Day 9 Auckland/Waiheke

After spending time in some of the most metropolitan and beautiful cities in the world including NYC, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Zurich, Singapore and Barcelona, we did not entertain the idea of sight seeing in Auckland. Instead we decided to do explore one of the nearby islands. After debating between the volcanic island of Rangitito, the Coromandel peninsula which would be a two hour drive each way, we settled on the Waiheke island. A 35 minute "Fullers ferry" ride from downtown Auckland brought us to this otherworldly place. It suddenly seemed like we were transported from a Seattle-like city to a Polynesian island in a blink of an eye!  The explorer tour bus took us around the island full of wineries, olive groves, gorgeous beaches and multi million dollar beach front homes. It was almost 3.00pm and we had not had a chance to lunch; we were so ready to grab a quick bite somewhere and went into the first little café that we saw. The beach-front "Ricky's" in the Oneroa area of Waiheke is truly a hidden gem. The "Veggie pasta bake" with a lovely side Spinach salad was the most unique 'beet-red' pasta dish I have ever had in my entire life. The foodie in me had never imagined how good a combination of beet root (yes, it was beetroot), broccoli, onions, pumpkins, parsnips with penne and cheese baked to perfection could look and taste (picture coming soon!). The chili-corn fritter with the slightly sweet dipping sauce came a close second.  I am completely amazed at how the smallest  food joint in NZ has ample and delicious vegetarian dishes to choose from. God bless the Kiwis for tantalizing my taste buds for 10 days! After taking the ferry back to Auckland, we took a long walk In the Parnell neighborhood; one of the nicer neighborhoods in the city. My next door neighbor from my home town, Ahmedabad lives in Auckland. I had called him as soon as we checked in to our apartment yesterday. We visited their place in West Auckland; met his family after nearly a decade! Growing up together as teenagers, we had never cared to interact much back home and I was a bit skeptical about the visit which was mainly to visit the elderly 'kaki' (aunty- his mom) and also please mom and dad back home. Nonetheless, we had a lovely time over dinner comparing notes about our journeys in our respective homes away from homes! Another friendship rediscovered; more promises made to stay in touch and visit each other again!

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go! We have promised to take Parishi to the Auckland Underwater Observatory tomorrow morning before heading to the airport to hop on the Qantas flight back home. We love vacationing; this has been one of the most fascinating trips for our family (actually the only one with Kahan!) We look forward to many more with our dear friends and family.

If you have managed to follow the entire blog; you may be wondering why mundane meals and random people have received so much emphasis. The reason is very simple- Food, travel and people/relationships are the passion that keep me going besides of course my professional passion i.e. children's oral health!

Day 8 Queenstown/Auckland

The infatuation with this magical city on day 5 still seemed as fresh as the love at first sight. It completely made sense to soak it all in, in the last few hours before departure and that's exactly what we did. The plan to bike around town with a baby carrier fizzled out as soon as it was formed; Parishi's bike with training wheels would not be able to keep up with ours! This plan will have to wait for another year in another city! We concluded our stay in Queenstown with  a  leisurely lunch at "Dux de Lux" and a quick ice cream at Patagonia. Air New Zealand brought us to the city of sails in the evening. "Waldorf at St. Martin's" serviced apartments  pleasantly surprised us with the outstanding city views from the 17th floor, chic and modern 2 bedroom apartments. As excited as we were to go out for dinner, the cozy apartment tempted us to order in some Thai food while we made plans for our next day in the city.

Day 7 Queenstown/Wanaka

Sleeping in is a luxury one tends to take for granted until they have children who don't seem to value weekend or vacation mornings! Today happened to be that rare morning for us; I jumped out of the bed at 8.00 and had my daily dose of the Masala chai (the sachet kind)! "Carpe Diem", I thought to myself looking out at the bright and sunny Queenstown morning. Our first stop was for a leisurely patio breakfast at the "Post office café" relishing every single morsel of the ricotta-fig pancake amidst a crowd of the cheerful people. The country, its people and the visitors seem to exude a uniquely contagious upbeat vibe which has refreshed us from inside out. We picked up our rental car and drove to Wanaka, a  town on the banks of the lake Wanaka; another pristine little place with mountains, crystal clear blue lake, side walk cafes and shops swarming with locals and tourists. The hour long there drive was full of jaw-dropping landscapes.  We made a short stop at Arrowtown on our way back to Queenstown in the evening; Chinmay and Parishi tried their luck at Gold-panning by the river for 15 minutes and gave up! We were pleasantly surprised to find our new friends from Christchurch checked in to the room right across from us when we arrived at the hotel. We had a long dinner at the "Bombay Palace" with the Guptas, sharing pictures and anecdotes from our trips, while Parishi and Amar had a ball in each other's company. We took advantage of the sun at 9.00pm hung out at the lake taking several pictures and making plans to be in touch.

