Our Weekend in Auckland
Our first adventure in New Zealand was to the black sand beaches of the West Coast. Driving past fields of sheep and rows of grapevines, we wound our way down to the coast. We drove around the last bend and got a glimpse of the beautiful cliffs covered with local seabirds dipping down to the glittery black sand of the Tasman Sea. The waves were big, but a little too big for this spot which also happened to be where a man got chomped by a great white only a few weeks before. The beach is called Muriwai, and it's best known around here as being a vacation area for the wealthy of Auckland. After parking the car, we hiked down the hillside, took off our shoes, got our toes in the sand, and walked through a small cave on the beach for a little adventure. After the cave excursion, we went back up the hill to check out the seaside cliffs and make the drive back to Auckland. The following day we went to the Matakana Market for some local arts, crafts, and produce. We got a try a couple local fruits and even a whitefish fritter before packing back into the Range Rover to head to the East Coast. We first stopped at Omaha Beach, another Kiwi tourist destination with white sand beaches and rolling waves. After watching some surfers for a bit, we went to the Goat Island Marine Reserve to watch some fish swim through the rocky shoreline and check out some more beautiful sceneries. The roads back we covered with vineyards and more sheep, giving us an idea of why people count them when they're trying to sleep. Our final full day was spent finalizing our 8-day road trip to Queenstown, New Zealand and a nice walk on the nearby Campbell's Beach.
