After two lockdowns, life in New Zealand has started to go back to normal. Whilst we still cannot travel internationally, we can go anywhere in NZ for a holiday. Two weeks ago, we finally did our trip out of Auckland and we headed down to Rotorua.
This trip was meant to be back in August but lockdown 2.0 happened so we had to postpone it. The wait was well worth it though because we had an amazing time and it was a break we truly needed.
So I’ve lived in New Zealand for over 10 years and I have never been to the capital city, Wellington. I finally went a few weeks ago for my friend’s birthday and I wanted to make the most of my first time there.
If you want to know what I got up to, the things I did and bought and what I ate, continue down below.
So two weekends ago, I had a last minute trip to Hamilton. I wasn’t planning on going at all but I realised I didn’t want to miss out so I joined a few lovely blogging gals for a quick day trip. We went there for brunch which I already posted about so this post will have everything else we got up to during the day and the cool things I saw while we were there.
In my April-May Highlights, I briefly talked about going to Matakana. Today’s post is all about it and what we got up to.
At the start of the year, I shared part 1 of my Sydney trip with my sister. I mentioned there that I went back but the second time around I was by myself. Today’s post will be all about my second trip where I explored the northern part of Sydney such as Manly and Dee Why.
Last December, I had two trips to Sydney. Today’s post is all about my first trip with my sister. It was our first time in Sydney and first overseas trip together. We had an amazing time and experienced how hot Australian summer can be.
A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Mount Maunganui in Tauranga for a a mini-holiday. Although I only had a few days off work, it was a much needed break. We went the week before Easter because we thought it would be less busy. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the greatest but we still made the best of it.
I’ll share what we got up to and the food we tried down below so if you’re thinking of heading to the Mount any time soon, this post may give you some ideas.
Today’s post is a continuation of my Melbourne travel series. I have posted Part 1 already which is more of an overview and what I saw on the first day exploring this beautiful city. This post is about our second day there when I went to the Melbourne Museum, Eureka Sydeck and took the tram.
Because I explored the city the day before, I had a grasp of where I am and I got familiar with the main streets. On my second day, I wandered further than the main strips and just started walking aimlessly after lunch.
If I didn’t keep walking, I wouldn’t have stumbled upon the beautiful Royal Exhibition Building (pictured above) within Carlton Gardens.
A few weeks ago I met up with a friend at Auckland Domain and we explored the area. I haven’t been back here in a long time but I love this place.
Auckland Domain is Auckland’s oldest park at 75 hectares. It is a huge place and was formed around a cone of an extinct volcano. What I love about this place is there are lots to do and see. There is the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Wintergardens, walkways and just a great green open space area near the city. Parking is free for up to 3 hours too and that’s hard to find in Auckland now.
This day, we explored the domain and specifically wanted to see the Cherry Blossom trees. We actually got lost the first time but we found it eventually as you’d see in the photo above.
To see more of what we got up to, click below.
Last week, I shared part 1 of my Melbourne trip. That trip was my first proper time in Australia, first overseas trip with my partner and my first overseas travel since moving to NZ nearly 10 years ago.
We went to Queenstown last year but that was just a domestic flight that did not require going through customs and needing a passport. Our Melbourne trip required that and I wanted to be prepared.
The things above are what I had in my bag on the plane and what I consider flight essentials. Check all the details down below.
