I've never particularly liked Auckland, despite having lived there and taken several fun trips for concerts over the last few years. There was something about the insanely humid climate and spread out nature of the city that simply annoyed me. But, after spending four days there with Ben for the Fleetwood Mac show on the 16th, my relationship with Auckland City has been resurrected.
We flew up on the 14th, the flight was at midday and we arrived extra early as this was our first time travelling together and I didn't know what to expect. Luckily, we made it onto the flight with no major dramas. Aside from a violent battle with an extremely temperamental vending machine at the airport. We stayed with my Grandad and his girlfriend at Princess Wharf. Their place is amazing, it has the best view and a very comfy bed. Plus, it's pretty much walking distance to everywhere we wanted to go, including the concert venue.
Upon arrival, Ben and I decided that we were very hungry. So, we managed to stumble across a funny little place called Food Alley. It's a crazy cool peach coloured building with a retro, almost Hollywood sign out front. Walking past, you'd probably assume it was abandoned or closed down. But inside is the strangest little assortment of Asian food stores, including an Indian place where we purchased our food of choice. The most Western option on the menu, butter chicken. However, we both agreed that it was the best butter chicken we'd ever tried, and we've tried a lot.
The standard for food was pretty high after that and Auckland did not disappoint. We dined at a delicious French restaurant with my Grandparents on the first night. Then we enjoyed everything from milkshakes and chicken waffles to burgers, pasta and feijoa juice. Yes-we love white people food.
For our first full day in Auckland, we got up early (ish) and had breakfast at the apartment, then we set off on our first adventure. We took a bus to Northcote, which was complicated and slightly stressful, but we eventually made it to Savemart. I picked up a few pieces for my store, which you'll be seeing soon! Then, we explored Ponsonby and K Road, which was so very cool. I've been to Auckland several times with my friends over the last couple of years, yet we never properly explored K Road. I guess it's the Auckland equivalent of Cuba Street, but in my opinion a lot cooler. We shopped in Paperbag Princess, Crushes, The White Elephant, Smoove and my personal favourite, Vixen.
Vixen was basically Bella heaven. There were 1970s lamps, groovy chairs, Elvis pictures on the walls and a plethora of incredible vintage cowboy boots. Ben was subjected to multiple visits to Vixen and lots of photos. There were several 60s dresses for sale that I was very tempted by, but the price tag was enough to knock some sense into me. If you want to see a rundown of what I did pick up whilst thrifting in Auckland click here.
The concert was on Monday night so we had plenty of time to explore during the day too. We headed back to K Road for a more in-depth look (sorry Ben). Then to Newmarket, where we found the best cookies and cream milkshake ever. We walked through the shops in Parnell, saw a very cute miniature schnauzer called Freddie and made it back to the apartment with time for a nana nap before the concert.
Fleetwood Mac was absolutely amazing and honestly better than either of us had expected. Stevie Nicks was especially fantastic and for a 71-year-old had more energy than both me and Ben combined. Plus, an incredible head of blonde hair that she whipped around all night. Mick Fleetwood played an insane twenty-minute drum solo that got everyone grooving and then Neil Finn blew us away with his and Stevie's duet of 'Don't Dream It's Over'. They played almost all of our favourite songs and came back with 'Don't Stop' as their encore, which was just perfect.
For our first official holiday together, Ben and I had the best time in Auckland. Although I wouldn't live there, I have a new appreciation for Auckland City (especially K Road). Our trip was complete with our final day spent at Auckland Zoo (Ben's choice) and an extra cheesy Pizza Hutt pizza, which we had been craving for days. I basically went photo crazy over the four days that we were there, I love having memories documented through photos and videos, so my storage is filling up fast. But, I know that this will be a trip we'll look back on and remember so fondly!
Bella 🌼
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