Auckland knows how to throw a party, and I could feel the excitement in the air as I approached. The City of Sails is perfectly situated for a stopover of Volvo Ocean Race Around the World. Auckland has been a host for nearly all of the races since it’s inception in 1973. A gruelling test […]
Auckland Lantern Festival: A Vivid Celebration of Chinese New Year
Brightly coloured Chinese lanterns light the Auckland Domain this weekend as the Auckland Lantern Festival is in full swing. Celebrating the Chinese New Year welcoming in the Year of the Dog, it’s an event filled with hundreds of handmade Chinese New Year lanterns as well as crafts, performances, and food (plenty of food). It’s a […]
Latin Festival – Auckland Summer is a Colorful Fiesta
New Zealand knows how to throw a party, and that was clear yesterday at the opening of the weekend-long Latin Festival Auckland. The schedule of events at this Auckland summer fiesta weekend is varied. With two sound stages, there seemed to always be multiple options of things to do. The main dance floor alternates between a […]
Kiwi Slang: Funny New Zealand Phrases – Visitors Beware!
The longer I live in Auckland, the more natural the New Zealand language feels. They call it English, but the Kiwi slang creates a variant that is often amusing. Four years ago I wrote about it and won an expat contest for my entry. I re-read it this morning and discovered it is still on […]
MOTAT Christmas Lights Raise Money for Auckland Children
Celebrate the spirit of giving and enjoy Christmas night lights at MOTAT. Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology has once again used thousands of fairy lights to create a magical wonderland that should be on everyone’s list of things to do before Christmas. To include everyone, the MOTAT entry fee is only $2 for the […]
Why the Auckland Food Show is my Favourite New Zealand Event
The Auckland Food Show is a solid reminder that New Zealand’s focus is clean and green, with quite a lot of fun tossed into the mix. It’s one of my favourite annual events, and once again, it did not disappoint. Let’s face it, who doesn’t love food? It is functionality over form, as visitors taste […]
The Seven Stars of Matariki: MOTAT’s Colorful Illumination Festival
The seven stars of Matariki are the inspiration behind Night Lights, a bright and colourful event taking place in the evenings at MOTAT in Auckland. It’s more than just a celebration of the Maori New Year; it’s also a recognition of New Zealand, its artists, and their creativity. MOTAT is Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology. Typically […]
Little Spotted Kiwi Birds Return to Shakespear Regional Park in Auckland, New Zealand
For the first time since the late 19th century, little spotted kiwi birds roam free on New Zealand’s mainland. The celebration and release of twenty kiwi birds at Shakespear Regional Park was an event more than five years in the making. It’s a dream made possible by a lot of hard work, planning, and protecting by […]
Shakespear Park After the Cyclones: Landslide, Floods and Happy Birds
The recent unsettled weather in New Zealand wrecked havoc around the country with driving rains and high winds. While neither Cyclones Debbie nor Cook made a direct hit, the damage from these two back to back storms is evident in parts of Auckland. Even after the cyclones downgraded to tropical storms, they carried quite a punch. Our […]
Flying Boats Race at Manly Beach in New Zealand
They call them “flying boats” and the first of these arrived in New Zealand only six months ago. This class of WASZPs are small, single-man sailing vessels each with two foils attached to its underside. These lift the hull out of the water allowing it to “fly” at twice the speed of the wind. This […]
Devonport Wharf: New Zealand takes to the Water
Today is the last official day of summer in New Zealand, and Kiwis are making the most of the great weather. Over the weekend we headed to Devonport, a historic seaside town across the harbour from Auckland city. Standing on the Devonport Wharf, I felt as though we were the only Kiwis not involved in […]
New Zealand Sunset Photos
I love watching colour burst from the sky as the sun sets beyond the horizon. Living in New Zealand, sunset is a treat I get to enjoy often. Recently I moved all my photos to Lightroom. While I sort through 10 years of images I am reminded of many things, including spectacular sunsets in New […]
Auckland Street Art, Waterfront Artwork and Sculptures
Auckland New Zealand is eclectic and modern city visually enhanced with street art and sculpture. You would be hard-pressed to find a business district in the city that didn’t have some sort of public art. Auckland street art ranges from classic painting to modern graffiti-like styles. Similarly, the city’s sculpture covers a range from traditional […]
