It’s only 8.11 PM Auckland time, and I am struggling to stay awake, but I made a promise to myself to keep an Auckland diary, especially after a hazy memory of my first trip to Auckland. And I’ve got to do it while I am here because once I am back, this self-promise will be kept on the backburner like my London and Sydney trip. So here I am, furiously typing this ignoring the gentle rocking of rain to please the future me.
24 Hours in Auckland
I landed in Auckland this morning at 12.24 AM. By the time I cleared immigration at the Auckland airport, took Uber and reached Parnell Hotel, it was already 2.30 AM. And by the time I showered, relaxed and slept off the residual of the very charged day, it was already past 4 AM.
The reliable iPhone alarm woke me up at 7 AM, and I snoozed and snoozed again until I couldn’t snooze it any longer because I had to get ready and check out of the hotel by 10 AM. I booked this hotel through a last-minute-deal website because I knew I’d use it to sleep for a few hours. It was basic and clean but outdated in many ways.
Parnell Neighbourhood
I checked out, left my luggage, and walked around Parnell. Parnell is filled with beautiful mansions, peaks offering city views and curated gardens. It felt like the Beverly Hills of Auckland (not that I have been to Beverly Hills before). I then stumbled upon Pandoro Panetteria, a 22yo Italian artisan bakery and a secondhand bookstore, and I managed to resist getting any more books.
After a bit more walking, I reached Parnell Farmer’s Market and Craft Harvest Market, both held inside the Parnell Community Centre every weekend.
Fluffy Prawn Sando
I then took a 7 minutes Uber to FLUFF Cafe and had their famous Prawn Sando. Honestly, I really wanted to like it, and it was almost good, but the flavour didn’t hit me right. That, combined with poor service and sleep deprivation, made the whole thing a miss. So much so that I decided to go back, collect my luggage, go to my next hotel, and wait until they let me check in so I could rest a bit.
Skycity Hotel with King Size Bed
My stay for the weekend was at the Skycity Hotel Auckland. I remember booking it because of a deal, but I didn’t realize that it was a real 4.5 stars hotel. It had multiple casinos, attractions and buildings, including the sky tower (hence the name). It was fancy and buzzing with the Christmas crowd, vacation gamblers and sports teams from other countries.
They were kind enough to let me check in early.
Exploring Auckland City
Though the plan was to crash immediately after checking in, the whole SkyCity buzz inspired me to explore the neighbourhood, so I went out. I walked past the streets I had walked before during my first trip to Auckland, including Remedy Cafe. Finally, I reached a junction between the library and the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
I chose the gallery and spent a good hour there exploring Frida Kahlo and Robin White exhibitions. I left when the hunger pang took over, heading to a specific restaurant for my first lunch in Auckland: It’s Java; for some Indonesian food in the name of research.
Hungry in Aucky
What I didn’t expect was the short 14-minute walking distance would be a challenge due to the hilly roads. The struggle was real, but I should be grateful because at least it was not windy.
After the late lunch, I was done for the day and returned to the hotel; by then, it was 5 PM. I spoke to my parents and took a shower before finally settling into reading Joanna Cho’s People Person while munching on Kue Salju treat I got from the Indonesian restaurant.
But then I got hungry again.
Though Skycity Hotel has a few good restaurants, all of them are fully booked until January at least. On the contrary, their in-room dining menu is pretty shit, so I dragged myself to get some takeaway food from outside.
Unfortunately, Auckland CBD at night didn’t feel as safe as it was during the daytime. I quickly made a u-turn to the Countdown (the Wollies of NZ). I got a pack of Hawaiin pasta salad from the deli and a bottle of NZ Syrah (because when in NZ, one must try NZ wine – which I am sure I had done the last time I was here, but good practice worth repetition).
Pasta eaten and half a bottle drunk, I am ready to retire with Borgen season two playing in the background while half-googling fun things to do tomorrow before starting my work week from New Zealand.
(Second) First Auckland Impression
Hard to believe I haven’t been in Auckland for 24 hours yet, but I am glad I am here. To summarize my first-day impression of the city the second time around:
Auckland is a beautiful city filled with heritage buildings, clean streets and majestic cathedrals. I love how most of the signs are dual-language (Maori and English). It also has a strong Asian immigrant influence from the people and buildings to food, which is great.
The not-so-great things about the city are the cost of a meal, the hilly roads and a bit of a sterilized vibes.
Ps. Even though they had the best king-sized bed I had ever slept on, I wouldn’t recommend staying in the Skycity Auckland hotel on the weekend if you are a light sleeper. The noise from the street pierced through my room on level 4 all night long.
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