Last updated on January 8, 2024
We took the Interislander Ferry from Picton to Wellington. I’d heard that Cook Strait could be turbulent but thankfully the ride was smooth the whole way.
C had read that the food on the ferry was quite good and I can confirm. She had vegetarian maki and banana salted caramel while I had pork ribs with chips and a green salad. The portion was a reasonable size (although I asked for half a serving of fries) and delicious!
Two Nights in Wellington
We arrived in Wellington about mid afternoon. After a rest at our hotel, we went to a Thai restaurant for lunch and tried to go ice cream but the ice cream place was closed. We tried a second place but that was closed as well. 😩 We gave up on dessert and walked along the Harbour to enjoy the sights.
The next day, we started with breakfast at Hangar. It was one of the few places open on December 27 for breakfast close to Te Papa. I had a bacon butty and a coconut milk latte. The butty was great except the chutney was a bit sweet. The latte was fine but I’m not a big fan of the fruity flavors.
After breakfast, we headed to Te Papa.
Visiting Te Papa
We arrived at Te Papa just after it opened and I headed straight to the 4th floor. I enjoyed visiting all the exhibitions on Māori history and culture, starting with the Treaty. It was recently vandalized but has been kept on display.
I think that the museum is very well done. I spent a couple of hours on the 4th floor before going to the 2nd floor. I quickly walked through to see the colossal squid and the bush walk. There was more to see but I was starving so met up with to C to find some food.
Taking the cable car
I didn’t communicate clearly and so we ended up walking to the cable car and taking it up to the top.
I had some cashew nuts with me and so I snacked on those. We bought two way tickets but that was a mistake because we ended up going to the botanical garden and rose garden before walking to Lambton Quay to meet up with a local friend, H.
H took us for lunch at Master Kong before taking us for a drive around town. We walked through Willis Lane and Archie Brothers but didn’t play any games. What we did find and took a stop to enjoy was some ice cream. I got some gingerbread gelato and sticky rice with mango!
After a stop at the grocery store to buy some food for breakfast and some nibbles for dinner, we headed back to the hotel.
Onward to Taupō and Rotorua
Thursday morning, we left the hotel around 10 am to drive to Rotorua. Our first stop was in Bulls for lunch. The dish and chips were fresh and delicious, much better than what I had at Bondi beach!
From Bulls, we drove straight to Taupo. We walked along the beach and C and H dipped their feet in. I declined because of my toe injury.
Our next stop was to Kona’s for ice cream. On the way, we passed what is apparently the coolest Maccas in the world.
We arrived in Rotorua around 6pm. We wanted to go to ride the luge but it was already closed.
Friday was an indoor day. We stayed home all day except a quick stop to the store. We played Articulate (NZ version!) and Tension and watched Age of Adeline. H’s aunt came to visit and she made a delicious dinner of lamb with mint sauce, roast vegetables, salad and kowakowa!? It was a restful but fun day with H’s family. We stayed home with them and enjoyed just being with a family rather than in a hotel for a change.
C left for Sydney on Saturday. H and I were supposed to go to Waitamo but missed booking. We couldn’t refund the booking but decided to spend another night with family in Rotorua.
In the morning, we had breakfast at an outdoor market. I had puau and mussels fritters which were both delicious. I preferred the mussels because they remain whole in there.
After breakfast, we went to visit some of H’s family and walk around Ohinemutu.
I also had the chance to go to Te Puia for Haka and dinner.
An Evening at Te Puia
I got to Te Puia around 5:20 pm and had enough time to quickly go to the gift shop before dinner.
The evening started with a buffet dinner. The food was plentiful and delicious. I didn’t really taste that any of it was cooked in a hangi but the meats were all tender and delicious.
After dinner, there was a Māori cultural performance, including the Hakka.
Finally, we walked to visit the Pohu?? geyser. We had a chance to walk around the ?? area and see the boiling mud as well.
All in all, the experience lasted 3 hours. I thought it was a good experience for someone not at all familiar with Māori culture. I’ve had some exposure to Māori culture and so not all of it was new to me. For example, I’d seen H playing poi and the tirakau. Still, I’m happy I did it although I thought 175 NZD was a bit expensive for the experience. After all, how often do I come to visit NZ
The Final Stop in NZ
On Sunday, (H’s Auntie) N, H and I drove from Wellington to Auckland. We stopped at a site of Rewi’s last stand and at H’s marae on the way. The north is so rich with Māori history and H knows so much of it given that she’s a Maniapoto.
Our last stop on the way was at H’s aunt in south Auckland before we continued on to Torbay in North Auckland. We stayed with J and B, a Filipino and Chinese couple that are friends of auntie.
A New Year
We brought in the new year getting ready for bed. We had joined some friends for an incredible dinner, including several Filipino and Chinese dishes. The table was overflowing and I ate too much.
From there, we went to visit H’s uncle. We sat and chatted with him for a while before heading back. We had plans to go to the pub (I was the DD) but it was pouring buckets and I hate driving in those conditionals and at night.
On New Year’s Day, we went to the beach. We first tried to go to Longbay beach but we couldn’t TV find parking. We finally gave up and went to the beach at Brown’s Bay.
After walking on the beach for a while, we went and got a fish and chips. We ate sitting under a tree on the shore, and it was one of the best fish and chips of my life. I had planned to have ice cream for dessert but I ate too many chips and was too full!
We stayed with aunt of H’s in south Auckland that night go to. What a fun night of music (talented family) and anther feast!
Last Day in Auckland
On my last day in Auckland, we drove to the fish market and viaducts, and walked around the area. I had a traditional breakfast of mince beef on toast with a poached egg.
I’m sad that it’s time to say goodbye to bye to New Zealand and to H. It’s been an amazing trip and I don’t know if I’ll make my way back here again.
Next stop: Kuala Lumpur
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