Babbling Brooke’s Travel Blog

This blog is undoubtedly a “learn as I go” format but what I am trying to remind myself is that it does not need to be perfect or cool from the get go- the whole purpose is to put thoughts into words and the lingering need for it to look like some curated blog I found on Pinterest is something I am actively getting over.

Yesterday was our first full day in the city and after some delicious take-away breakfast, Matt’s work day ended pleasantly early so we walked out of the Airbnb and didn’t stop until the evening!

We strolled down Ponsonby Road admiring the vast array of food options. Everything smelled incredible and when the smell of delicious food wasn’t lingering in the air, the breeze brought floral notes drifting by. We popped into a kitchen boutique called Molly’s Kitchen Shop and immediately felt like in another life I would be very content as a baker. After picking up our metro cards at a little convenience store, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to eat lunch at one of the many choices right in front of us. We hopped into Ramen Tamara Ponsonby and were blown away by their ramen. After being spoiled in Japan back in February, it’s been hard to scratch that itch of really delicious ramen (and I really do understand how spoiled brat that sounds. I’m making peace with it). Sipping some local Sauvignon blanc from Marlborough (WOW!) we dove in to the big hot bowls. I ordered the miso tofu ramen and Matt had the special Smokey Miso Ramen.

With our bellies full we took our first bus into the CBD of Auckland to do the most touristy thing ever- go up the Sky Tower! One thing we realized very quickly is the bus etiquette that everyone abides by: step onto the bus in the front, exit through either door but say thank you to the bus driver on the way out. Without fail, every person exiting the bus says thank you; it’s so heartwarming.

At the Sky Tower we bought tickets and rode the elevator up. It definitely felt very Space Needle-adjacent however we learned that this tower is much taller standing at 328M / 1076ft versus 184M / 605ft.

Once we explored to our heart’s content, we headed down and began walking toward the Auckland Domain park, passing through Albert Park on the way. And MAN, THE TREES!! I could’ve stayed and stared at these big beefy beauties all day long. Nature is neat.

The first stop within Auckland Domain was the Domain Wintergardens. Again, I was cheesin’ hard the entire time at All. Of. The. Plants. Bewildered by the giant lily pads that, upon closer inspection, are covered in delicate spikes. In awe of the shapes and colors of the different flower petals. And don’t even get me started on the Fernery. And yes, it’s exactly as it sounds- an entire section of all different types of ferns. The air was both soft and fresh if that even makes any sense. Below are some of my favorite pictures.

We spent so much time looking around that the Auckland War Memorial Museum would need to wait until tomorrow, which wasn’t too much of a bummer as we witnessed a big festival being set up around it. Curious to what event was happening, a quick Google search showed that the following day would host a Christmas concert in the park with live music and tons of food vendors. The craziest part? ITS FREE! And this wasn’t no dinky community park set up. Fully sponsored with Coca-Cola flags and a full sized stage…I’m starting to wonder if this is just how things are here since we didn’t have to pay to go into the botanical gardens either. It just exists for your own viewing pleasure. What a concept!

Strolling towards a neighborhood pocket that Matt found on Google Maps, we almost missed a truly delightful shop- Merv Smith Hobbies. A wonderful place for anyone with a bit of the ‘tism me lord as it is a two part shop: model trains (and everything needed to create a model train set up from rail lines to train cars to trees, nature and tiny people) and model cars and plane kits. A quirky shop that even had its own shop dog resident that lounged about. I even found a model plane of the same plane my grandpa flew in the Marines, which was really special. Instead of lugging a big box around for the next month, Matt and I made a pact that we would find the same model back in the states, put it together and I can paint it to replicate my grandpa’s exact plane. 🥹

From there we shortened our journey by hopping on another bus to the Mount Eden neighborhood and shit was it cute. It didn’t help that by now it was a Friday afternoon and the streets were alive with folks getting off work and meeting one another out for some food and drink. The sun was shining and the wind had died down to a gentle breeze. We walked down the length of a few blocks and chose to eat at the Garden Shed purely on vibes as this place was adorned with handing plants, vines crawling up the walls and decor that truly modeled a picturesque garden shed.

Our tastebuds had been exposed to New Zealand’s wine earlier in the day so we ordered two different glasses of Sauvignon blanc, again from the Marlborough Region- the Rongopai and the Summerhouse. They were so good that we ended up ordering another 2 glasses of them later. But the true TREAT was the absolutely gigantic board we ordered! I underestimated the size but per usual we were able to rise to the occasion and eat our hearts out.

Fully satiated, we headed back to the Airbnb. Tired after a long first day and still lacking on sleep we both passed out by 7pm and slept about 11 hours. A mighty fine first day indeed!