While in Auckland, we stayed in an Airbnb in the Ponsonby neighborhood. We did a little research on the different areas to stay in and Ponsonby seemed like a hip little neighborhood that was close enough to walk to downtown Auckland, but far enough away so we weren’t smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown.
The location ended up being perfect for us. The neighborhood was full of so many great little cafes and shops and incredibly walkable. It seemed like the public transportation was great as well, but we ended up just walking everywhere we went during our time there. After being in Queensland prior to this, the weather in Auckland felt pretty amazing (i.e. no humidity and nice and cool!) so it was easy to spend our days walking.
One of the places that had been recommended to us as a “must see” while in Auckland was the Auckland Museum. While we were there, we attended a special Maori cultural performance. The Maori were the first inhabitants of New Zealand and originally named it Aotearoa, which means “the land of the long white cloud”. The Maori presenters spoke about the history of their people, including the musical instruments, weapons, songs and dances that play an important role in their culture. They ended their performance by doing the haka, which was a dance traditionally preformed before going into battle to intimidate their opponents. Today the tradition of the haka is continued by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. Jack really enjoyed the performance and had fun with the presenters afterward, even getting to try out some of the Maori weapons!
We also had the chance to visit the Auckland Maritime Museum while visiting. There were too many historic ships to count and some interesting stories about famous shipwrecks in New Zealand’s history. However, the highlight of our visit was getting to go for a sail in the harbor on the historic sailboat, Ted Ashby. In a city that’s nicknamed the “City of Sails”, what better vantage point to have than from the water? The captain was fantastic. He sat with Jack and talked about sailing and the history of the boat. Jack was hanging on his every word!
Once we were out on the water, it was time to see how well Jack had paid attention to the captain’s instruction. His first job was to help hoist the sails! He passed with flying colors and once the sails were up, we were powering through the harbor and even managed to catch a glimpse of one of the America’s Cup boats out for a practice run.
It was a really fun outing that I would highly recommend if you find yourself in Auckland. Jack had a blast and it was a great way to see the city from the water.
The Detour Diary 