Day 6 Queenstown/Adrenaline-rush day!

This city will suck up most of your money and you may not mind it after all! That's exactly how we feel right now! Jet boating in the Shotover river was the highlight of our family adventure today; I went after the baby swap withthe daddy-daughter duo.  "Shortover Jet" is one of the many companies famous for their heart-stopping  boat rides; "the funnest boat ride ever"- in Parishi's words! The boat pirouetted within inches of the canyon walls around multiple full 360 degree spins. NZ (Queenstown in particular) is the birthplace of this water sport.  After a laid back brunch at the "Joe's Garage" and an afternoon nap, it was time to head over to the Kawarau Bridge, the jump site where Bungy Jumping originated in the world. As a mere spectator to this extreme adventure, I can't say as much as the Bungy jumper himself! Chinmay did lose one of his contact lenses during the jump and came out all soaked in the Kawarau waters! The evening was spent strolling through the serene and stunningly beautiful Queenstown gardens on the waterfront peninsula; while the kids enjoyed playing in the park by the lake Wakatipu.  Our "just chill" mantra continued to prevail as we enjoyed our ice-creams and mochaccinos at the "Patagonia", which seemed like a popular outdoor hangout place. Dinner was a humble subway sandwich after debating between Indian food versus Tapas! Throughout the day I enjoyed chatting with fellow tourists; an Endodontist from Oklahoma, honeymooners from Chennai, another desi honeymooners from Bangkok; a group of Desi uncle-aunty from NY who were on a month and a half trip to Australia and NZ. The "Lucknowi aunty" had no clue about the name of the cities she had visited or was still to visit on her trip. "Beta teen-chaar shehar ho ke aye aur abhi teen-char aur baki hai" (Translated- Dear child, we have visited 3 to 4 different cities and still have about 3-4 to go!).  I was impressed by the number of Desi tourists; a proportionate representation of the 1.2 billion of them in my country!

Day 5 Queenstown/Milford sound

"And paradise was found"; it is easy to say that about this mystical region in the Fiordland National Park- the Milford Sound. However, my eyes see it as an important piece of the paradise, which is scattered throughout the South Island.  My eyes and my brain were in constant conflict during the four hour drive; the former did not want to miss on the spectacular scenery outside the window, while the later wanted to dose off since the day had begun an hour or two earlier than usual! Hordes of sheep, cows and deer grazing in vast expanses of green pastures, with yellow and green mountains and an occasional river or two in the back drop, sights straight out of a romantic Bollywood song (the only part missing was the dashing hero and the lovely heroine dressed in her transparent yellow sari and an off-shoulder blouse, dancing to the melodious tunes!!) The hour long cruise through the Milford Sound was stunning; dozens of waterfalls adorned the overpowering mountains, the dominant feature being the 5560 ft tall Mitre Peak. This 13 km long fiord was carved by a succession of glaciers as they gouged a track to the sea.  They say Milford sound is magical even in heavy rain and storm. However we were blessed by a crisp sunny afternoon. The return ride on the bus did seem a bit of a stretch; however was well worth the experience. Taking a scenic flight back to Queenstown is another much quicker and pricier option.

Day 4 Queenstown

A short early morning flight on Jet Star brought us to Queenstown; our first step outside the airport was all it took to realize we had arrived in paradise! Although the rooms at the Novotel hotel were quite small for a family of four; the location is very central, the design very contemporary and the service leaves no room for complaints. The smaller rooms are a blessing in disguise in this city; where any time spent away from the scenery outdoors would be a sheer waste!  My description about the beauty of this majestic town set on Lake Wakatipu will not do any justice; the pictures may to some extent. You have to experience this to fathom it and I like anyone else who has spent anytime here can vouch for that! We took the Skyline Gondola to the top and started our first little family adventure- "Luging" in this Adventure capital of the world.  Me and Parishi had to abandon our "Luge" mid-way  and walk on the track after it ditched us; while Chinmay and Kahan were done and waiting for us, giggling at our disaster!! The clear blue skies dotted with paragliders inspired me to try it out; my slight hesitation was overcome by Chinmay's encouragement! My first paragliding experience after a parasail in Hawaii seven years ago was quite thrilling; the adrenaline rush was nowhere near Chinmay's upcoming Bungy jumping! Nonetheless, my wish to fly as a child was nearly fulfilled!  Parishi had made friends with a large group of "Global Gujarati travelers" from London who were on a 'Desi style conducted tour' impressing them by talking in Gujarati to the extent that they started complaining how it is so hard for them to have their kids keep the language! We continued to explore this quaint city and its beautiful streets. Lunch  at "Hell" was a vegetarian pizza followed by a dessert pizza. Dinner at "Devil's Burger" was a yummy giant falafel burger. I could not help worry about the consequences of these daily 800 calorie meal indulgences and the ice cream snacks!

