There’s a yummy bagel under there from Best Ugly Bagels in Auckland

I have to be honest. By the time I got to Auckland 2 weeks ago, I was exhausted and ready to fly home. I even said to a friend that I felt bad for New Zealand being last on my itinerary because I wasn’t sure how much more I was up for.

Well, New Zealand took that challenge and said “hold my wine” (because it’s me and I’m not a “hold my beer” gal…). The day after landing, I hopped on the ferry to Waiheke Island for a wine tour and the views did not disappoint! The wine was not my favorite but had a lovely day on the tour with all fellow-Americans. The next day I had no plans and was still tired from the socializing, so I wandered Auckland a bit and found a bagel shop that had a decent bagel with lox. Not quite a NYC classic lox bagel, but a good version. I also discovered a little bookshop and bought an Antoine St Exupery novella that I took back to the hotel to enjoy with room service and wine I brought from Australia.

I spent my last day “in Auckland” at Hobbiton. Yes, it’s the real movie set; but, yes, there are ongoing maintenance and improvements so it’s not exactly what was in the movie. Regardless, it was a most enchanting experience. I had a ticket for the Behind the Scenes experience, which included a lunch feast and visits to additional hobbit holes. These extra hobbit holes were commissioned by Guillermo del Toro when he was supposed to direct the Hobbit, but then he didn’t, so they were never used and they don’t know what he planned to do with them. Anyway, it was nice to see some extra things and then end the tour with a nice fruit and cheese spread overlooking the whole set. I highly recommend the Hobbiton experience to everyone - you don’t have to be a LOTR fan to appreciate the beautiful grounds and all the work that goes into creating this magical place.

Some of my most memorable experiences in New Zealand were during my time in Queenstown. First, I need to give a shoutout to The Rees Hotel and their concierge staff - extra shoutout to Micka and Jacob, who went above and beyond to make sure I was able to do all the things when weather started to change my plans. Day one I was supposed to go to Milford Sound via plane, but the weather prevented flights from taking off. Instead I had a productive morning at the hotel working with Nicole on album marketing plans and other launch prep. As the clouds cleared a bit, I took a walk into town for a late lunch, some yummy ice cream, and a walk along the lake, then ending the day with a nice dinner. Queenstown reminds me of a ski resort town - a mix of sporting goods, jewelry, and high end clothing stores - but, I supposed that makes sense since it is a ski town during their winter.

On day 2, Jacob rebooked me on a bus to Milford Sound (no more worries of morning flight cancellations), which was a long drive but we had a lot of scenic stops along the way. The Milford Sound cruise lived up to the hype - gorgeous views, a light shower by the waterfall, and tasty lunch. To cap off the excursion, I was able to fly home (I’ll take a 30-min flight over a 4-hr drive any day), and was chosen to sit in the co-pilot seat. I wasn’t allowed to touch anything in the cockpit though - I guess safety first... I ended the day with an amazing dinner at Amisfield. It took 4+ hours, had 14-18 courses (I lost count) of very inventive and interactive dishes.

On day 3, Micka and Jacob met me in the hotel lobby and we headed to the airfield for a heli tour. It was my first time in a helicopter and it was FANTASTIC! We started with a glacier landing and bubbles, which is an experience I will never forget. Flying so close to the glaciers, then landing and walking around in the snow. If it was winter, we could have skied down! Maybe heli-skiing on the next trip. We took lots of pictures, then loaded up the heli again and flew over to the wineries. Central Otago pinot noir is great and I look forward to sharing some with family and friends at home since there is some on-route to NYC. The day ended with a lovely lunch at Bannockburn Inn, heli back to the airfield, and some champagne at the hotel with Micka.

I had one last day in Queenstown, a quiet day of reading, enjoying the view from my room, and taking it easy.

The final stop on my international adventure was Marlborough. Who is surprised I ended my trip with time in a wine country!? I hopped in my rental car - now (sorta) accustomed to driving on the left side of the road - and found my Airbnb, a cute house nestled on a property surrounded by vines and farmland. The owners have horses on the property, and there are chickens and cows next door. It was a peaceful place to have some home-cooked meals with some local wine. Marlborough may be known for Sauvignon Blanc, but the viticulture is much more diverse than I expected! This young wine region is growing quickly, and people are experimenting with varietals to see what works. I had some interesting pinot noir, riesling, gewurztraminer, chardonnay at a couple wineries, and some surprisingly good Italian varietals at Hans Herzog. I also practiced my wine spit technique to make sure I was driving safely. I didn’t get any wine on myself, but I think my technique needs some work.

I had one last night in Auckland before flying back to the US saw a lovely meal at Amano, an Italian restaurant that came highly recommended to me and used a lot of local, New Zealand ingredients. Oh, and I had one more bagel from Best Ugly Bagels in the morning. One thing I wish I’d planned to do from Auckland is visit Rotorua to learn more about Maori culture and history, but I’ll just have to come back to New Zealand again…