Tom Day 14 was our last day of travels in New Zealand and we had plenty packed in today. We would be visiting North Head Historic Reserve and checking out the very informative Torpedo Bay Navy Museum (along with its popular Torpedo Bay Cafe). Then we would be heading to the airport to leave our luggage before visiting Treasure Island Mini Golf and a couple of airport lounges before our flight back home…
New Zealand Travel Itinerary Day 14 – North Head Historic Reserve
This morning, we left our AirBnB rather early and headed out to visit the North Head Historic Reserve…
Also known as Maungauika, North Head Battery is a historic reserve site where guns used to deployed due to fears of a Russian invasion. Today, it is not only a well-preserved historic reserve, North Head is also one of the best venues to take in the views of the Auckland City Sky Line…
Thank the Lord for the beautiful sunny weather this morning at North Head Historic Reserve. We learnt about the retractable guns (also known as Disappearing Guns) of the South Battery and visited the viewing outposts as well as barracks for World War 2. Of course, the views of Auckland was what captivated us. Simply beautiful.
New Zealand Travel Itinerary Day 14 – Torpedo Bay Navy Museum and Cafe
Torpedo Bay Navy Museum was our next stop this day – mostly due to the Torpedo Bay Cafe which has garnered high reviews online. During our visit, there was a fee for international visitors at $10 per entry to Torpedo Bay Navy Museum. Free for locals though.
The Torpedo Bay Navy Museum was surprisingly informative and well-organised. This time, we learnt about the Wrens who did communications and “finger printing” during world war 2. There were also alot of relics and personal items shown at the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum. One of the most heart-wrenching event for us was the Neptune recording done in Egypt where the ship was destroyed after recording for Christmas and New Year greets were recorded to be sent home. Today, visitors are able to hear those greetings by crew of the Neptune at the museum some 80 years later.
Soon, it was lunch time at Torpedo Bay Cafe!
Torpedo Bay Cafe
For lunch at Torpedo Bay Cafe, we had the Eggs Benedict ($19.5), Fish and Chips ($23) and Iced Latte ($6.5) at Torpedo Cafe. The Eggs Benedict was eggcellent with large fresh eggs and runny yolk. The bacon was also fragrant and so flavourful. Fish and Chips was decent with the lemon and tartare adding to the tanginess of the taste.
Then, we headed to Auckland airport to drop off our luggage. This time we paid $12 to store our luggage at Auckland airport for 8 hours after returning our rental car at Auckland airport. We also checked out the New Zealand All Blacks store but found that the jerseys were out of stock…Sad…
There’s also some dining options at Auckland airport such as the Food Court (that includes McDonald’s and KFC) near the international departures as well as the Blue Marble Lane restaurant with its posh interior decoration…
Soon, it was time for the showdown between Tom and Kate at Treasure Island Mini Golf Auckland!
New Zealand Travel Itinerary Day 14 – Treasure Island Mini Golf Auckland Airport
At Treasure Island Mini Golf, you’ll be able to choose from two courses. The more difficult Blackbeard’s Course and the Captain’s Course. We started with Blackbeard’s Course at $16 per game. This time, we played two games and the second game was $8 at half off (50% discount for 2nd game). Hence, we were able to check out both the courses…
What we loved about playing at Treasure Island Mini Golf was the design of the golf courses here. You’ll be able to play inside “caves”, along waterfalls, hear pirates forcing another to walk the plank and of course cannon blasts with explosive water jets was heard throughout our games. It was definitely fun to play at this pirate-themed mini golf in Auckland!
After our game, we headed to Auckland Airport Shopping Centre where there was Warehouse and Countdown. We also had dinner at KFC – 3 piece chicken for $18 which was disappointing. We didn’t heed the warning of Google reviews despite the surprisingly low rating at this particular KFC outlet. Perhaps we should have…
Before heading back to the airport, we stopped by Countdown and bought the Lemon & Paeroa (L&P) soft drink ($4) that is manufactured in New Zealand. A lemon flavoured drink with a twist of lemon grass, the drink was actually refreshing. We were also able to see our last sunset while strolling back to Auckland International Airport – a beautiful scenery with purple skies painted by the Lord…
All in all, we had an enjoyable 2 weeks travelling in the North Island of New Zealand. For this trip, we spent a total of $5,500 for 2 pax, including transport, tours expenditures, stays and car rentals. However, our air tickets were excluded as we were able to snag a pair of SQ Business Class return air tickets from Singapore to Auckland.
However, our travels in New Zealand was not finished as yet. We checked in at 930pm this evening for our flight out at 1:20am because of a couple of airport lounges that we were about to visit – Strata Lounge Auckland Airport and the Air New Zealand Lounge at Auckland Airport…
Strata Lounge Auckland Airport
Strata Lounge was the first airport lounge that we visited at Auckland Airport. We enjoyed our visit because of the wide selection of food available as well as the various choices of alcoholic drinks that ranged from wines to beers and liquor available. However, in the taste department of the food available, it was a little disappointing. Nonetheless, it was a huge and spacious lounge that overlooks the shops below. If you’re looking for a nice place to chill, Strata Lounge would be a great option.
