On November 11th, I embarked on a journey to New Zealand. I knew that my weeklong vacation would make for a memorable holiday for three reasons: 1. Having started the year visiting the northernmost capital city in the world at Reykjavik, Iceland; I would be ending the year visiting the southernmost capital city in the world at Wellington, New Zealand, 2. My visit to New Zealand and the 7 hour layover in Australia would mean that I have now traveled to six continents in total!, and 3. I knew that I would be visiting a gorgeous landscape!
My one week vacation would entail stops in Wellington, Rotorua, and Auckland. The connecting flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia was on V Australia airlines. They provided vegan meals for me. The meals were labeled as “VGML” and needed to be requested by phone prior to the flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane. The dinner meal consisted of veggies in a sauce with rice and chickpeas. Applesauce accompanied the meal, as the dessert. The breakfast meal was also an entree of Indian veggie curry with rice,a rice cake, and dried fruit for dessert. Everything tasted quite good. It did include a bread roll and margarine, so vegans really do need be careful. The connecting flight from Brisbane to Wellington provided me with paid meal options. I chose the $10 Vermicelli noodle salad with Asian vegetables and a Karmarama(orange,pineapple, banana, passionfruit) juice.
After a 25 hour flight with two connections, I arrived in Wellington, New Zealand! My accommodations for the next two nights was the YHA Hostel. I was very impressed. It was clean, spacious, quiet, and provided towels, sheets, and great tour arrangements.
After settling in and cleaning up, I was prepared to hit the town and see some sights! My first stop was the famous cable car ride up the hill to the botanical gardens. The massive grounds housed many a variety of shrubs, plants, trees, and flowers. A lookout area gave such nice views of the city and the surrounding waters.
Roses and other flowers in pink, red, purple, yellow, and orange hues dotted the area.
I noticed a health food store called “Common Sense Organics”. They offer an impressive array of vegan grocery items. The shelves are stocked with vegan cheeses, chocolates, yogurts, and veggie burgers.
After wandering through town and checking the shops, I headed to Aunty Mena’s for a vegan meal. My dinner included a stir-fry Malaysian rice with curry and peas, chrysanthemum tea for my beverage, and an Asian jelly paste with rambutan, lychee, and rice cream for dessert. It was quite tasty! This all-vegan restaurant is a must-stop for any vegan tourist in the area! The menu is comprehensive of Malaysian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai dishes. Before returning to my hostel for a night’s sleep, I paid a visit to the Beehive parliament building and the older government buildings.
The next morning, I joined a tour group for the Lord Of The Rings tour! Our guide was actually an elf in the original film. The tour bus brought us through wonderful valleys, and rivers, and forests. We made stops at about ten locations where the movie was filmed, including Rivendell Forest and Eisengard. Attendees were given the opportunity to snap photos in the same spots where Gandalf stood with his mighty stick and Frodo hunched under a massive tree trunk with his pals for protection.
After this impressive tour concluded, I made a stop at the Deluxe Cafe for a quick lunch. This vegan-friendly place had many options. I opted for hot black currant juice, an Anzac cookie, and a sesame seed rice ball filled with avocado, pumpkin, corn, green bean curry, kefir lime with coconut , and coriander.
I then headed by bus to the Zealandia attraction. The outdoor wooded area gave way to many species of mammals, birds, and fish in the nearby wetlands. I encountered several local birds, such as the Tui with its unique calls.
My final stop of the day was the Te Papa Museum. It contained treasures of New Zealand’s history and peoples. Native Maori carvings and artifacts are kept there.
After my museum visit, I enjoyed the evening brisk walk back to my hostel to freshen up. The final stop for the day was my visit to Southern Cross Restaurant for dinner. This upscale, western restaurant served several vegan options, as well as dessert. The food arrived in an elegant presentation. I opted for the polenta with winter vegetables stacked up on a stick, with a local feijoa juice as my beverage. For dessert, I selected the vegan chocolate raspberry cake. Everything was exquisitely delightful to my palate!
At 6am the next morning, I walked to the convenient bus stop at the visitor center for my twelve hour journey to Auckland. The drive showcased the absolutely breath-taking journey across deep green, lush fields, mountains, and forests. We drove by the incredibly beautiful shoreline with its dazzling aquamarine waters sparkling in the springtime sun. Upon arrival in Auckland, it was about 9pm so the best option was to check in to my hostel:Silverfern Hostel, in the heart of the city. Although it was a four person dorm room, no one else had booked it this late spring time week, so I had it all to myself for the next six nights.
In the morning, I decided to tour the city on my own. My first stop was the Sky Tower. The speedy elevator took us many floors above where we caught a splendid view of the entire city, the ocean, and the surrounding volcanoes and rainforest ranges from the observation decks. Lunchtime was upon us, so I decided to wander down the road and around the corner to Basilicum (Basilicum). This health-conscious cafe resides in a spacious and classy food court. I ordered the curried cauliflower in vegan mayo, veggies(beans, potatoes, carrots) with noodles and rice. For dessert, I purchased a vegan, coconut date roll. Everything was delicious!
I then hopped on the ferry to nearby Waiheke Island. The quaint villages were surrounded by the scenic ocean views. I splashed around in the beach on the Pacific Ocean. The water was nice and warm. After a couple of hours on the island, it was time to head back to Auckland city for dinner.
My evening meal took place at Revive Cafe(Revive Cafe). I dined on a roti rollup sandwich with a potato and filling. My side dish was rice in a peanut sauce. For dessert, I selected an oatmeal roll. Everything tasted quite good! So far… so good with my vegan meals in Auckland!
