HARVEY BENGE

Every last hostel in Auckland was booked one random Friday night, so I reserved a room for the weekend at a house on Airbnb. Harvey Benge hosted me in his Ponsonby bungalow and after re-acclimating to luxuries such as not sharing a bathroom with 30 other people, I stretched the weekend into a week and half in his quiet and colorful home. 

After retiring from running a major ad agency in Auckland, Harvey turned his creativity to photography and has published over forty art photo books. Over bowls of breakfast muesli, I was delighted to hear about his photography process and how he splits his time between Auckland and Paris. 

His immaculate house was filled with books, art and all the inspiring details that hint at a full and creative life.

If you'd like to see more, Harvey's website features his observational photographs revolving around the anthropology of city life. In particular, his photos of 1970's Auckland suburbia are mighty cool well as his blog. Definitely take a peek and stay a his place if you ever find yourself in Auckland. His company is even better than the fresh figs from the backyard. 

MOUNT EDEN

Mount Eden is a dormant volcano high up above Auckland.   

In American-speak: 8,821 miles from New York. 

It's good for a hike to the top for a bit of a workout and nice sunset views of the city. You might even find a fellow American up there who will be single serving friend for the afternoon, where you'll bond over the odd need to come to this funny little country that was never even mentioned in either of your 16 years of education. 

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

Full disclosure: I kind of hated Auckland when I first arrived. Downtown Auckland seemed like a gray hodge podge of bad architecture. The hostels were rough. Nothing was charming and everything was expensive. I still haven't done the liters to gallons calculation for the price of gas to provide a helpful comparison, but know that a burrito costs $16 and that's just obscene.

After a week in rainy Auckland, I caught a ferry to the island of Waiheke which proved to be a little slice of Hawaiian-y heaven, then escaped to lovely Te Puna with my friend Amanda. Soon after that, I was off on the road trip with Sandy all over New Zealand. Returning from that, I knew I loved New Zealand but still wasn't entirely sure about the city of Auckland. 

Aotearoa = Maori word for "New Zealand". Literally meaning, "land of the long white cloud" because of the shape of the 2 islands. Bit of a mixed message from this graffiti... 

During the road trip, I lined up interviews at an Auckland production company for a contract Content Director gig. Turns out LinkedIn is actually useful and from posting that I was looking for production work in NZ, I found myself on a Skype interview at the beach while still living out of a van. Long story short, I later got the job and decided to stick around Auckland for at least a few months... 

...and I'm happy I did, because while my fondness for Auckland has been more of a slow burn than love at first sight -- it's truly won me over. I still maintain that despite it's killer sunglass deals, downtown Queen Street is a place where dreams go to die...but the further you go out from the the center of the city, the lovelier Auckland is. 

Silo Park

Good One Cafe in Ponsonby

Shaky Isles cafe in Britomart

Part of the reason Auckland lacks a certain feel is because it's a very young city. While the U.S.A. is like a teenager compared to the history of some European countries, New Zealand is even younger. It didn't become a British colony until 1840 and most of it's culture is derived from it's Maori roots and early British settlers and now (more and more with immigration) from India and Asia. NZ is a bit like a tween, still growing and figuring out it's cultural identity. They're actually voting on changing the flag at the moment too. 

The ever expanding city of Auckland may not have a super distinct culture quite yet but MY favorite part is the cafe culture. Massive chain cafes aren't as common, so each cafe is thoughtfully designed, has delicious espresso and creative, fresh menus. My favorites include:

Good One: looks like Wes Anderson did the interior decorating.

William Souter Espresso: Best Muesli in Auckland (and I've become a bit of a Muesli aficionado/addict). Muesli = sort of healthier granola. Many long and lingering Saturday brunches have been had here. 

Shaky Isles: cute cartoons on the wall and REAL good pastries and cappuccinos. 

Food trucks are also alive and well in Auckland, especially at Silo Park on Friday nights where they project outdoor movies. 

175th Anniversary of Auckland was this year. And the celebrations haven't stopped since January. 

Cute shops and boutiques line K-Road and Ponsonby Road. 

Auckland Art Gallery.

It was only a matter of time before I found the pretty neighborhoods, summer weather kicked in and I made enough money to afford the burritos. Auckland's also proved to be wonderful because while it's a concrete jungle of a city, 30-60 minutes outside of it you'll find rugged beaches, waterfalls, volcanoes, tropical islands and rural green countryside. Waiheke, Rangitoto (a volcanic island) and Devonport (a historic village by the sea) are must-visits which I keep going back to. 

Kite surfers in Devonport.

Rangitoto (volcanic island) off in the distance.

Waiheke, where apparently Wu Tang represent. 

Vineyards in Waiheke. 

