Travel Recap: Auckland, New Zealand (including Hobbiton!)

Auckland is in the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) of New Zealand, and not only is it charming in its own right, there are so many amazing day trips you can take in pretty much every direction. Auckland was our final stop on our honeymoon, but I could have happily sent my whole honeymoon here. Warning... I thought Queenstown would remain my most photo-heavy post, but Auckland tops it because of all of my Hobbiton photos! :-) So sorry in advance for a photo-heavy post! 

Pretty much sums up our relationship! 
Jacket: J Crew | Dress: Loft | Shoes: Vince Camuto Espadrille (affiliate link) | Sunglasses: Illesteva Leonard sunglasses in tortoise/pink (affiliate link)

Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

tips and advice:

  • When I was planning our honeymoon, I simply did not realize how much there is to do in New Zealand, and I only gave ourselves a few days each in 2 cities (Queenstown and Auckland). Once I started actually mapping out a general itinerary, I realized I had made a huge mistake because there was so much in New Zealand that I wanted to do -- and to see!
  • Our airport driver in Queenstown said that that's a common mistake tourists make -- visitors assume because it's a smaller country, they don't need as many days, and then once they arrive, they wish they had more time. So please don't make my mistake -- give yourself plenty of time!
  • I wish that rather than flying from Queenstown to Auckland, we'd rented a car and driven. There was so much I would have loved to see and do, including hikes and lakes. Next time!
  • I used the website Viator (affiliate link) to book several of our excursions in Queenstown and Auckland, and both the booking experiences as well as the actual experiences were great.
  • We visited in January 2020, and Auckland was definitely warmer than Queenstown had been.
  • If you're a Lord of the Rings fan, as I am, you'll love visiting New Zealand.
itinerary:
  • Hotel: Cordis Auckland
    • We thought it was in a great location, as we were able to walk many places, but admittedly we also enjoy walking long distances. I said in the Sydney travel recap that I'm not a big fan of buffets, but the Cordis dinner buffet was incredible and included a chocolate fondue station! And we booked a high tea with them and had a great time, with delicious snacks.
  • Day 1
    • Upon arriving, we dropped our things at the hotel and started walking, heading towards Auckland's Viaduct Harbour.
    • Snacks and drinks at Saint Alice -- this was an incredibly cute spot overlooking the harbor. We ordered tempura oysters, fries, and lamb, and it was all good, but the fries were especially good. And we started off outside in the sun but quickly asked to switch to a covered table because it was so warm!
    • High tea at the Cordis -- all of the little sandwiches and snacks were both cute and tasty.
  • Day 2
    • Hobbiton, Rotorua, and Waitomo Caves all-day tour
      • When we started looking into activities and excursions near Auckland, there were so many within an hour or two by car that I wanted to do. At the top of my list was Hobbiton, followed by hot springs and geysers in Rotorua and the Waitomo glow worm caves. So we started looking on Viator for all-day tours that visited all 3 locations. We picked and loved FlexiToursNZ through Viator, which included a hotel pick-up, lunch, and hotel drop-off, as well as the ticket prices to each of the 3 activities.
      • The Hobbiton tour is 2 hours long and guided, and it was everything I could have dreamed of. I cried actual tears of excitement and happiness. We learned so much behind-the-scenes trivia, and it was incredible to see the amount of detail and care that went into the sets.
      • We ate lunch at Te Puia in Rotorua, then walked around on our own to see kiwis, geysers, and mud springs, as well as to learn about the Maori and watch carving and weaving. I did not take many photos of the Maori because it felt inappropriate to snap photos of people at work.
      • The Waitomo glow worm caves were something I was initially extremely excited about, then concerned it was a tourist trap, then excited again -- and I think it lived up to my initial expectations! The first portion is spent learning about the lives of glow worms, then we boarded a boat for a 10-minute ride to see them glowing on the walls and ceilings.
    • Dinner at Harbourside Ocean Bar Grill
    • Ice cream from Island Gelato Company
  • Day 3
    • Wineries on Waiheke Island
      • Yet another tour we booked through Viator! :-) We took a ferry to Waiheke Island, then visited two wineries. We wanted our last full day of our honeymoon to be a relaxing one!
      • We visited Stonyridge Vineyard first, then Batch Winery. Dinner was included at Batch Winery and was charming and delicious.
photo diary:

Viaduct Harbour, which we walked to from our hotel (Cordis)

Under the shade at Saint Alice

Our tempura oysters :-)

High tea at the Cordis!

Living out my childhood dreams of fancy tea ceremonies

Hanging out at the hotel rooftop pool during some of our free time! 
Dress: Lulu's (affiliate link) | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Mirrored Clubmaster in green mirror (affiliate link)



I asked my husband to take a photo of me in front of every single door and every little prop, but I'll only share a few...








Samwise Gamgee is the best character in Lord of the Rings.


Counting down the seconds until the tour is over and I stop asking him to take photos of me in front of round little doors ;-)


But the only beer for the brave and true... comes from the Green Dragon!

Sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts. 



Second stop of the day: Off to Rotorua


And the third stop: The Waitomo glow worm caves! No photography was allowed in the glow worm cave, so I snapped this as we were coming out of it into the sunlight... I'm not really sure why. Looks inviting, I know!

At Stonyridge Vineyard on our last full day. 
Sunglasses: Kate Spade (old but similar here and here, affiliate links) | Jean jacket: Old Navy | Romper: Lulu's (affiliate link) | Shoes: Sperry Satin Lace boat shoes (affiliate link)

I know I overuse the word "charming" but there truly is no better descriptor!

At the second winery of the day, Batch Winery

Our package included dinner -- which started off with these adorable charcuterie boards




Perfect ending to our honeymoon.

where to eat and drink:
what to do:

Seriously the possibilities are endless! There are so many day trips.
links I used or recommend:
Auckland was our final destination of our honeymoon, and we were beyond bummed to leave such a beautiful country. If you have the opportunity to visit New Zealand, take it. It is one of the most stunning countries I have ever seen, and there is so much to do. 

love from


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