A week in my life, part seven: Auckland and Waiheke

welcome back to my WIML series, where each week i detail out how i spent the prior week as an american temporarily living in new zealand! this past week was pretty similar to week five in that it was spent in auckland and on waiheke island, but this time with clay’s fam and not my parents. this post summarizes march 17th-23rd.

favs of the week:

all the details:

Activities

• Comans track + Mercer bay loop: probably my favorite hike near Auckland that we’ve done so far. it’s pretty steep, but has the most stunning views throughout the entire hike.
• Karekare Falls: gorgeous waterfall accessible by only a 10 minute easy walk! entrance is also very close to the start of comans track.
• Piha beach: an awesome cool black sand beach near comans track
• Long Bay Coastal Walk: another gorgeous hike, but easier and less dramatic views than Comans
• visited Waiheke island: bounced around waiheke wineries, a distillery, and explored the island! my full Waiheke guide is linked here.

Eats

Big week of trying new restaurants and visiting existing favs!

• Saint alice (Auckland): apps at saint alice before dinner! never disappoints.
• Hello beasty (auckland): first time here and we will 100% be back. their sashimi >>>
• Bivacco (Auckland): also first time eating a meal here and loved it (have only been for drinks before).
• Ragtag (auckland): have heard this place mentioned several times on social media and finally went this week. such a cute restaurant and the food was 10/10 – the corn quesadilla, duck tacos, steak, and lamb were all amazing. we are all still thinking about the sticky toffee pudding dessert too.
• Elmo’s (Auckland): a favorite of ours! the spicy rigatoni is prob my fav, and their cucumber jalapeno marg is the best!
• Amano (auckland): had breakfast here for the first time and omg. life changing! I will be back for the prosciutto + potatoes dish.
• Cones on the Beach (piha): real fruit ice cream!!! my fav!
• The Archive Bistro at Mudbrick Winery (Waiheke): first time eating lunch at mudbrick! food was great – fresh, flavorful, and not overly filling.
• Three Seven Two (Waiheke): a great restaurant in Onetangi. The rotolo pasta and pork chops are must orders.
• Ki maha (waiheke): love this place in onetangi. coolest indoor/outdoor, modern vibe. their ribeye is so good and loved the cute presentation of the tuna lol.
• Man o’ war (waiheke): third time eating lunch at Man o’ war and not tired of it yet. must orders: lemon ricotta, truffle fries, and chorizo or prosciutto pizza!
• Daily Bread (auckland): tried daily bread’s famous hot cross bun and thought it was just meh? looks gorg tho!

drinks

continuing on my bender…

• Queens Rooftop (Auckland): a fan favorite! had to introduce our guests to their spicy watermelon margs of course.
• Elmo’s (Auckland): their jalapeno cucumber marg rivals queens’ for the best marg in Auckland.
• Man o’ war (Waiheke): still my fav rose! if you want to see a behind the scenes of our wine tasting, click here.
• Waiheke Distilling co (waiheke): loveee their ruby red gin. best views on Waiheke too.
• Mudbrick Winery (waiheke): tbh not my favorite place for wine, but their atmosphere makes up for it. being here feels like you’re on the french countryside, but surrounded by views of sparkling blue water and islands. they also have an amazing froze!
• Eighthirty Coffee (Auckland): 10/10 iced latte from this little place in Ponsonby Central.

photo wall!

etc

reads:

• Collateral by Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews. finished the 6th book in the tier one series! really liked books four through 6. on to 7…
• Dempsey by Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews. started the 7th book in the tier one series and liking it of course!

looking forward to:

• clay’s 30th birthday bash in Bali and Lombok, Indonesia !!

stay tuned for part eight <3

More week in my life content to come! if you have comments or questions, please let me know below.