Welcome to New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is a major city located at the top of the North Island. I stayed at the YHA International, just off of Queen Street. There must have been a couple hundred people there, so it was easy to meet people and find things to do. Everyone is more or less the same age, and there are bar tours posted on all the walls; so all you have to do is grab a group and go. It had a huge kitchen and modern facilities, so overall, great stay.

Auckland is a neat city to visit. It has a little 60 story Sky Tower, with scenic views overlooking the city and harbor (which is the tallest structure in NZ). The downtown area was packed one night I was there because the NZ All Blacks were playing on TV. Then, there is One Tree Hill and some other hills that were old volcanoes in the city. They look oddly out of place because you have city, then random green hills with steep slopes.

There’s plenty to do north of the city if you have time; the Black Sand Beaches, Sand Boarding, Hole in the Rock boat tours, and even further up is where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean (apparently you can see a line in the water). I however, was tediously planning my excursion across the country with an agent.