. We wandered all through the downtown and waterfront area and then trekked across town to a neighborhood called Ponsonby which turned out to be one of my favorites. It's lined with cafes, restaurants, many of which shares the same name as the ones we have in San Francisco, boutiques and just had an overall cool vibe. We made our way here to look for a handbag boutique called Deadly Ponies. Noreen had been coveting a bag from here since our Queenstown days so checked that off the list! 

This is election year. The last time I traveled while it was election year was in 2012, the race with Obama vs Mitt Romney. I was in France. Now in 2016, the hot topic is Hilary vs Trump or so it seems. The world can't believe that Trump is being considered by our fine citizens. A fellow Kiwi even said, "Well the US, you have the left coast and the right coast and then it's the middle folks that just don't know and Trump is saying what they want to hear." Can't disagree there. "Unintelligent yelling" is how the international news describes Trump. Pretty accurate!

Before arriving in NZ, I heard that Auckland can be missed. I made the decision to spend 36 hours here before my flight back to SFO and I'm glad I did. I spent the last two plus weeks capturing the natural beauty of this country and its quirky towns. Auckland is different and definitely worth the visit!

Abel Tasman..Just Like I Imagined It!

After a 10 hour bus ride with a rather delightful driver named Chris, we arrived in a town called Nelson. Chris made the 10 hour journey seem short but make no mistake, if you weren't where you're supposed to be at the time you're supposed to be, she will leave your ass! Nelson is where I met a girl who used to live in the neighborhood I grew up in! She worked in one of the boutiques that Noreen and I walked into and she reminisced of her days in San Francisco with a smile. If you're ever in this town, stay at the Sails Nelson! 

After a short stint in Nelson, we moved on to a town called Motueka. It's probably one of my favorites outside of Wanaka. This low key local strip mall of a town would be our base for two amazing days at the Abel Tasman National Park! If you're ever in this area, must dine at Sprig and Fern!

We spent both our days spilt between a short two hour hike and some beach time! The first route we did was Torrent Bay to Bark Bay and then we did Bark Bay to Onetahuti Bay. Bark Bay is a beach of abundance shells and also one of the busiest and most popular. Onetahuti is probably my favorite.. long stretch of rather quiet and empty beach! This area is really beautiful and unspoiled.. just as I had imagined it in my head. Watch out for the wasps and bumble bees though. There aren't any trash cans in this park. You bring out what you bring in and it's quite impressive how much every single person respects it as the land here is pristine. In general, New Zealand is a very clean country. I'm not a bird person. I think they're dirty and mean. Leave it to New Zealand to have me paying attention to bird names and thinking they're cute and pretty. 

The most entertaining had to be the guys that work at the water taxi spot. They're a bunch of young and handsome Kiwis and Aussies. They're as literal as a bunch can get! They're called black mussels because they black. What are green mussels called? Green! Mussels pro tip: green mussels are the best as they're from under the sea and really only available in NZ fresh. "Blue mussels, because their shell is blue, is what you guys eat, the frozen stuff, because it's all you guys can get." These are furry seals because they're furry. My favorite was when I asked one of the guys where all the folks were as we loaded about ten kayaks to one of our pick up water taxis and none of the kayakers. Without skipping a beat, "they all drowned." And then there was, "This whole place is called Marahau! I just need to know where in Marahau you are. No worries just sit down, I'll get you somewhere." You had to be there for that one! 

Next up: another pit stop in Nelson enroute for Auckland!