Auckland

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand. Geographically and administratively divided into: Auckland City – the central and most urbanized part of the city, North Shore City, Manukau City, Waitakere City, Papakura, Rodney and Franklin districts.

Auckland is one of the few cities in the world that has access to two bays belonging to different seas. The shores of these bays are interconnected by several bridges: Auckland (Auckland Harbor Bridge) and Manukau (a road passes through it connecting the central part of the city with Auckland International Airport).

Several islands located in the waters of Hauraki Bay are controlled by the administration of Central Auckland, although officially their territory is not included in the territory of Greater Auckland. These numerous small islands scattered around the city are mainly used as nature reserves and recreational areas.

Auckland is located in the Auckland Volcanic Region. Within its boundaries there are approximately 48 extinct volcanoes that have survived to this day in the form of mountains, lakes, lagoons and islands. Many of these volcanoes are surrounded by vast fields of solidified lava.

Entertainment and attractions in Auckland

Auckland’s parks are well known: Victoria, West, Myers, Albert Park and the huge Auckland Domain. You can also visit Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World – an Antarctic animal research center with a museum dedicated to the first explorers of Antarctica, an underwater tunnel with a moving walkway and a pool with sea stingrays that you can touch.

A good souvenir market is located on Victoria Park Market Square, from Queens Wharf Pier you can take a ferry to the Rangitoto Volcano Island, Waiheke Island of Villas and Beaches and the Great Barrier Resort Island. An excellent collection of Maori art is in the Auckland Museum.

Auckland Museum

Domain Drive, The Domain, Parnell, Tel: +64 (0)9 309 04 43

Working hours: from Monday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 17:00. Entrance – 25 NZD, children – 10 NZD.

From the Auckland Television Tower, if you have the courage and cash, you can make a jump on an elastic rope (“bungy jumping”) from a height of 192 meters.

Weather in Auckland

According to citypopulationreview.com, Auckland is located in a warm temperate zone, characterized by humid summers and cool and rainy winters.

The weather in Auckland is very changeable, almost like in St. Petersburg. The only constant component of the local climate is the rains that go almost all year round.

Rotorua

The small New Zealand town of Rotorua is surrounded by 11 lakes and on the shores of the largest of them – Lake Rotorua of the same name. A little over 55 thousand people live here, and this place is known, first of all, for its amazingly beautiful nature. Which is not surprising: the city is located in a zone of geothermal activity, there are more than 60 natural geysers and many mineral springs. Mud baths, spa hotels and other tourist infrastructure have been built around the latter, as this resort has become popular in recent years not only among residents of New Zealand, but among tourists from all over the world.

How to get to Rotorua

Rotorua Airport has flights from Auckland (40 minutes), Wellington (60 minutes), Christchurch (1 hour 15 minutes) and Queenstown (2.5 hours). You can also get here by car – 3 hours drive from Auckland.

Cuisine and restaurants

Excellent cuisine can be found at Aorangi Peak Restaurant (located on Mount Ngongataha), Wild Rice Thai Cuisine, Capers Epicurean Cafe and the classic Pig & Whistle Bar.

In the vicinity of Rotorua, it is also worth trying the Maori cuisine of hangi (as a rule, the price includes a concert and dinner).

Treatment in Rotorua

There are more than a hundred tourist complexes with mud baths and hot springs, volcanoes, geysers and picturesque volcanic landscape forms. And even every self-respecting motel can provide its guests with a hydrogen sulfide bath. But it is better to go for it in the outdoor pool of Polynesian Spa.

Well-known thermal park Hell’s Gate (“Hell’s Gate”), which houses a hot waterfall and a huge spa complex specializing in Maori massage and mud baths.

Entertainment and attractions of Rotorua

On the banks of the Puarenga River, the Wakarevarewa Nature Reserve is located, where you can see the Pohutu geyser (“explosion”, height up to 30 m) and the ten-meter Prince of Wales Feathers. Here every day they give a free performance for tourists – national songs and Maori dances.

And also: the Lady Knox Geyser in the Wai-O-Tapu Reserve, the Waimangu Valley Geyser Valley, one of the most active volcanic zones in the country – Hells Gates. It is worth a trip to the protected Maori settlement, which has preserved the patriarchal way of life.

About 10 km southeast of Rotorua are the famous blue and green lakes of Waimangu, located in the crater of an extinct volcano.

Sheep farm Agrodome Sheep Show & Farm Tour, where not only sheep are bred, but also cows, ostriches, emus, llamas and many others. Huka Prawn Park is the only place in the world where shrimp are raised. There is also a small restaurant famous for seafood dishes. Paradise Valley Springs is one of the best nature reserves in New Zealand.

You can visit the RAVE (Rotorua Arts Village Experience) art village, where participants have the opportunity not only to see, but also to touch the arts and crafts of the local population.

Also: rafting on the winding Kaituna River, kayaking on Lake Taupo, 16 km Tongariro Pass.