Brian and I love to travel. We thrive on our annual international trips. We enjoy discovering new corners of the world and seeing places that look like nowhere else we have ever been. Some people love museums, nightlife, wine or food. We like those things as well but we focus on amazing natural splendor. New Zealand offers nearly every kind of spectacular scenery you could possibly want to see. It's also a place that really speaks to me. Some places expand my horizons (like seeing the desert in Dubai) and other places feel like coming home.
I really enjoy the lush forests in New Zealand. The Australian bush still seems dry and foreign to me. The Auckland area woods with their ferns and large trees and all their green - they feel inviting. The weather is also quite temperate. I'm not a big heat person. So all of this is to say I was already primed to love New Zealand.
Still, prior to going there I'm not sure I understood that these dramatic scenes could all be so close together. Auckland sits along two large shallow blue bays. A half hour's drive from downtown takes you up into the mountains of the Waitakere Ranges. From there you get amazing views back towards the city.
We read good reviews for the Arataki Visitor Centre and thought it would make a good way to break up the drive to the coast. We didn't expect much but once there we found ourselves looking at each other and saying, "Best visitor's center ever!" The walk up to the building takes you through the different forest layers and also directs your attention to the expansive vistas. Inside they had cozy sitting areas with large picture windows, native Maori art, informational displays, puzzles, books and even dress up butterfly wings. They managed to educate and entertain all four of us on a range of levels. I was really impressed!
We ended by taking a short walk through the rain forest to another lookout. I wish we'd had more time to walk but we still had a lot on our agenda for the day.
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