Christmas in Auckland

After much internal deliberation, I decided to skip doing Hobbiton this time around as I’d seen it already on a previous trip, and instead decided to spend Christmas in Auckland.

I created my own Christmas Eve beer tour, visiting Auckland’s Brewery Street, Garage Project, and Urbanaut, a newer microbrewery. Urbanaut’s space was up my alley, with all of the brewing being done in the same space as the bar, an open floor plan, and retro games galore.

Christmas Day didn’t really feel like Christmas Day. For one, it was eighty degrees outside. The time difference mant that social media was a day behind, and I wasn’t being bombarded with ‘Merry Christmas’ posts. While a lot of things were closed in Auckland (mostly smaller or independent shops and restaurants), it was still a bustling city. The Christmas tree decorations scattered throughout were the only real indicator that it was, indeed, Christmastime.

I spent the day at the beach on Waiheke Island. I packed up my bag with lunch, snacks, and beer I had purchased the day before and headed for the hourly ferry that took me to the beach. A lot of people had the same idea because the pier was packed. However, once I arrived on the island and stumbled upon a beach, I found it to have plenty of space. I spent the day reading, listening to music, snacking, and wandering along the beach.