Exploring New Zealand

Jennifer and I explored parts of New Zealand on a quick trip back in 2016, but Rick had never been. A cruise was an easy way to visit both the North and South islands. Here’s everything we found charming:

DUNEDIN

Dunedin Railway Station

The Dunedin Railway Station is one of the city’s most prominent architectural landmarks. Dating back to 1906, this magnificent Flemish Renaissance-style edifice features white Oamaru limestone facings on black basalt rock and lavish stained glass windows, giving it a dramatic air and it’s characteristic ‘Gingerbread House’ appearance.

Fitted out in the lavish style of the times, the booking hall alone features a mosaic floor of almost 750,000 tiles of Royal Doulton porcelain. The sheer size, grandiose style and rich embellishments of the station earned architect George Troup the nickname of Gingerbread George.

The station is open to the public to marvel at the ornate interiors and period adornments.  A large restaurant takes up much of the ground floor and the upper floor houses an art gallery and a sports hall of fame.

Every Saturday the adjacent carpark transforms into the Otago Farmers Market, where local artisan producers sell all manner of delicious treats from fresh produce through to decadent pastries and cheeses. Something of a ritual for the locals stocking up on Dunedin-made goodies, a morning at the market is social occasion with buskers add to the festive feel.

 

 

Botanic Garden

The Dunedin Botanic Garden is New Zealand’s first botanic garden and Its wide range of horticultural and botanical collections includes roses, the herbaceous and perennial borders, a rock garden, New Zealand native plants and four hectares of Rhododendron Dell with more than 3,000 rhododendrons. There is even a Bird Aviary. The Botanic Garden is open from dawn to dusk every day of the year.

 

The Perc Cafe – Comfy coffee bar with a cosmopolitan feel serving housemade goods & creative brunch offerings. And, for a bonus, they had secure wifi!

142 Stuart Street

Brew Bar – A celebration of great beer, great food and great kiwi hospitality, we tasted the Orange Roughy Beer selection while we sat at a table on the courtyard and watched the rest of the world saunter past.

12 The Octagon

CHRISTCHURCH

Riverside Market – Overlooking the Avon River in the heart of Christchurch, Riverside Market is a fresh take on inner city life with a 7-day-trading indoor market linking into a boutique network of retail, restaurants, cooking schools, cafes and bars.

Corner of Litchfield and Oxford

 

Butcher’s Pies – Baking pies for 12 years, this delightful shop braises their meat for six hours. We loved their taste!

86 Cashel Street

Avon River – The singular enchanting element of the city is the Avon River. You can ride in a “punting” boat and lazily float down the river or rent a bike and explore this treasure.

 

Botanic Gardens – There is free admission into this expansive garden of 21 acres and worth every penny! We were blown away by this garden which began in 1863. Within the top rated Rose Garden are 132 different varieties. We thoroughly enjoyed our wandering through this lovely garden.

WELLINGTON – the windy capital of New Zealand

Mount Victoria Lookout – walk up Majoribanks Drive to this scenic lookout

Museum of New Zealand – Known as Te Papa, Maori for Treasure Box, this is New Zealand’s national museum.

55 Cable Street

 

Weta Workshop – Ride the #2 bus up to Miramar for this exhibit of props for “Lord of the Rings” & other films. They are an award-winning creative design and practical effects company that has worked on many well-known films, such as The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar, and King Kong. In fact, they have created pieces for over 100 films.

 

Wellington Cable Car – this iconic red cable car takes you up to the Botanic Walk.

 

Te Ahumairangi Hill – From the Botanic Gardens, head up St. Mary Street to two loop walks around this hill

Little Penang – Wonderful and busy with locals Thai food joint at 175 Victoria

Cafe Breton – Tasty coffee break spot at 20 Brandon Street

NAPIER – A coastal city on New Zealand’s North Island, Napier is set amid the renowned wine-producing region of Hawke’s Bay. Rebuilt after a 1931 earthquake, the city is known for art deco landmarks like the zigzag-patterned Daily Telegraph Building. Along the tree-lined waterfront promenade the Marine Parade, the Pania of the Reef statue depicting a Maori maiden, is a symbol of the city. The beach is made up of rocks, not sand.

