Eating well in Auckland, Aug 2023

 So much good food!  So many lovely drinks!  Almost everything we ate, at all price points was amazing.

First up, some fancy drinks

Lots of bottled drinks that were new to us.

On our fancy dinner night, we picked a more upscale restaurant that looked great online.  But then we got there and it was in an odd light industry area, and there was no one else eating!  We asked and they said Thursday night is never popular...so we basically had the chef to ourselves.  It was fantastic.  Just so good.  

On the other end of the $$, we found a Malaysian restaurant.  Uncle working, do not enter!

Dinosaur Milo!!

Great stuff I haven't eaten in years.  A comfort food place for sure.

On an outing across the bay we found a funky Thai place.  Great soup on a rainy day.

Finally the hand made noodle bar.

Not the best noodles I've had, but solid.

And note the funky spaceman coffee apparatus.   If I liked coffee at all I would have given it a try.

Auckland hop on bus tour, Aug 2023

My best thing to do when you arrive at a new city, especially if you have jet lag and your hotel isn't ready, is join the hop on hop off bus!

The logo of the Auckland shipping yards

We arrived in Auckland super early in the morning.  The World Cup ambassadors were delightful and fun to talk to.  We got to our downtown hotel, dropped the luggage and picked up hop-on hop off bus tickets at the ferry building.

We managed to see the heart of downtown with hardly anyone around on Sunday morning.  I later read a 1980s Lonely Planet where Tony Wheeler (one of the originals) said "Don't arrive in Auckland on Sunday, you will think it is uninhabited."  Guess that hasn't changed!

Auckland Sky Tower in the distance.  We didn't go up, but oh well, something for next time.

We got off the bus to stop at the library.  We love checking out the local library!  This has a slightly dated feel, but was clearly loved.

Perfect timing-after once around on the bus our hotel was ready.  It was a 2 bedroom suite up on the 40th floor!

They have information built into the sidewalks-lovely!

After seeing it from up high, we got a chance to see the port up close on a morning run.

Even their public bathrooms are interesting.

These are for the Wold Cup celebrations downtown.

It really was a spectacular way to live for a few days.

This is the hotel across the street from ours where the US Team stayed.

That is the bus taking the US team to the stadium!  When we realized, we joined the crowd and stood around for a long time.  

They finally came out...and there was a city bus blocking our view!  Still cracks me up.  Totally worth it.

Hobbiton! Aug 2023

Visited Hobbiton while in New Zealand and it was perfect.  The site is everything you want and we were lucky to have sun.

The Green Dragon Inn

The site is literally in the middle of a sheep farm.  The starting point is a cafe where you buy tickets and meet up with your group.  On the bus for about 10 minutes-with a video by Peter Jackson and the farmer, until you arrive at the Shire.

We took the 1 hour tour plus lunch.  The tour is a pleasant meander so that everyone has time to take tons of pictures.

We learned that the original Lord of the Rings set was temporary and they burned it for that one scene.  They returned the land to sheep pasture as promised, but then rebuilt it for The Hobbit.  At that point everyone realized that tourists wanted to visit, so it was a permanent build.

Most of the doors don't have a room behind them, but they are building one that should be ready in 2024.

There were at least 3 other tours going on, but they are staggered so you don't interfere with each other. 

Each home has a theme-this is outside the bee keepers home.

Hobbit size is interesting.  I felt only a little large wandering the lanes.

Up close to items and hobbit holes we all feel like giants.

Classic!

The site was scouted by helicopter and I can imagine this image was key to picking this particular sheep farm.  The party tree and party tent (and new construction) viewed from a hilltop 

and up close.  There is a special to do on Bilbo's birthday, Sept 22.

The mill pond

Sketches like you see in the end credits.

The only door that opens just a few feet.  Everyone took a turn standing just inside.

Lunch at the Green Dragon-better food than I would expect from a tourist site!

Amazing detail

A final view of the mill from the Green Dragon.  Can't wait to return and see the new hobbit house!