Kiwi's tend to use the phase "she'll be right mate" as slang to explain "whatever is wrong shall right itself with time" and Auckland has done just that for me in the past 5 months of living here. This big city in a small corner of the world has been quite a pleasure to reside in. 

END OF THE ROAD (TRIP)

After Christchurch, we made our way up the South Island, rode the ferry back to Wellington and drove back up through the North Island. With a few coffee breaks, seal watching stops and beach time we made our way back for one last afternoon at Piha Beach and one more night in Auckland. 

Sandy, back at at Piha.

Sandy glowing, from a healthy mix of sunshine, red wine and steak. 

Covering two islands in three weeks with only one speeding ticket, we celebrated a successful road trip with dinner and drinks at Chapel in Ponsonby. It was such an adventurous but also relaxing journey and it was so, so nice to kick off my time in NZ with one of my best homegirls. The next morning we returned our beloved campervan and I hugged Sandy goodbye as she hopped in a cab to catch her flight back to Boston.

This whole round-the-world trip of mine was purposefully unplanned but I did have 3 things planned when I left Boston in September:

1) a flight from Boston to London

2) a flight from London to Auckland (both from frequent flyer mile points!)

3) a road-trip with Sandy in New Zealand

Now that the last was complete... I'll admit that there was a moment of panic as I laid on the top bunk in a terrible hostel in Auckland, realizing that I needed to start a life here now, from scratch.

Before I could get too melodramatic, I perked up remembering the words of a wise woman "...every few years one needs to shake ones life through a sieve, like a miner in the Yukon. The gold nuggets remain. The rest falls through like the soft earth that it is."

With that in mind... I called my Mum, bought a cappuccino and got to work on a starting a new little life in the Southern Hemisphere. 

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and unfortunately, has become known in recent years for it's devastating earth quakes. In 2011, the city was rocked by a quake of a 6.3 magnitude and killed 185 people from over 20 different countries. Christchurch's infrastructure had been weakened previously and aftershocks made it even more difficult to rebuild. Four years later, rubble remains but the city has made huge efforts with urban regeneration plans. Innovative businesses and buildings have popped up as the city rebuilds and colorful street art is around every corner, showing the resiliency and creativity of the community. 

After St John the Baptist Church was demolished after the earthquake, Japanese artist Shigeru Ban designed the transitional Cardboard Cathedral. 

185 white chairs in honor of all the 185 people who were lost in the earthquake. A single flower on each. 

The earthquake actually ended up revitalizing the city's arts scene. The Christchurch Art Gallery installed works on outside walls and billboards, creating temporary exhibitions and installations all over the city. I found this gem on a street fence. 

We met up with one of the charming tour directors from Sandy's work for a coffee and he showed us his (award winning!) garden and gave us local tips for visiting Christchurch. 

An authentic New Zealand award winning bloom. 

Walking around Christchurch was a bit eery with the crumbled concrete from it's leveled buildings and you could feel the vibe of a quiet city still tip-toeing in transition, post-devastation.

But mostly, it was inspiring to see their commitment to keeping their art and culture alive. If there's one city in New Zealand worth dropping a few dollars in, it's Christchurch. I'd recommend supporting their local economy by hitting up Re:Start, a food truck/shopping area built from shipping containers. Go for a kebab from Dimitri's Souvlaki followed by real fruit ice cream from Berry Healthy. And take some novelty candy from Johnson's Grocery for the road. Good food for a good cause. 

CAMPING IN CHRISTCHURCH

Our Christchurch campsite was all retro campers and bubblegum sunsets. It was sweet as, as they say. 

HOOKER VALLEY HIKE

On our way to Christchurch, we drove into the Aoraki National Park and camped next to Mount Cook for the night. 

Glacier water, which looks like watered down white acrylic house paint.

The next morning, we woke up and hiked the Hooker Valley Track which led us over Hooker River and a few swing bridges to a glacier lake. The weather was gray and windy which only added to the ominous mountain landscape. 

ROAD TO MOUNT COOK

The drive to Mount Cook was just unreal. 

Despite the overtly branded photos, Spaceships did not pay for any of this. I should note that Sandy and I are available for sponsored road trips, flights, cruises, tandem bike rides, etc. 

UNREAL.  

MILFORD SOUND

Milford Sound is as famous to New Zealand as Lord of the Rings.

While I haven't actually seen any of those films (I'm more of a Flight of the Conchords type), Sandy and I did make a point of visiting Milford Sound.

I only see this when looking at this photo. 

Our trip over was long and a little groggy. Queenstown nightlife may not be anything worth raving about but that's not to say we didn't participate. Between naps, we pulled over for shots of the beautiful landscapes. 

