Eden Park Bed and Breakfast...Auckland, New Zealand

If you mention Eden Park in Auckland the natural assumption might be that you're talking about the Eden Park Stadium, New Zealand's largest stadium...the home of Auckland Cricket and Rugby.

The stadium that hosted the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

But not in my case...Eden Park to me means luxury bed and breakfast accommodation in an historic Edwardian villa.  

We've stayed in hotels of various ratings throughout the world, but for this trip we wanted a more personalised touch, so we decided to try boutique Bed and Breakfast Hotels. 

My initial thoughts of B&B brought back childhood memories...not always good ones but let me tell you B&B accommodation has certainly moved on since then. 

Eden Park Bed and Breakfast is located in Mt Eden, in central Auckland. 

Built in 1905 by a wealthy banker, the house has been immaculately restored to it's former elegance, yet sympathetically combined with modern comfort.

  Our room (featured in below photograph) was the premiere queen size room with fireplace and luxurious en-suite bathroom. All the beautiful linen and towels plus the cosy soft robe made it so easy to relax and unwind.

   The decor, ambience, personalized service and mind-set of both Marlene and Anthony McAnulty make your stay a memorable one. They are the perfect hosts.

Marlene is also an incredible cook and the gourmet breakfasts we sampled were exquisite. 

Her scambled eggs are sublime and I don't even like eggs!

The perfect spot to sit for a while...

Oh and did I mention Mr Darcy lives there...?

Mr Darcy has his own apartment and won't bother you...

oh boy could he teach Muffy a thing or two.

(in his younger days...courtesy of  Marlene and Anthony's Website)

(Photograph courtesy of Marlene and Anthony's Website)

I should state here and now that I'm not receiving any remuneration/rewards for posting this information...

I just think when people go to great lengths to ensure such a great service

 then they deserve credit.

If you don't believe me then just read the 250 trip advisor reviews!

Much as we enjoyed our stay there it's time to move on...

Off once more on the road to our next destination...

But taking in all the spectacular scenery and views can build up an appetite...

So coming across a sign for fresh oysters meant there was nothing for it but to take a quick pit stop.

The shop is located on Clevedon-Kawakawa Bay Road 9 km from Clevedon.

It was great to read their information board inside that had photographs and details about the oyster farm.

I really have only recently become a fan and certainly didn't know how they were farmed. 

The oysters have been grown in the clean, clear waters of the Hauraki Gulf for over 21 years. 

They cultivate, harvest and process only the juiciest, ripest oysters from their two farming areas on the Clevedon Coast and Waiheke island.

 They take great pride in being recognized as an international leader in the production of natural oysters and I have to tell you these were the most delicious freshest oysters I've tasted. 

A nice chilled bottle of wine would have gone down very well but with travelling on these roads that's not recommended...(well drinking and driving anywhere for that matter is not recommended)

  So enjoy the ride and hopefully we'll meet again soon..... ;D

Auckland and Harbour Cruise...New Zealand

Haere Mai ~ Welcome to Auckland...the City of Sails.

So let's begin to get to know Auckland...

It is famous for its beautiful twin harbours and the scenic Hauraki Gulf Islands, New Zealand's largest city combines the very best of city and country living. 

There is something for everyone to enjoy in this cosmopolitan city.

Auckland City centre is situated 21 kilometres (14 miles) from the airport and takes approximately 45 minutes. I'll just briefly mention the weather...it's not a problem if like me you come from Melbourne because I hardly noticed any difference plus it's just as changeable! 

The city feels safe and I was extremely impressed with how polite everyone seemed to be.

Auckland offers a great deal from a sparkling harbour, scenic offshore islands, rugged ranges, wineries and beautiful beaches...

The heart of Auckland's CBD is based around Queen Street and surrounding streets. 

The Sky Tower seen in the photo below is the Southern Hemisphere's tallest!

As we wandered around the city we came upon the Auckland Diwali Festival of Lights celebrations. 