Ten Reasons to Visit the Chocolate and Coffee Show in Auckland
I don’t need ten reasons to visit a Chocolate and Coffee Show. The name is enough. It lasts for only two days each year in Auckland New Zealand. And let me tell you, they are two great days for a coffee and chocolate fan like me. For those who need a bit more motivation, here […]
Impressive da Vinci Machines: Traveling Exhibit now in Auckland at MOTAT
Leonardo da Vinci was a genius who was hundreds of years ahead of his time. Whether you know of him as an artist, an inventor, a designer, an anatomy expert, or a renaissance man, you will probably discover another facet of his brilliance at the Leonardo da Vinci Machines exhibit. Traveling around the world, it is now in […]
Collecting Cockles at Okoromai Bay in New Zealand
As the tide retreated, we could see a few people collecting cockles at the water’s edge. Okoromai Bay in Shakespear Regional Park is one of the few spots remaining in the Auckland region where one can gather these clams. While ordinarily a summertime activity, fresh New Zealand cockles are delicious all year long. It was […]
Hiking – #AtoZ Postcards of New Zealand
H is for hiking. Practical Information: With our reputation as being clean and green, of course there are a seeming unlimited number of hiking options, through subtropical rainforest, glaciers, parks, forest, and so much more. There are nine “Great Walks” in New Zealand, offering Department of Conservation shared cabins and requiring reservations. Total walking enthusiasts […]
Pasifika: A Celebration of Pacific Island Culture
Capturing the atmosphere at the Pasifika Festival with only a digital cameral is virtually impossible. Yet I had to try. This annual Pacific Islands-themed festival took place this past weekend in Auckland New Zealand. Attracting close to 100,000 visitors, it is the largest festival of its type in the world. As you enjoy these photos, breathe in the aroma […]
2015 Auckland Festival and Event Highlights: A Photo Review
Auckland is a fun city that knows how to throw a party. As the year winds down, I thought I would share photo highlights, starting with some of the Auckland events we attended in 2015. See if you can guess which was my favorite Auckland festival. (My highlights series will also include the best of Sarah’s Sunday Snapshots and my […]
Bellota Tapas Bar: Bizarre Memories of a Spanish Home Exchange
Each time we travel somewhere new the world seems to get a little bit smaller. Last week was no exception, and we only went to Auckland, an hour from home on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Having recently learned of an authentic Spanish tapas bar called Bellota, we were flooded with memories from our long term home exchange in the Costa Brava […]
Sarah’s Sunday Snapshots #35 – Armageddon Expo
One of New Zealand’s largest annual pop culture events, Auckland’s Armageddon Expo occurred this October and drew more than 65,000 people over the four days it ran. Taking place at ASB Showgrounds, it holds everything from gaming to costumes in several large halls and in the outside area. What is just as impressive as all of […]
Danse Macabre – Photos of a Halloween Dance of Death at MOTAT
In honour of the impending Halloween, MOTAT invited in the past, who came in with a vengeance. This year’s Olde Hallows Eve celebration was themed the Danse Macabre, the Dance of Death: no matter one’s station in life, the Dance of Death unites all. Despite its theme, Danse Macabre was a family-friendly event with a […]
Colorful Photos of Auckland Diwali Festival in New Zealand
The excitement and energy level at the Auckland Diwali Festival was contagious. The music fostered movement both on-stage and in the crowd. It is a colourful, jubilant gathering of the sights and sounds of India. We walked up from lower Queen Street, coming upon craft and clothing booths just past the Air New Zealand cockpit […]
Photos: A Steampunk Convention in Auckland New Zealand
Today I attended Aethercon 2015, the annual steampunk convention in Auckland, New Zealand. Last year’s steampunk convention was my first exposure to this genre, or subculture. This year I was better prepared, as I had a basic understanding. In its most simplified form: steampunk is a genre of science fiction, based in Victorian era that […]
Docking Lambs – A New Experience for this City Girl
Living on the doorstep of an Auckland Regional Park offers us access to great hiking trails, varied beaches, and farm animals – in this case, sheep and cows. We all know the city girl in me is still intimidated by the cows, even after living in New Zealand for 12 years. No worries, today’s story […]
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