Then, we hopped on a boat and cruised the famous (and windy) fiord. 

Five months into my time in NZ (I'm a bit behind on blog posts) I still haven't seen Lord of the Rings, but with the high winds, waterfalls, seals, rainbows and asian men taking selfies... Milford Sound was cinematic enough. 

SANDY'S BIRTHDAY SKYDIVE

On her birthday, Sandy did what any responsible adult does when they turn 30. She jumped out of a plane. 

Photos I stole from Skydive Lake Wanaka. 

Sandy had been talking about skydiving for her birthday since we first began planning her NZ visit last summer, so I was beaming like a proud paparazzo when I saw the red speck of her floating down above the Wanaka mountains. She made friends with all the fellow jumpers and employees and managed to look cuter in a red jumpsuit than anyone should.

Some might dread turning 30, but Sandy decided skydiving on the other side of the world would be a better way to celebrate. What a legend. 

QUEENSTOWN

Queenstown's scenery is as epic as it's extreme sports and we had an adventurous few days there to celebrate Sandy's birthday. 

The drive into Queenstown is straight up majestic. 

Queestown's center is filled with cute cafes, restaurants and a bar scene that (despite it's reputation) doesn't quite rival Allston, MA (as in, skip it unless you're 22 and into cover bands and jagerbombs). We took a break from our camp meals and splurged on some steaks at Flame and coffees at Vudu Cafe and Joe's Garage. 

During out time there, we visited Milford Sound and Sandy jumped out of a plane (more on the later) but on our last day there we rode the gondola up to the top of Queenstown and drove luges down. I didn't think this would be all that thrilling as we're adults who have been driving actual automobiles for over 10 years. I was wrong, I squealed the entire time and wish I did it 7 more times. 

In conclusion...Queenstown: come for the beauty, stay for the luges. 

ROAD TO QUEENSTOWN

The road to Queenstown included giant mountains, sunny Lake Hawea, a lunch picnic and many "we need to pull over!" unplanned photo ops because LOOK AT THIS TINY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. 

We were told that road tripping all of New Zealand in only 3 weeks was overly ambitious and that we'd have to spend too much time just driving to fit it all in. The pace ended up being completely relaxed and enjoyable mostly because the driving itself was the best part. Within a period of 3 hours in New Zealand you'll see snowcapped mountains, rugged coasts, gorgeous lakes and sheep covered countrysides. It might sound ridiculous, but it makes you actually appreciate EARTH on this whole other level.

With all our time on the road we curated a solid road-trip soundtrack and here are some of our favorites:

Odesza - Say My Name (feat. Zyra)

D'Angelo- Sugah Daddy

SBTRKT, Ezra Koenig - New Dorp, New York

Flight Facilities, Giselle - Crave You

Bahamas - Don't You Want Me

Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino - Break Your Heart Right Back

Fleetwood Mac - Secondhand News

George Ezra - Budapest

Chet Faker - Gold

Jamie T - Zombie

...these are good for a long drive where you can roll down your window and note how lucky you are that you're not one of these guys.

FOX GLACIER

We had a sunny day for a steep hike to the very impressive Fox Glacier. 

Again, note tiny Sandy in the massive valley. 

We crossed treacherous creeks, as seen above. 

The Fox Glacier is quite a sight but like Franz Josef, it's quickly melting. 

FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER

A long hike to the Franz Josef Glacier took us through several microclimates. By the end we weren't really dressed appropriately for the weather but we were amazed to see something we had only read about in 9th grade Earth Science. 

Tiny glacier rock particles mixed in the water creates the blue Gatorade water. 

Note tiny Sandy among the massive waterfalls. 

The rocky valley leading up the glacier had a Jackson Pollock-y look to it. 

You can see the blue ice in the photo above but not very well because unfortunately, the glacier has been rapidly retreating since 2008. Friends recommended we hike on the ice and explore the glacier caves but with the severe melting from global warming the only way you can do that now is to spend $200 for a 20 minute helicopter trip to the very top. Talk about an inconvenient truth. 

I suppose if I wanted to be surrounded by mountains of snow I could just return to Boston where they got a solid 18 feet this winter so I'm happy in this hemisphere for the moment, melting glacial ice and all. But man, it's concerning seeing the effects of global warming that up close. 

So in case there was any doubt, global warming is real -- and it's impeding on my tourist adventures.

SOUTH ISLAND COUNTRYSIDE

Driving through the countryside in the South Island, you're tempted to just pull over and find work at a farm, live off the land and spend the rest of your days eating boysenberries in the solitude of acres upon acres of rolling green mountains. We didn't do that, because we're not much for manual labor and require things like high-speed internet and late-night take out... but landscapes like these definitely make you start to see the appeal of quiet country living.