New Zealand: Around Auckland

We were only in New Zealand two days, but we packed 'em with hobbits and boiling mud. Auckland was our base, in the north island of New Zealand. It was a charming little city with a lovely harbor, good shopping, and a fantastic war museum.

It's odd to realize you have absolutely no knowledge of a country's history. It's even odder when you're standing inside the country. However, the Auckland War Museum was able to help with some of that. Each floor had a theme: Maori history, NZ involvement in wars, natural history, and earth sciences/volcanoes.

There's also a LOTR Dwarf statue in the airport, so that's always handy.

On our way back from the magical day of hobbits and boiling mud, we even saw a rainbow! Then we topped off our day with delicious steaks. All in all, I'd say the Auckland area is super amazingly wonderful.

Australia-New Zealand Three Week Trip
• Around Adelaide
• Adelaide Fringe Festival
• Adelaide's Cleland Wildlife Park
• Adelaide Hills Wineries in McLaren Vale
• Sydney, Australia
• Hobbiton, New Zealand
• Rotorua, New Zealand
• Around Auckland, New Zealand