Cruisin' : Auckland, Tauranga, Napier and Welly

01/04/24

Welcome To The Norwegian Spirit!

Auckland

I was blissfully unprepared for the luxury of cruising. When my mom suggested we would go on a cruise together, I wasn't sure how I felt about a potential Titanic iceberg situation. BUT, we did survive the whole thing! 

I landed in Auckland a day before my mom arrived so I could meet her at the airport. Her flight landed early in the morning, so I picked up a couple quiches and an almond croissant for a nice breakfast! Once she arrived, we were able to catch up a bit and head to the cruise port. The boat itself was ginormous. I was not expecting it to hold as many people as it did. We dropped off our luggage and the proceeded to use our little time in Auckland. I haven't spent much time in New Zealand's largest city, so it was neat to explore the cute Saturday market and Auckland Art Gallery! The gallery even had a Picasso!

When we finally made it to the ship, we were able to grab some yummy food at the Garden Cafe and explore! My mom has been on a few cruises before, but since this was my first I was very excited to check out all the amenities. They had a spa, a gallery, a theatre, a comedy club and several restaurants! The pool deck even had a stage on it! It was quite luxurious. We were staying in a nice stateroom that had a private bathroom! We settled in for our first night and got ready to enjoy the next day. 

Tauranga

We landed in Tauranga ready to be tourists! The boat dropped us off with plenty of time to hike, eat and enjoy the city! After gazing at the beautiful bay, we started trudging up Bay of Plenty's most famous landmark: Mount Maunganui .

We ended our hike by the beach and began to take in the sweet smell of the ocean. It made us hungry for some fish and chips! Since fish and chips are a New Zealand staple, I figured there wasn't a better time than the present. We chowed down on some delicious snapper and chips from a local shop before heading to the thrift market. My mom needed better footwear for the New Zealand terrain, so it was a perfect stop! We found her some new shoes and glasses before heading to Coffee Culture for some blogging. Overall, Tauranga was a great stop that ended in some delectable gelato and sunkissed skin! Once we got back on the ship we enjoyed a long nap and delicious dinner. As my mom tried to sleep off jet lag in the evening, I perused the art gallery. I got free champagne from the gallerist and called it a night!

Napier

In order to celebrate the artsy city of Napier, the boat had its first art auction in the morning. Mom and I went to people watch and peruse the paintings at the auction. I love art, but there were some real art collectors on board! I learned that some people go to the auctions to actually BUY the expensive art (not just for the free mimosas)! Overall, it was worth going because we got a free print! The city of Napier is famous for its Art Deco aesthetic due to an devastating earthquake in the 1920s. While the earthquake destroyed the city, the city planners had the opportunity to reinvent the space and provide jobs during a job drought. The side-effect of this reinvention was a beautiful beach town with a stylish 1920s feel. Most Napier beaches are not swimmable due to deadly riptides, but we spent a good amount of time soaking up the Aotearoa UV by the water. While mom made some calls, I wandered to the Art Deco area and museum. We only had a few hours in Napier, but it was a really neat town and I got costumed in an Art Deco outfit! That evening, I felt very empowered to do karaoke so we ended the day belting out Adele.  

Wellington

Thanks to my trip to Wellington back in October, I had a bit of a plan when it came to taking my mom around Welly! We started out strong with the cable car up to the botanical gardens. I think out of all of the beautiful gardens in New Zealand, Wellington's gardens have a special place in my heart. Since the bird life is so vibrant, I was able to point out some kaka, kakariki and piwakawaka for my mom. We got to stop at the top of the hill for a beautiful view of the city. The cable car was crowded but such a memorable experience! We ended Welly with some Duck Island ice cream and a perusal around Old Bank Arcade. That evening we got to have some delicious dinner and I attended one of the ship game shows!

Where am I now? 

I am currently writing from Auckland after spending a lovely week in Hamilton with my previous wwoofing family. We got to do a super fun Easter egg hunt and I got good quality time with some old friends from early on in my trip. It's been a very fulfilling friend-filled week! It is kind of crazy how settled I have become in New Zealand now that I know a few people! 

Nate arrives tomorrow (SO EXCITING) and we have quite the adventure planned for my last two weeks in NZ and his first time in NZ! The last few cruise updates will come soon I promise! I head back to the states on the 19th and I am beyond excited. 

To be continued...