P.S- I am so glad I am almost caught up; today's trip to Milford sound to be posted tomorrow (hopefully!) Also plan to supplement this with pictures as and when I can. This blog is mainly for all you friends, who will visit this beautiful country in the future to make the travel planning easier and also for us so that we don’t have to scratch our memory cells when we plan our second trip to NZ!!

Day 3 Christchurch/Akaroa

Our first and only day with a rental car. After a 90 minute drive, we reached Akaroa, a picture perfect town set on a pristine bay.  The harbor cruise was alright; choppy enough for Parishi to trigger her sea sickness. The walk through the city was delightful and so was the lunch at Akaroa  water front café- a mouthwatering chick pea  burger with roasted peppers and their signature dressing. After driving back to Christchurch, we spent rest of the day soaking in the city; wandering on the streets and made friends with another travel lover Indian family from Minneapolis at the Indian restaurant.  We have decided to meet again in Queenstown when they arrive tomorrow evening; will see if we can meet them again.

Christchurch Day 2

We woke up to an overcast morning, however were greeted by a warm crisp day by the time we hit the tram to go to the Botanic Gardens. The rose garden was the highlight of the visit with hundreds of colorful giant roses in full bloom. The Arts center outside was bustling with locals and tourists at the outdoor  international market which convenes every weekend; the live music and band made this already cheerful place more vibrant. The smell from the food stalls was inviting us to sample some of the  International cuisine. Out of the many options we had; we decided to give the Greek food stand a try and were definitely not disappointed. Our $13 NZD Falafel was moist, delicious, huge and messy to eat; quite different from what we get back home in LA. A stroll to the Avon river for the 'punting' was quite pleasant; the sound from the violin strings played perfectly in sync by three young children filled the air. "Punting" was a unique experience accentuated by the uniqueness of the Avon river; almost like a long canal running through the city. I was soaking in the lovely city In the gentle 30 minute boat ride. We headed back to the Cathedral square; the kids had a ball running around and playing in the wide open city center. The ice cream from the ice cream stall on the square was surprisingly one of the best ice creams I have ever had so far- fresh raspberries churned with Vanilla ice cream which was also home made! After strolling through the city; we hit one of the half a dozen Indian restaurants in the 1 mile stretch and yes we hit a jack pot! "Little India Bistro" is a gem in the city; the paneer shimla mirch subji was tantalized my taste buds enough to bring us back for dinner the following day!

Christchurch

I was almost tempted to start writing this the way it was done before wifi  and blogs (a diary!) after waiting for free wi-fi these past 3 days and/or crashing at the end of a sight seeing and activity packed day; not to mention all that goes along with kids and jet lag combined!!

Checking into a hotel the first time we arrive in a new city is almost always filled with a miraculous evaporation of all the tiredness from the long flight and replaced by a sense of urgency to get out of the room and check out the city. However, Christchurch did not qualify, the spirits were dampened by the dampness and overcast skies outside! After freshening up, we headed out to the I-site center to plan our 2.5 days and start exploring the city on foot. The Heritage hotel where we stayed at has a wonderful central location, right on Cathedral Square, all the attractions are within an easy walking distance. The city has several trams running frequently between the attractions; a fun way to explore with the children. We took the tram to the old Dux de Lux restaurant next to the Arts Center and the Botanical Gardens. It was a well-deserved laid back and delicious dinner; thanks to the Fodors travel book and the local recommendation for this vegetarian-friendly place.  Chinmay's Mediterranean pizza and my Enchilada were incredibly mouth watering. Eating out is definitely pricier anywhere in NZ compared to the US; that being said definitely not disappointing so far!

Although day 2 began with an overcast morning; it cleared up by the time we hit the road in the morning. More later...