Diwali is an ancient Hindu festival and one of India's best loved festival. It is a time for celebration for people in India and Indians living abroad, where families light lamps, candles and fireworks to symbolise the triumph of light over darkness, and the renewal of life.

Traditional and comtemporary dance and music...plus activities, entertainment, food and many stalls selling colourful wares.

It's a pity you can't smell the aroma being carried on the breeze....
All the food presented was vegetarian. We tested the samosa and they passed the test ;D
(Samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savoury filling such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils,
and can have ground chicken or lamb as an option)

Everyone had dressed up in their finery....can you believe the length of this braid?

Walking down Queens Street to the Harbour...

I don't think you can see very well from this shot but there's a flame coming out of the rock on the left...it was rather blowy at the time I took this...hence I got sprayed with the water from the fountain. 

 

After walking around enjoying the sights... 

We decided to try out the harbour cruise

Unfortunately, not on any of these vessels...
we caught the standard ferry but it did a great tour and the commentary from the Captain was quite entertaining....

It was rather blowy and it certainly blew the cobwebs off...so much so my hubby had to hold onto his toupee!
LOL...couldn't resist that...now I'll see if he reads this post...
he'll go up like a rocket if he does ;D

In fact we took two cruises...one of which stopped off at Devonport Island.

 Devonport is a picturesque seaside village only minutes away from downtown Auckland.
The stunning peninsula is a magnet for artists and craftspeople plus the very impressive collection of beautiful
restored Victorian villas.
Some even for sale which caught our eye... ;D

There are also a number of attractive little churches on the way to Mt Victoria.

Devonport is home to the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Victoria Picture Palace & Theatre is the earliest purpose-built cinema still in existence in the Southern Hemisphere. Now there's a few facts thrown in!

You can also explore Devonport's military history at North Head and the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum.
Yes...you guess it we HAD to visit the museum...but there was a time limit set before I walked over the doorstep.
(I have photos but haven't down loaded them yet...I'll do this tomorrow if I get a chance ~ sorry
I've been using two cameras and my phone to capture everything...
this holiday malarky can be both stressful and tiring!

Then arriving back after our cruise we needed a little light refreshment...
easy to say but it's not easy to choose when there are so many great cafes and bars to choose from...

We decided on an Irish bar in the end...very lively and the smell drew us in...

Well fed and watered we finally wandered back to our accommodation...
which I'll have to tell you about on another day.
I'm aware that this post has been rather long...but hey when you're on holiday you have to pack a lot into your day

I hope you do too...have fun and I'll see you soon.

We're leaving Auckland and moving on again...come and join us!

Up up and away...New Zealand here we come!

So are you ready for the off?

The house is clean and tidy, the dog has been dropped off with friends, plants watered, bags packed, fridge and freezer full to capacity with enough supplies to feed a village never mind just for one unfortunate not going away, cases shut, passports at the ready, taxi waiting and you've even checked in online...

nothing more to do but to get excited and off we jolly well go....

But where are we going? 

Oh didn't I tell you? We're off to New Zealand on the A380!

psst...don't tell anyone else, but we're going business class. 

I know I spoil you but you're worth it!

 I know the sun's only just rising but we've got things to do and places to go....so climb aboard.

 So this is my seat...not bad eh?

I could get used to this!

Hey when did we take off? Does anyone hear the engines? 

(the A380 is incredibly quiet)

See you later Melbourne...

Look at all that leg room...and there's even secret storage for your shoes!

Ahh....breakfast ~ well the first course anyway....

No trolley cloggy up the aisle so it's easy to stretch the legs to keep the circulation happy...

and voilà...there's the bar!

 

I couldn't take a wide shot of the bar because quite a few guys were enjoying the beverages available...

and yes it was only 10.30am! 

But I suppose the sun was setting in some part of the world?

Crisps, nuts and cakes just in case breakfast wasn't enough...

It's such a pity that we've only got approximately 4 hours 3 minutes to enjoy all of this...

 whoops...we're about to land so see you again soon for the next installment.

Hello New Zealand....