After a good night’s sleep, I woke up bright and early to embark on the Bush & Beach tour with Grayline Tours. I had saved most of my oatmeal cookie bar from the previous evening so I could have a quick breakfast before my tour’s 7:30am departure. The tour included views of the Auckland bridge, the city historic tour, views of the harbor from the Mount Eden observation point, a rainforest walk, and a visit to the west coast black sand beaches. We drove through the trendy districts such as Parnell, Mission Bay and Ponsonby. A stop was made so that we could visit the Auckland museum for a couple of hours to learn about the region’s history and it’s eco-sytem. I was impressed by the vast collection of Maori treasures and carvings! The bus driver and guide made a stop at a local bakery where we could purchase lunch. The clerk offered to prepare a veggie sandwich for me. The Waitakere Ranges lie about 30 minutes west of the city. The eco system includes lush rainforests and black sand beaches. The starting point begins at Arataki Visitor’s Center.
Maori carvings displayed there. Our group took a trek within the forest to view the giant Kauri trees. Gorgeous flora and fauna appeared along the way. Waterfalls and local birds graced our paths. One of the rugged beaches is home to a rock formation in the shape of a lion. The beach trek allowed me to dip my feet in the warm Tasman Sea. It was such a pleasurable and scenic day!
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Our group returned back to Auckland by early evening. For dinner, I decided on LovingHut(61 Victoria Street) , an all-vegan restaurant. I ate a meal of Singapore noodles with veggies and faux meat. My appetizer was chicken tenders on a satay stick. For dessert, I settled on banana fritters. In addition, I purchased a vegan muffin for my breakfast the following day. Everything was incredibly delicious! I highly recommend this casual restaurant.
I returned back to the hostel, well aware that another lengthy day tour awaited me the next day. My quick breakfast consisted of the muffin I had purchased the previous night. This day’s tour entitled “Waitamo and Rotorua Experience”. Intercity Bus group is the very popular local bus company. The day started off with a morning visit to the Waitamo Glow Worm Caves. After a walk in the cave to view the stalagtytes and stalagmytes, we got into a small boat in the dark cave. As we rode around each corner, I could see the bright white lights emitting form the glow worms on the cave tops!
Our next stop was at the Agrodome. I got to hand feed sheep, deer, and geese. We saw sheep shearing taking place and a demonstration of a woolen mill.
We then traveled to the town of Rotorua. This is where we drove past Tudor Towers and geothermal steam pools. Finally, arrival at our destination: Te Puia. The Maori people performed song and dance routines for the crowd. My guide brought us through the grounds where Maori carvings, Maori village replicas, and geothermal mud pools and geysers appeared. It was exciting to walk through the nocturnal kiwi house to see the darling, long beeked birds wander about! Finally, we ended our visit with a demonstration of local Maori craftsmen and weavers. A stop at souvenir shops called me to purchase kiwi skincare products and a geothermal, mud face mask.
It was late when we arrived back in Auckland. I knew from research that there was a vegetarian Indian restaurant open until 11pm on K-Road. My dinner meal took place at a vegan-friendly Indian restaurant called Rasoi (211 Karangahape Rd). The non-pretentious cafeteria-style restaurant serves up buffet meals in a thali platter. I ordered the rice, veggie curry, and mung beans with a dal soup. The meal was yummy!
The next day was my last day in town and in the country. As is typical of me, everything was planned from morning until night. The day started with a visit to the infamous Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctica Museum. Sealife such as sharks and stingrays were on display. One of the coolest exhibits was the portion of the actual hut and the original belongings of the explorer Scott and the first teams of people to reach the Antarctica continent! The highlight of my visit was the snowcat vehicle ride which took me through a cool area of the museum where the penguin colony is housed.
After the museum visit, the neighboring suburb of Davenport was on my itinerary. First, I stopped at Gang Korean Pancakes by the waterfront for a vegan sushi lunch with miso soup and aloe juice.
I caught the short, 11 minute ferry ride in the early afternoon. The suburb provided spectacular views of the Auckland skyline, downtown, and Sky Tower from the waterfront! In Davenport, I took a one hour bus tour. The guide made stops at the top of Mount Victoria volcano where armed forces were prepared to protect the city decades ago. As we drove through town, we glanced upon the quaint, little gingerbread cottages with their Victorian style fronts. The downtown streets boasted of little gift shops and cafes. I noticed a health-conscious cafe called “Zest”. The owner was kind enough to make a local, savory, veggie pie for me! It was extremely tasty! They serve nutritious smoothies also. I recommend that vegan visitors to Davenport stop for a meal at this cafe.
The popular Davenport Chocolates was open,so I went in to sample some vegan dark chocolate.
More time was spent shopping for gifts strolling the neighborhood, and enjoying the waterfront views.
After several hours in Davenport, I took the ferry back to Auckland city. Dinnertime had arrived. For my final meal in New Zealand, I chose an elegant restaurant in an upscale hotel. Hector’s restaurant(Hector’s Restaurant) provides a separate vegan menu, consisting of Pacific Rim dishes. I opted for the macadamia and herb roasted eggplant in a filo pastry with braised winter greens, corn mousse, and a wakame tea powder. For dessert, I selected the macadamia and rhubarb baklava. My meal and dessert were superb!
At 3am the following morning, I took the shuttle to the airport for my return trip to the USA. What memories of an amazing time! My one week vacation in New Zealand was filled with absolutely breath-taking landscapes, historic landmarks, experiences of the local Maori culture, and wonderful vegan foods! I am going to treasure this vacation forever!
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