Tag Archives: things to do in a new city

5 Must See Places to Visit for Auckland, New Zealand

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Auckland city which is also known as the ‘City of Sails’ is the largest and most cosmopolitan city of New Zealand with a population of about 1.4million people. Although it is quite a large city it has a small town vibe to it with everything within access and a friendly feeling to it.

There are plenty of things to do in Auckland for everyone, whether it be sailing across to one of the beautiful islands such as Waiheke or Rangitoto, sailing on the America’s Cup Yacht, going kayaking and fishing or walking or jumping off the tallest building in the southern hemisphere the Skytower, there is fun for everyone.

 

Auckland city from the bridge

 

Below I have listed the top things I recommend to do when visiting Auckland in no particular order! :

1) Island hopping: Take a sailing trip or ferry to Waiheke island for the day and explore the great beaches and secret bays on the island as well as checking out one of the 30 or so Wineries there and sitback and enjoy the views over a glass of wine! Just a 30minute Ferry Ride from Auckland Harbour, it is definitely a great day trip! http://www.fullers.co.nz/

B) Take the ferry to Rangitoto island which is a volcanic island which last erupted 600 years ago, it offers great views at the summit of the island and back towards Auckland and beyond. There is also walking trails, bird-watching and fishing opportunities.

 

2) Check out the Skytower: The largest tower in the Southern Hemisphere at 328metres, the Skytower is an impressive landmark to visit to say the least. Whether it be having dinner at Orbit the revolving restaurant, shooting in the lift to the top of the observation tower to enjoy the 360degree view, taking a SkyWalk on the outside of it or even taking the Skyjump off it! (www.skyjump.co.nz). Definitely worth it on a great day or clear night! Orbit Restaurant: (http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/Restaurants/Orbit.html)

 

3) Waitakere Ranges: Take a scenic drive to the Waitakere Ranges to see Piha Beach (www.piha.co.nz) amongst others and enjoy the amazing views, great hiking trails and good surf at some of the beaches!

Otherwise a road Trip around the Coromandel is also another great day trip with breath taking sites along the way! Both are great trips! (www.thecoromandel.com)

 

 

4) Popular spots in Auckland: Check out Mission Bay (www.missionbay.co.nz) and St Heliers for a great view of Rangitoto, good cafe culture, and good old Fish and Chips. Also there is the cafes and bars in the Viaduct Harbour and eateries in the Wynyard Quarter (www.waterfrontauckland.co.nz) which is a relatively new area since the Rugby World Cup. For a hike and great views of Auckland check out one of Auckland 49 volcanoes, I would recommend One Tree Hill in Cornwall park which is beautiful and then also Mount Eden.

 

5) Auckland Museum and Art Gallery: Auckland Museum and Art Gallery are both quality places to visit, the Museum is free if you say you live here and allows you to discover the history and culture of New Zealand through a well structured layout. The Art Gallery has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand with over 15,000 artworks and are currently showing the Degas to Dalí exhibition. www.aucklandmuseum.com/ www.aucklandartgallery.com

I hope you enjoy your time in Auckland and some of the great places above and I appreciate any feedback you might have! cheers! :)

Auckland at sunset

Auckland Bridge Bungy Jump, New Zealand…Bucketlist tick No. 23. :)

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Bungy jumping is one of those activities that has always been high on my list of things that I wanted to do in life. So many people have experienced and enjoyed it and I was given the pleasure of a present from a special someone (thank-you) to do a bungy jump off the worlds first harbour bridge Bungy Jump in Auckland, New Zealand. It was awesome!! :)

A group of about 10 other ‘jumpers’, a handful of spectators and I walked the 10minute bridge climb from the entrance of the bridge and then up to the top which stands at about 43metres high. I was embracing the views which overlook the city and then the fear started to dawn on me a bit more as I got closer and then climbed up into the ‘jump pod’ as they call it that I was actually in the here and now and would shortly be jumping! I looked around and started to see the similar fear on everyones faces and the jump order was read out which goes by the heaviest person first so I was to be jumping about the 4th in line.

