Tag Archives: Auckland

Auckland: New Zealand

After a few days in Hamilton, we drove to Auckland. We had a great time in Hamilton and all of us were looking forward to the rest of the holidays.

I really enjoyed this holiday as I got to spend lots of time with my parents without needing to worry about work or cooking or chores. We were all relaxed and happy to explore places and enjoy each other’s company.

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The driver form Hamilton to Auckland was beautiful with the sun out and greenery everywhere. Seriously, no matter how many times we visit New Zealand, every time it manages to take our breath away and we always return wanting to go back again.

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We reached our hotel in the afternoon and checked in. We had got a hotel near the city centre so we were walking distance to many attractions.

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In Auckland we went to

  • Sky tower
  • Queen street shopping strip
  • Wharf
  • Aotea Square
  • One tree hill
  • Cornwell park
  • Onehunga Mall

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While in Auckland, we discovered this amazing Indian eatery called Little India by accident. They have a few branches around Auckland and I highly recommend the restaurant. I have eaten in so many Indian places but this was just the best so far. Loved every food we tried there. We ate there every night as my mother loved the food. We tried different dishes and love all of them. The especially loved the chole bhature and chicken curry.

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We had a great memorable family holiday and I can’t wait for our next holiday to start 🙂

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Take care everyone,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

 

Hamilton Zoo: New Zealand

I guess the way we spend time during a holiday has changed completely. I used to write about adventures and running around when we holidayed as a couple but as a family it was a more relaxed pace like spending a day at going to a zoo :).

We have been looking forward to this family getaway for a long time and we were all excited.

First thing at the zoo is a photo in front of the signage 🙂

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Hamilton Zoo is an average sized zoo, not very big to require days exploring but big enough (25 hectare) to spend with small kids walking, around and enjoying. The best part is that the animals are not caged like in most zoos so visiting Hamilton zoo feels like you are walking in a National park and animals are living in their nature habitat. All the animals are still at a safe distance in massive enclosures so they could roam freely.

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We started our tour with the Rhino first as the lady in the counter told us there is a baby rhino on display who will be removed later.

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I guess everything when they are baby are very cute, even the rhino. We enjoyed the two adult rhinos playing with each other while the baby rhino followed her mum around. We spent lots of time there and Chhori was excited to see a rhino after watching all the animal related rhymes.

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It was really nice to see many animals so close as well. I have never seen a red panda or a giraffe so near me. When we visited Dubbo zoo, we had a pretty good encounter with giraffes but this was even better as we are on the same level and I could see how tall they really are. They are just spectacular and we spend lots of time admiring them.

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The Sumatran tiger exhibit was also impressive so were the chimpanzee and cheetah.

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There were many chimpanzees on display and there were some babies too. It was really cool to see them lay a picnic rug before they sat down. So many of their actions reminded me of human beings 🙂

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We also saw lots of other creatures, including native New Zealand birds and reptiles.

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The other thing I discovered that day is how patient and great teacher AS is to our daughter. The whole day, he was pointing at animals and birds and explaining to Chhori what they are and talking to her to keep her interested.

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Also I saw how much my parents loved Chhori as they kept on playing with her making sure she was OK. It is so great to have them around.

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It took us around 3 hours to walk around the whole zoo. Chhori napped for an hour or so during the visit so she was full of energy when she was awake, running around everywhere and enjoying the day.

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We all were hungry at the end of it so we went to the café onsite for lunch. They even have peacocks walking around the café area. We ordered burger and chips and Chhori had nuggets.

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There is a playground inside the zoo as well so Chhori and I managed to have fun for a while on the swing before we left the zoo.

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I have to admit we all had great fun. A perfect way to spend a day in Hamilton.

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Next stop Hamilton Garden, see you soon with that post.

Take care everyone,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

 

Our family trip to New Zealand

As I wrote in my post, I was excited and anxious about our trip to New Zealand. I was excited for Chhori as it was her first overseas trip but scared for myself as I didn’t know how I would handle her if she started to cry or threw tantrums in the plane.

Our flight was at 9 am so we took a cab to the airport very early. Luckily, Chhori woke up on her own around 6 am so things worked out perfectly. We had a bit of drama for the cab but we reached the airport on time and checked in and were in front of boarding gate by 7 am.

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Like last time, Chhori was walking around and saying “Hi” to everyone around us in the waiting lounge. She made friends with a few of the air hostess from Emirates. They were really nice and sweet with her and Chhori loved all the attention.

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Then it was time for the actual test: 3 hours flight with a toddler. The good news was that she was well behaved and happy the whole flight. She just ate and interacted with people most of the time. We also had a tablet ready for her just in case she got cranky but she was not interested in her rhymes for a long period.

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She would rather walk up and down the aisle. Everyone on-board were very sweet to her when she went in front of them randomly and said “Hi”.

