I'm out of here #9: Auckland, NZ - culinary joy & dizzy heights

I don't always inform myself to death when I go out travelling, at least not when I'm on a long trip as I am right now. I Need to be Aware in between somehow, that I have no clue of where I'm exactly going, like having some Kind of suprise effect open. This is what I thought when I was about to leave the untouched Tropical paradise  of Fiji to visit the City of Auckland in New Zealand. Bad move.

Auckland CBD

The only fact I knew was that the temperature will drop down by almost 20 degrees Celsius and it will be raining most of my time there. Don't get me wrong, this is not going to be any hater post about Auckland, I think I guess imagined the whole Thing differently because I was thinking stuff like "I'm still in the Pacific Ocean" and Maori is equal Polynesia so it's going to be still exotic in some way. So now you might understand why I was a wee bit disappointed when I took a cab from the Airport and saw very Swiss similar landscapes out there. There's nothing wrong about my home Country either: but I wasn't expecting any disappointment, so this Feeling deep down just reminded me how I wasn't ready to end being on the road and head home.
More than 50% of my world trip is already over now, and looking back to a couple of weeks ago, fortunately something is starting to Change. I am starting to loose the scary mood about thinking about what will happen when I get home, I didn't loose it completely, but I can tell that I can Focus more on what's Happening NOW. And this is a pretty good Thing.

All this stuff started to Change during those four days, I feel ready to embrace the things that life has to offer when I get back, see what happens and go with the flow, so thank you Auckland. A lot. And no, it wasn't all  disappointment actually, I had a bunch of pretty good times here too. Our trio still had some time to do some Sightseeing in the city's Business centre, including a visit to the Sky Tower. That's actually the best Point to have a wide overwiev of town, the surrounding Islands and Suburbs. The most awesome Thing for me was to step up on bare glass and see the cars passing down on the tiny street way down at the bottom of the building.

Another great Thing about my stay in Auckland was my neighborhood. I was so happy to have Chosen to live between Ponsonby and Grey Lynn. Our Apartment was located on the backyard of a house, which gave us a real feel to be part of it, also because our Hosts invited us to join their home Party once. Wine is always a good Option if you ask me :)

The area of Ponsonby seems to be the hippest in Auckland, featuring vintage, heritage buildings, a slowed down City life and great local Restaurants. I liked a lot how creative the gastronomic world can get here, every place has its own vibe and is decorated individually. So if you'll ever find yourself wandering around in Auckland, make sure to be hungry and in a discovery mood, there is plenty of stuff for every taste.

I tried to put together a bunch of my favourite places during those days, I hope you'll find your favourite in here.

Breakfast/Brunch

I usually am not a big breakfast taker. This is maybe combined with the fact that I rarely am awake early in the morning, for me it's more brunch. There are a few chains of coffeeshops that offer great breakfast Sandwiches and amazing coffee. I really missed a good macchiato, so I really enjoyed being awake again in the morning :) plus, the salmon and Avocado Sandwiches are simply delicious. I tried several places and they really are good. So just step in wherever you are, the Cafés are great in Auckland!

Meatballs

I discovered Bedford Soda & Liquor by Meeting an old friend there that now lives in New Zealand again. This spot is great for tasting very good made Cocktails and the New York inspired Meatballs are great. The funny Thing about ordering meatballs is the Menu itself: you can choose different variations of Beef, sauces, and add extras like salad or Pasta to them. It can get pretty crowdy here during nighttime so make sure to be early.

Ponsonby Central

Pizza (!)

I know, you get Pizza everywhere. But you don't get LA Pizza everywhere. Especially not while travelling. Dante's Pizzeria is a small place with just a bunch of seats outside, that serves only the simple variations of neapolitan Pizza. So if you're looking for no-nos like add ons like pineapple or chicken you're definetly in the wrong place here and should go to Domino's. Dante's only uses real italian products and is certified by the neapolitan association of Pizza as a member. That's something that only 200 Restaurants in the world reached, it means something, or it will as long you will give the first bite to your Pizza slice. I didn't have a proper Pizza in Ages, so I was almost about to cry :)

Live Music/Bars

As a live Music Lover I was delighted to find a Little bar just across Ponsonby Central which has bands playing every Weekend. We enjoyed a Jazz Band playing and had our Drinks in the huge backyard where another, good stocked bar is provided. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out its Name, but you can see the colorful lights of the back shining out from the street.

The bar located on Ponsonby Road

On our last day the sun was laughing a Little bit more, and I really enjoyed one last walk in Ponsonby, including its cute Little park. My mind got ready to leave some annoying stuff behind and I was really looking Forward to see what Australia has to offer. I was wondering the most if the Feeling would last, and fortunately I have to say that it does every day a Little bit more. This trip was supposed to discover new places. However, I also wanted it to calm me down from unnecessary worries. And it's working out. The world is mine.