 

Having a bit of banter with the instructor...;)

 

My name was called up and I sat in the chair (see picture) to have the harnesses put around my ankles and measured so that my head would dip into the water! I had a bit of banter with the instructor as he told me that this harness looked particularly rusty and he was not sure! ;) With the music blaring I then stepped out towards the edge and stood on the platform, did the mandatory look at all the cameras and smile and pretend you are not scared at all and then I bit the bullet and dive jumped off! :)

 

 ’The Plank’

 

The free fall feeling is amazing as you see the water rapidly coming towards you in a few seconds and then before you know it…SPLASH! your head dips under and out and after 3 bounces you pull the cord on your ankle to allow you to go into a sitting position and then I was hauled back up to the ‘jump pod’.  I was then back 43 metres high still pumped from the experience and back with all the other jumpers and spectators!

 

Pumped for life! :)

Overall it was a massive adrenalin rush that I would recommend anyone to do! :) Get out there and embrace this experience! You will not regret it! (http://www.bungy.co.nz/auckland-bridge)

 

Awesome view back onto the city!

‘How to succeed when visiting or moving to a new city with these 5 essential steps’.

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So here it is! My first ever blogpost! :) I tried to think of what I get asked the most having moved to and lived in 7 different cities and 6 countries for an extensive period (minimum 6 months). I notice that people always tell me that when they enter a new city to visit or move to they struggle to meet new people as they do not know anyone, know the best places to see, stay or go out to.

 

For my first blogpost I have chosen ‘ How to succeed when visiting or moving to a new city with these 5 easy steps’. This is usually the process I use when entering a new city. I hope you enjoy it and I appreciate any comments or feedback that you have or steps that maybe work for you! :)

 

1) Accommodation and meeting new people: Use www.couchsurfing.org (separate article to come), couchsurfing is a hospitality exchange and social networking service which has over 3million people worldwide. It allows you to stay with local people for free at their home and get to experience what their life and culture is all about in that city. I have met over 500 people through this and have had some great experiences. If staying with somebody is not your cup of tea it is also a great way to meet new people and possibly attend the weekly meetup of that city. This way you can meet people who are locals in the city who would know the hidden spots and share stories and information on things to do and see. At the same time you get to meet other visitors like you from all regions of life, if you hit it off with someone you can arrange a future catchup for a beverage, or possibly a roadtrip to another region of the country you are in. I usually email 10 people when entering a city and meet with them first as this gives you many open doors to meeting many more new people in your first week or two.

 

2) Accommodation: If you are not using couchsurfing then you naturally have the choice of hotels, hostels (hostelbookers.com) and other hospitality exchanges such as (www.hospitalityclub.org). Also there are sites such as www.mindmyhouse.com or www.airbnb.com. Mind my house enables you to stay at a persons house and you look after it for free while they are away and for a small join up fee it is certainly worth it, while www.airbnb.com is where you pay somebody for the use of their bed and breakfast for as many nights you agree to and make a payment through the site at the end. Woofing is an option here as well where you work in exchange for accommodation; a lot of people of all ages participate in this.

 

3) Meeting people: Sign up to meetup.com and join all the groups that you have an interest in (e.g. personal development/sports/hiking/going out/dancing) and go to at least two of those during your first few weeks.That exposes you to another 10-20 people depending on the size of the group. I have used meetup.com in 4 different counties and have met some awesome people who I still keep in touch with until this day.

 

4) Social scene: Go to localist.com of that city and get a list of all the best bars and restaurants in town which are then rated by the people of that city. Make sure you visit 5-10 of them and randomly introduce yourself to the bartender or groups of people, tell them you are new to  the city and are looking to make some new friends, and you will be sure  to pick up some new tips of things you are looking do there. Use sites such as www.tripadvisor.com and www.virtualtourist.com which gives the views, ratings and thoughts of people who have visited the city that you are in and lists in order the popularity of each activity or site in that city.

 

5) Longer term stays: If staying for a while in the city then look to join a few clubs which you have an interest in (e.g. sports club, Latin club, languages club) even if you do not play the sport or hobby however have a slight interest in it you can still join the social scene that happens after the games or events. This creates a level of camaraderie which makes it easier to find the things you might possibly need for a longer stay in a new city (e.g. job, house, gym membership, etc).

 

Enjoy your visit or move to your new city! :)