Five Days on New Zealand’s North Island

Before the trip, I had read stories describing New Zealand as a kind of end-of-the-world refuge. Its distance from other continents and its farms, freshwater and geothermal landscapes invite that imagination; tales of technology fortunes buying remote property add a science-fiction twist. Whether any of that amounts to a sound survival plan is another question. It made me curious about the country, but our real reason for going was much warmer: my wife’s brother and his family had lived in Auckland for more than twenty years, and we wanted to spend Christmas with them.

We flew nonstop from San Francisco. At check-in we learned about an upgrade to a couch-like row of seats. It cost more than $1,000 extra, but the two of us could stretch out enough to sleep. We arrived in Auckland surprisingly rested. My brother-in-law and his wife met us at the airport and took us home for breakfast. Then we visited Mount Eden, where the old volcanic crater opens onto views of the city, and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Its Māori collections, large canoe and natural-history exhibits gave us a first introduction to the country.

We stayed at the InterContinental near the waterfront. That evening was Christmas Eve, so both families shared a hot-pot dinner and walked by a large illuminated Christmas tree. Celebrating in warm summer air felt delightfully different from our usual holiday.

The next day we drove to Lake Taupō. Huka Falls sent brilliantly blue water through a narrow channel. In town we stopped at the McDonald’s with a retired aircraft that visitors can sit inside, then settled into a lake-view room. A soak in a nearby hot spring eased the fatigue of the drive.

On day three we went to Rotorua. Having seen geothermal terrain in Yellowstone and Iceland, we were struck by how Rotorua’s steam rose amid green vegetation. At a living Māori village, we learned how geothermal heat still serves practical needs, including bathing and cooking. The place felt inhabited and used, not merely displayed.

On day four we visited Agrodome for a sheep-shearing demonstration and a close look at farm animals, including alpacas and cows. That evening, at Waitomo, a boat carried us through a dark glowworm cave. Tiny blue lights spread over the ceiling like a night sky. We sat quietly, almost reluctant to break the spell.

Our last day brought us back to Auckland for a visit to Wētā Workshop, where film models and effects offered a different kind of fantasy world. Then my brother-in-law and his family took us to the airport for the next leg of our Christmas journey, Tahiti. Five days was brief. What I remember most is not an imagined refuge from the world, but family, striking landscapes and the calm of being somewhere new together.