New Zealand
A much awaited trip to the island country called New Zealand had left me completely broke for years to come. But I am not complaining. The place is adorned with generous gifts from nature and enriched with unique Maori culture. Sandwiched between Tasman sea and South Pacific Ocean and dotted with volcanoes the country is a dream destination. After a long 16 hour flight via Singapore I reached Auckland dead at night. The airport is pretty far away from the central city. The cheapest and best way to get to the city is to take a skybus which costs $36 round trip. Shared my bus ride with a wonderful young lady from Slovenia. I had booked myself a bunker in YMCA hostel at Pitts street which costed $223 for a week. On my way to the hostel I caught a glimpse of the iconic sky tower, the tallest commercial building in southern hemisphere, standing tall and glittering. As the wind howled at a chilling 13°C I settled myself comfartably inside a warm quill and let sweet slumber get the better of me. The next day I was geared up for the Piha adventure tour I had booked with Trippy. After a stroll around Queens street and a yummy ham and cheese sandwich breakfast the trip took off from Base backpackers. The amazing thing about Auckland city is that a 25 minutes drive in any direction would get you to the countryside and all the magic happens there. The first destination for the day was Karekare falls at the end of an easy one hour hike. Needless to say, the scenery throughout was breathtaking which shall consistently hold for the entire blog. Karekare falls welcomed us with sparkling clean water. Spending an hour there we moved to visit the Karekare beach.
A pristine location adorned with black volcanic sand where The Pianist movie was shot. Then our guide Mark took us for a 2-hour trek through Waitākere Ranges. It is wonderful to see how they love the environment and care for it. At every entry point in the forest, there is a provision to wash our shoes so that we do not infest kauri trees with fungus. Mark being a rugby enthusiast (supporter of all blacks) kept us entertained with rugby discussions throughout the trek. We also had a diverse group with people coming from Japan, UK, Florida. After soaking in the beauties of Waitākere Ranges we started for our final destination the Piha beach.
Mark left us alone to explore Piha beach. So, I decided to take a short trek towards the other side of the Piha beach which looked less explored. It was a wonderful decision as I witnessed the amalgamation of the Tasman sea with volcanic rocks which was insanely scenic. As I basked in the mellow light of the sunset I geared myself up to visit the Auckland night market on my way back.