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On our way back she even made friends with a family who had two kids around 6 and 8 years. They were happy to take her for almost an hour, so she sat on the mum’s lap playing with crayons and toys. The kids were playing with her and she was delighted to play with new people and toys. I really appreciated having such lovely people on-board our flight. So overall, Chhori was well behaved on the plane and our next big test will now be during our big trip to Malaysia and Nepal next year. Hope it will be as easy as this one.

As I and AS had been to New Zealand multiple times, this time we made sure we knew what we were doing every day in advance. We flew to Auckland and spent a few days in Hamilton and the rest of our trip in Auckland.

When we left Sydney, it was warm and sunny for winter but New Zealand was really cold and chilly. Once we landed, we hired a car and went straight to Hamilton.

Hamilton is a small beautiful city 2.5 hours from Auckland airport. By the time we reached our hotel, it was dark and was drizzling a little. We checked in and were glad to find our rooms were warm and cosy. We ordered our dinner and just rested for the evening as we planned to go to the Hamilton Zoo the next morning.

The next day, we were greeted by a beautiful sunny day and were glad there would be no rain for the rest of our time in Hamilton. Our hotel was next to a golf course so we could see greenery when we opened the window. I felt very relaxed and happy and so did AS and my parents.

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On the other hand, Chhori was too excited discovering new rooms, opening every drawer and cupboard :). It definitely made us realise how much we have done at our own place to childproof the rooms. We don’t have to worry at all to leave her on her own in our apartment but at the hotel, it was hard to be constantly making sure she didn’t hurt herself or break something.

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After breakfast, we drove towards the zoo . I was driving that morning and, it was a breeze to drive there in comparison to Sydney, no road madness and no crazy drives. It made me realise it may be a great idea to live in a small city where getting from one place to another is not a big headache.

I will write about our trip to Hamilton Zoo in my next post.

Till then take care and have a great day.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

Chhori’s first overseas trip

We are off to Auckland, New Zealand tomorrow and I am really excited for Chhori as it is her first overseas trip. I know it is not very far away but 3 hours flight to another country where you need a passport to enter will be another milestone to celebrate for Chhori.

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We are going with my parents and it will be their first time to New Zealand as well. Me and AS are going to be the guides for this trip as we have been to NZ multiple times.

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We (AS and I) love New Zealand as it reminds us so much of Nepal and it is definitely one of our favourite destinations. If you remember, we went to New Zealand on my babymoon too so technically Chhori has been there when she was still in my tummy 🙂

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For last few days Chhori has flu and mild fever but it seems to be getting better. I hope she will be 100% when we head to the airport tomorrow.

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We have done most of the packing and are eagerly waiting for our adventures.

We will be there for a week and have planned most of the days on what to do and where to go.

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I will definitely blog about the trip once we are back.

Till I see you again, have a great day and see you soon.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

Our Story : Trip to New Zealand: Auckland – Part 34

This is a continuation of my previous posts. Please read the previous posts here.

We spent the last few days of our holiday in Auckland. It was autumn but Auckland was still wet. We stayed in the middle of the city and our hotel was nice and close to restaurants and shops.

Cornwall Park and One Tree Hill

After looking up what to do in Auckland, we made our first stop at One Tree Hill. One Tree Hill, also known as Maungakiekie, is a 182 metre volcanic peak. The summit provides views across the Auckland area, and allows visitors to see both of Auckland’s harbours.

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It was a short drive from our hotel. It was still drizzling when we parked our car but both AS and I were both in the mood to enjoy the day no matter what. We had brought umbrellas the day before so we were well equipped for the day J.

Steeped in Maori history, this dormant volcanic hill set in the beautiful Cornwall Park was the perfect outer city escape. The volcanic cone was the centre point of the Maori occupation during the 18th century, and the obelisk acknowledges its importance as a sacred and special place as it is also the final resting place and grave of Sir John Logan Campbell.

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We made it to the top of One Tree Hill and joined a few others who were taking photos. After a walk to the summit and when all of the necessary photographic shots had been taken, we decided to simply sit for a few moments.

Auckland sky tower

One of the days we decided to go and visit the Auckland sky tower as it was on the top ten places to visit on trip advisor.

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The Sky Tower Observatory perches at the top, like a doughnut, resting at the top of a giant stick.

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The doughnut-like shape allows you a 360 degree panoramic view of Auckland and its surroundings. The views are amazing from the viewing platform. There are some glass floor parts and it was just great to stand on it and see the ground far, far feet below.

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From the top, we saw people doing Sky Jump and were eager to do it as well but we had not booked it in advance. By the look of people doing it, I think it would be a great adventure.Auckland (1)

Wharf

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One evening went and explored the wharf around Auckland. It was beautiful with many nice restaurants and cafés but it was windy so we didn’t stay long.

City

We were out and about in city a few times. We went shopping and eating at different places and enjoyed our walk. I love the place, which was so multicultural, and reminded me of Sydney a lot. We saw a few churches and bought a few souvenirs.

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From Auckland, we drove to our car hire company and then to the airport. Our exciting holiday came to an end and we left New Zealand with heaps of memories.

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Take care everyone, more on next post.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

Go to Part 35