Cities-Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown

Auckland, the city of sails

Airport to the city centre

Auckland airport is not very large. The first hurdle I faced was at the customs counter. There are restrictions on food items that can be carried. I was carrying dry fruits, rice and few ready to eat packets. In the customs form, I had to answer a specific question on whether I was carrying any prohibited items. Before answering in the negative, I spoke to the customs officer explaining what I was carrying but he simply declined to give an opinion! He said I need to make the declaration first and then they will assess! Strange. Anyway, I answered in the negative and they cleared the food items I was carrying.

The approximate distance to the CBD is ~20 kms and it is best to take a taxi. The prices are generally fixed and the journey takes 30 minutes if there is very light traffic. Approximate fare is NZ$65. Not cheap but where in the world are airport taxis cheap? Uber will certainly be little cheaper. Public buses(Skybus) are also available but it is cheaper only if you are alone. There is no direct train connection to the city center. One can do a bus and a train combo though but with luggage, it not worth it.

So if you are 2 or more, don’t even think-jump into a taxi. It is also good to buy limited amount of New Zealand currency at the airport.

What to see in Auckland

There is not much to see in Auckland really, if you leave out the regular stuff like museums, Aquarium, Zoos, Planetarium etc. Some of the places to see include the following:

Sky tower…..great views, try either bungee jumping or sky walk or both

Harbour bridge…try walk or bungee jumping

Ferry terminal…the number of yachts/private boats is to be seen to be believed. No wonder Auckland is called the City of Sails.

Simply stroll around certain neighbourhoods

Aquarium if you want see penguins

There are several options for day trips

While there are plenty of day trips you can choose to do, the important ones are Bay of Islands(you can actually stay here if you are fond of water sports), Waitomo glow worm caves and Waiheke Islands(the wine island). I chose to skip Waiheke Islands and Waitomo caves(having seen similar caves elsewhere in the world). For the spare day I had in Auckland, I chose to drive to Bay of Islands.

Wellington, the capital city

Wellington is~320 kms from Turangi and the journey takes about 4 hours. Again a pleasant drive without being unduly scenic. There is a longer drive through Napier that is supposed to be more scenic.

There is not much to see in Wellington. It is a nice town though. Apart from strolling around the waterfront areas and cuba street, you could take the cable car to the top, look around the museums (they are good) and then walk down to the botanical gardens.

Christchurch, the garden city

Many buildings in Christchurch were destroyed in the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Remnants of that earthquake can still be seen, and construction activity is still happening.

Sightseeing

One of the best ways to see Christchurch is by buying a day ticket on the Hop-off Hop-on Heritage Trams. It takes about 50 minutes to complete the entire loop, and the driver provides a running commentary. You will see some innovative architecture on the way such as shopping complex made of shipping containers. You can see how the city was rebuilt after the earthquakes. The tram has several stops, including Cathedral square, New Regent Street(shopping street rated as New Zealand’s most beautiful street), Botanical gardens, Canterbury Museum, Hagley Park, Avon river, etc. The tram tracks pass through buildings in couple of places.

To Airport

Christchurch airport is the second busiest in New Zealand. It is not far from the city, about 12 kms, and the average taxi fare is NZ$50 or so. Prices can vary depending on the taxi company you choose but taxi is probably the best way to get to the airport, if not do not have a rental car.

Queenstown, the adventure capital

Located among hills, Queenstown is a very charming small town. It does not take long to walk around the main section of the town. A must see in New Zealand. Apart from a variety of adventure as well as gaming activities, Queenstown is ideally located for a visit to Milford Sound, the fjords region with great views of the mountains and waterfalls.

Other attractions include a gondola (cable car) ride to the top of Queenstown hill(Bob’s peak). The view from the top is breathtaking. Good to go sometime in the evening and stay until the lights come on. There are few activities you can indulge in at the top, I chose the Luge. The vehicle moves by gravity and you have a choice of 2 tracks – easy and advanced. Also good to visit is the Kiwi birdlife park at the base of the hill.

If you like adventures, Queenstown can keep you busy for a week or more. Most of adventure activities happen on the outskirts, you can either drive yourself (will be cheaper) or book a tour(more expensive). Even in the small town, there are plenty of activities to engage in – 7D shows, Ice rink, Aqualand and so on.

Additionally, if you have a car, it nice to drive to nearby picturesque locales. My flight from Wellington was diverted to a nearby airport due to bad weather in Queenstown. The airline arranged for buses to take the passengers to Queenstown airport and scenery enroute was just fantastic.