Arrival

Kia ora! Day & Lise are in New Zealand!

But what a journey - Frodo & Sam would be proud - 2 buses, a train, 2 aeroplanes, one minibus and 37 hours later we arrived in Auckland at our Ponsonby hostel. The flights weren't too bad actually - four seats between the two of us meant we were able to get a few short sleeps between free alcohol, film-watching and food. The drama was saved for NZ immigration... Whilst I was welcomed in by a Scouse immigration officer, Lise was having a little more trouble, beginning with the fact that her epic surname wouldn't fit on the immigration form! This was followed by interrogation at the hands of two massive Maori women who wanted to know every detail of her life, background, travel itinerary, solvency and Australia plans. Her answers were good enough to get her passport back, but not to get the usual 6 month visa I received - that was reduced to 2, so Lise just has to hope I don't decide I want to stay any longer haha!

Our first evening was a battle to stay awake, so after a walk and quick dinner it was a very early night! The next day we headed to Skycity Hotel at the Skytower to meet Lise's friend Kristina (or so I thought). When we got there I found out Lise had booked us a room for two nights over my birthday :-)

After checking in we headed out to explore Auckland, ending up sunbathing in Albert Park after some sushi (hard not to when there are at least five sushi bars on every street), before heading back to Ponsonby for dinner.

The Big 25

The next day was my birthday and a day of spoiling began with a massive breakfast in bed. The whole day was a surprise so when we ended up down at the ferry terminal I had no idea where we were going! We headed to Waiheke Island, a beautiful island of vineyards and beaches. Annalisa had booked us in for wine tasting and lunch on one of the nicest vineyards away from the main hub. The weather was fantastic so we got our first sun of the holiday drinking Malbecs and Merlots with a huge platter of meats, breads and cheeses, whilst the vineyard's resident Border Collie Sky (who Lise fell in love with instantly and wanted to dognap) looked on enviously. After an explore of the grounds and a quick go on the tractor it was back to the terrace for round 2 of wine and cheese. We definitely overindulged so the walk back was slow and we missed the bus, but Lise managed to thumb us a lift to the ferry from a local couple passing by!

That evening we had dinner at the hotel restsurant where i was gifted with a bottle of wine pre-ordered by my workmates at Princes! Best birthday ever. Thanks Lise!

The next day we met up with Kristina and chilled out at her apartment before we packed our bags for the Bay of Islands - the first leg of the Kiwi Experience...