Auckland

Every third New Zealander lives in this mega metropolis, and most people in the country seem to despise it. However, it is not so bad after all. The 1.5 million inhabitants are nicely dispersed into the suburbs along the North and South beaches. There are many little towns with beautiful beachfront settings. Living is expensive in relative terms, but by international standards it is all very affordable. You can surf, sail, kite surf, windsurf, fish, swim, play all at your doorstep just minutes from town.
One little town set up perfectly for all these activities is Orewa, http://www.phpaide.com/?langue=fr&id=11 where we camped again directly at the beach:

Breakfast on the beach at Orewa

You need some time to find the charms of Auckland, but it has some nice pockets such as the Ponsenby area and the America’s Cup Harbour area, which is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants. You can see and sail the America’s Cuppers, and this is also where the current NZ campaign sponsored by Emirates is housed. The whole town seems to be built around sailing. After weeks of country living we had adjustment problems in the big city and only stayed for a quick lunch before moving on to Raglan, saying goodbye with the classic Maori greeting, the tongue:

goodbye auckland - we shall see you again...

Categories: New Zealand