Arriving in New Zealand almost a week ago, I faced my greatest dilemma yet. Was this it? Was this the sign that I had been waiting for? I was “stuck” in one of the most beautiful countries on another passport that offered me a longer visa-free stay with no way of getting back home. Long story short, Sydney Airport’s new processing points returned my passport with the photo page torn in half, preventing me from continuing travel, and ultimately, from returning to the United States on said passport [see post: Emergency and Second Passports]. Eventually, I contacted the U.S. Consulate General in Auckland and arranged for an emergency passport to be issued upon my arrival.

My grandmother and I spent the past six nights exploring New Zealand’s South Island, driving through the Southern Alps, flying to wineries via helicopter, and sailing around the world-famous Milford Sound. Auckland was the last stop of our journey’s New Zealand segment.

Auckland
We arrived at Auckland Airport early in the morning on Thursday, August 31, 2017, and headed straight to the Hilton Auckland hotel located at the end of Princes Wharf to drop off our backpacks and leave for my appointment at the U.S. Consulate.

After receiving my emergency passport, we had just enough time to make it up to the viewing platform at the Sky Tower before heading over to the InterCity Sky City Bus Terminal for our half-day tour of Auckland.

Prior to arriving in New Zealand, I booked the “Auckland City Sightseeing Tour” through InterCity for that afternoon. The tour began with a short journey over the Auckland Harbour Bridge for a view of Auckland’s skyline. Following, we made our way up Auckland’s Queen Street and on through the Auckland Domain. Per InterCity, situated atop a 62,000 year old volcano, the Auckland Domain offers great views across the harbour to Rangitoto, Auckland’s most iconic volcano which last erupted just 600 years ago. Afterwards, we drove past Parnell Village to see the historic buildings that have been transformed into a trendy shopping district before heading down towards the picturesque waterfront. Here, we had the opportunity to capture the panoramic views over Whenua Rangatira, Auckland City, and Waitemata Harbour.

Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves
We only had two nights and one full day in Auckland, so I had to be selective with what activities made it onto our itinerary. Fellow travelers argued that Hobbiton was a North Island must. I sure am glad that I listened! Prior to arriving in New Zealand, I booked the “Waitomo Caves and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Hobbiton Movie Set Day Trip from Auckland” through Viator.

The scenic bus journey from Auckland to Hobbiton took us across the Kaimai Ranges, toward Rotorua, and onward to Matamata. Here, we visited the Hobbiton Movie Set – a working sheep farm and significant filming location for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movie series, all of which were filmed throughout New Zealand.

Even though I am not into these movies, I actually enjoyed seeing this creative and very detailed movie set. We spent the morning walking around the many “hobbit holes” and surrounding “village”.

After lunch, we headed to Waitomo to visit the remarkable Waitomo Caves on a guided tour of the limestone caverns.

Thousands of glowworms twinkled in the darkness, imitating the night sky, as we drifted along the Waitomo River during the underground boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto. This was by far one of the coolest experiences. Indescribable. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take my phone onto the boat, but fortunately we live in a world where everything can be Googled [see link: Google Images: Waitomo Caves]. If a visit to the Waitomo Caves is not on your agenda while in New Zealand, I strongly recommend adding it to your list!

I have no desire to return to many of the countries that I have visited thus far – with Australia being one of them. But, I would return to New Zealand in a heartbeat. The country left me speechless countless times throughout the past week – I was not ready to leave. After returning from two of the country’s most magical sites, we enjoyed our last night in New Zealand before leaving for Fiji the following morning [see post: A Weekend in Fiji].