04/11/2017 - First Impressions of Auckland

Whether it was jet lag or going to bed too early - the next morning we woke up around 06:00 AM. It smelled wonderfully of flowers. But why? This can be easily explained: Our room was located in the back of a flower shop. The owner (= host) of the shop was already busy in the early morning hours. She told us that a wedding is approaching and she was commissioned for the decoration. Beautiful, well-arranged, small flower bouquets were everywhere in the 'living room' & dining room.
The house where we stayed was like any ordinary one - except that the 'living room' has been converted into a flower shop. :)

We took the first day in New Zealand very slowly and calmly. Only at 10 AM we left the house and headed to the city center. We took a bus for three quarters of an hour until we finally arrived in Auckland. As soon as we got off the bus, it started raining. But that didn't stop us from exploring the city in more detail.
Our first destination was the 'Ferry Terminal'. From there, ferries depart in all directions and to various islands nearby. Next, we went to Auckland's shopping street - Queen Street. Since we hadn't had breakfast yet, we slowly started to get hungry. We bought a sandwich and went to the nearby park - Albert Park.
The rain gradually got stronger and we took shelter in a supermarket. Since it didn't look like the rain was going to stop and we were also quite tired from the first few days of travel, we decided to go back home to Pakuranga Heights around 2 PM.

The first impression of Auckland was diverse. On one hand, you can imagine the city as a classic city in Germany - loud, crowded, and fast-paced - and on the other hand, it offers places of tranquility, such as the beautifully located parks and green spaces or the waterfront.
In terms of area, Auckland is a sprawling city. There are many small neighborhoods with several standalone houses on large plots. The few skyscrapers that can be seen in the city center are purely office buildings.

Our second day in New Zealand ended around 8 PM.