 

Bluff Hill Lookout – Once the site of an artillery battery, this historic lookout provides sweeping views of the ocean.

Urban Winery – We took a walk to this in town winery for a tasting of their Tony Bish chardonnays.

3 Ossian St

 

Tennyson Cafe – Local favorite serving French inspired food and great coffee

28 Tennyson St

GISBORNE – the third largest grape growing region of New Zealand, the Maunga Hikurangi is the sacred mountain that is the first place in the world to see the sunrise each day!

Bushmere Estate – Nabbing a taxi with another couple for the 6 kilometer trek to the outskirts of Gisborne to wander through the acres of vines. Each row is numbered with the vine name, from chardonnay to Malbec and Gerwurztriminer. We soaked up the ambiance of their outdoor patio while sipping a 6 glass tasting for 12 NZ dollars. They offer live music on Sundays.

 

 

Kaiti Hill – this easy hike takes you up to the peak of the Titirangi Reserve

Waikanae Beach – Nice stretch of beachfront is the home of the Captain Cook Statue.

TAURANGA – The stepping off point for interior parts of the North Island like Rotorua and Hobbiton, this was our favorite stop on our cruise.

Bobby’s Fresh Fish Market – Located on the beach front in downtown Taurange, this is the eating joint for locals. We devoured the BEST fish and chips we ever ate! The fish was blue gill and absolutely delectable!

1 Dive Crescent

 

Mt. Maunganui – this hill on the northern point of town has a black rock volcanic shoreline with an easy path to walk around the entire hill. This base track is 3.4 kilometers and the path up to the lookout at the summit is 1.3 kilometers one way. On the way up you encounter a field of sheep. We hiked the shoreline path from each direction and stumbled upon two people eating what looked like sea urchins. They were spooning out this scrambled egg looking mixture which they told us was delicious. I wasn’t prepared to taste it, but Rick had a bite. He swallowed it quickly! Ha.

 

Motoriki – this small inlet island is only 0.7 kilometers long, but the lovely views of the surfers made for a wonderful photo op.

Mount Fish – Walking the streets in town around Mt. Maunganui, we popped into this local fish joint and had their fish and chips. This time we had a fish called tarakihi and red snapper. This was almost as tasty as Bobby’s Fresh Fish Market!

80 Maunganui Road

McLaren Falls – This 190 acre park has a huge lake, but our hike was up to McLaren Falls. This tropical roots and rocks hike led to a beautiful waterfall. And the drive out took us past vibrant green pastures of sheep.

190 McLaren Falls Road

 

AUCKLAND

Mt. Eden – this mountain is a great way to get in your daily steps, and features hiking and jogging trails leading to views over the Hauraki Gulf.

One Tree Hill – Located in Cornwall Park, this volcanic peak is located right in the center of Auckland.

Victoria Street – this is a lively street to stroll into Albert Park

SYDNEY 

Sydney Opera House – the Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbor, it is widely regarded as one of the world’s most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. Arriving by cruise ship, we viewed this iconic building from every angle – we were awestruck! When you walk up to the building, you find that the roof is made up of tiles.

 

Sydney Harbor Bridge – we walked all the way across this bridge and were considering doing the Bridge Climb. Then we saw people roped together going over the bridge with a very low railing. Nope. Not me!

The Rocks – this area around the harbor is bordered by Argyle Street. The cafes and restaurants are plentiful.

Munich Brauhaus – located in The Rocks, this German restaurant served us goulash and delicious rye bread. A duo consisting of an accordion and a brass baritone horn sat outside on the picnic tables and played polkas. We had to dance right there in the street.

33 Playfair