Arrived in Auckland Airport, at mid-day, after having had no sleep on our overnight flight. Tired and a bit grumpy! Took about 2 hours to get out of the airport. NZ's bio-security checks on everyone entering the country, to ensure no adverse changes to its ecology, are very admirable. Unsurprisingly, these checks do take extra time to complete.
Beautiful weather. Decided to take the bus into Auckland rather than use a taxi. This worked well as it was only a very short walk at each end.
Our hotel is right on the waterfront and, from our room on the 8th floor, we have a fabulous view of the harbour and beyond to the islands in the Hauraki Gulf.
Explored the immediate area, which included the main shopping street, the i-Site tourist information centre and the ferry terminal for trips out to the many islands in the bay. Surprised to find that most shops closed at 5pm and some even as early as 4pm. Found a coffee shop next to the hotel and had our first Flat White in NZ.
Discovered that the award winning theatre production of Mary Poppins, from London's West End, was on in Auckland. Decided to give it a go. So pleased that we did. It was truly exceptional and, indeed, entirely magical and nostalgic.
On our walk back to the hotel we spotted the Auckland Sky Tower. It looked very exciting all lit up in a mix of vibrant colours.