At about 10pm, we headed over to Air New Zealand Airport Lounge…
Air New Zealand Airport Lounge Auckland
After visiting Strata Lounge, we headed over to Air New Zealand Lounge at Auckland Airport. Unfortunately, it was past the meal hours and there was no hot food served already. Nonetheless, we were still able to get some desserts and check out the bar area which served some amazing cocktails and gourmet coffee…
We loved the chill out outdoor areas at the Air New Zealand Auckland Airport Lounge. The gourmet coffee ordered via the touch screen pad was also a novelty for us. And, it was really delicious. The bar also served some amazing cocktails where we had the Cosmopolitan and Old Fashioned which were really yummy! With the drinks, we enjoyed chilling out at the outdoor areas before finally heading over to our gate at 0050 in the morning…
For our meals on our SQ Business Class Flight back from Auckland to Singapore, we had the Chicken Confit which was well seasoned with rosemary and thyme. Riesling complemented the chicken breast really well. Lamb Loin and the Fish were not too bad as well. We also tried to convert our business class seat into the bed ourselves, only to the tune of “Oh my God Mr Lim” – another example of great service by SQ where the tone was a little apologetic that we even tried to convert the bed ourselves – though we really wanted to try. Remember to put your seat upright before you do so. Otherwise, the conversion is actually pretty straightforward by unlatching at the top of the seat.
For breakfast, we had the continental breakfast but found that it was just yogurt and muesli. Hence, we went with nutella banana crepes instead. Dim sum was not too bad as well.
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After arrival at Singapore Changi Airport, we found that there was no arrival visit to SilverKris Lounge at T2. Hence, we visited Ambassador Transit Lounge for shower and bee hoon which was surprisingly not bad.
We were thankful for a safe and enjoyable time throughout our travels in New Zealand over the past 2 weeks. We were able to visit some of the highlights in North Island New Zealand such as Hobbiton, Hell’s Gate Mud Spa, Huhu Chalet as well as a slew of restaurants and craft beer pubs in Wellington. If you’re travelling to New Zealand soon, we hope these series of New Zealand Travel Itinerary and reviews of attractions and restaurants would be useful in your planning as well! Enjoy!
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New Zealand North Island Travel Itinerary
New Zealand Travel Itinerary Day 1: Flying SQ Business Class and Visiting the New SilverKris Lounge!
New Zealand Travel Itinerary Day 2: Arriving in Auckland and Hanging out in Hamilton
New Zealand Travel Itinerary Day 3: Visiting Hobbiton, Lake Rotorua and Eat Streat in Rotorua
Attractions and Restaurants in North Island New Zealand
Hobbiton New Zealand Review: Step into Middle Earth and the Movie Set of The Lord of the Rings
Hell’s Gate Rotorua Review: Mud Bath and Spa with Views of Geothermal Features
BREW Craft Beer Pub Rotorua NZ Review: Delicious Beers on Tap and Bar Grub!
Kuirau Park Rotorua NZ Review: Free Geothermal Foot Baths for Everyone!
Lady Janes Ice Cream Parlour Rotorua Review: Friendly Staff and Yummy Ice Cream Awaits!
Huka Falls Taupo Review: Beautiful Falls Opposite The Bank
Dixie Browns Restaurant Taupo Review: Thick Juicy Sirloin Steak and Tender Braised Lamb Shank!
Millennium Hotel and Resort Manuels Taupo Review: Beautiful Views with Direct Access to Lake Taupo!
Edgewater Restaurant Taupo Review: Top Notch Steak, Lamb and Service in Taupo New Zealand!
Taupo Mini Golf Review: Free Round with a Hole In One!
Lake Taupo Maori Cave Carving Cruise Review: Beautiful Experience Out On The Lake!
Cornerstone Taphouse Taupo: Affordable and Delicious Craft Beers!
Lake Taupo Hole-In-One Challenge: Will You Give It A Try While In Taupo?
Mission Estate Winery Review: Unfortunately no wine-tasting this time…
Te Awanga Estate Hastings Review: Great food in a beautiful vineyard setting…
Heyday Beer Co Wellington Review: Excellent Sandwiches with Craft Beers!
Wellington Seamarket Review: HUGE portion of Fish and Chips at affordable prices!
Fork and Brewer Wellington Review: Delicious and Uniquely named Craft Beers
Wellington Museum Review: A FREE Quality Museum in Wellington
Rogue & Vagabond Craft Beer Bar Review: Great Craft Beers and Burgers!
Heavenly Pasta Review: Stopover Meal at Bulls New Zealand
Scullys Home and Beauty: The One and Only Scullys Store in Bulls NZ
Skotel Alpine Resort Review: For the Best Hiking Trails and Views of Mount Ruapehu!
Taumarunui Bakery: A Rest Stop Enroute to Huhu Chalet
Huhu Chalet Review: An Unique Experience within close proximity of Waitomo Caves!
Ruakuri Bush Walk Review: An Adventure Through Waitomo Cave System Awaits!
Waitomo Glowworm Caves Review: Journey through the magical world of Glow Worms!
Waitomo Homestead Review: Don’t miss the affordable Pies here!
Burger Burger Auckland Review: REALLY GOOD Burgers for a satisfying meal!
The Patriot Devonport Auckland Review: Great deals in a Historic Building…
Maungauika & North Head Historic Reserve Review: For Battery Guns and Best Views of Auckland City!
Torpedo Bay Navy Museum Review: A Well-Designed National Museum of RNZN with an Excellent Cafe!
Treasure Island Mini Golf Auckland Review: Well-designed Mini Golf Course with Explosive Effects!
SQ Business Flight and Airport Lounge Experiences (Auckland / Singapore)
SQ Business Class Return Flight from Singapore to Auckland: The Complete Review!
Air New Zealand Lounge Auckland Review: Amazing Gourmet Coffee and Cocktails Await!
SilverKris Lounge Changi Airport Review: Newly Revamped Business Class Lounge!
