NEW ZEALAND DAY 15

DAY 15 – AUKLAND

I was up early, and as luck would have it, so was Stephen. We headed downstairs ahead of the morning rush and enjoyed breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Afterwards, we returned to the room, and I spent some time catching up on travel entries while Stephen got ready for the day. Rather than hopping back on the bus, we realized the Auckland Art Gallery was close enough to reach on foot, so we set out on our own.

Queen Street was still waking up, draped in freshly installed Christmas lights that shimmered faintly in the overcast daylight. We walked at an easy pace, stopping occasionally to people-watch, admire shop windows, or simply take in the changing rhythm of the city as we moved toward the Central Business District.

The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the city’s premier art institution and the largest in New Zealand. Housed in a striking blend of heritage Victorian brickwork and contemporary glass-and-wood architecture, the gallery holds more than 17,000 works. Its collection spans Māori and Pacific art, European masters, and modern and contemporary pieces, with a strong emphasis on New Zealand’s cultural identity and artistic history.

They were hosting a special exhibition on Pop Art, but since Stephen and I had seen a similar show in Minneapolis, we decided it wasn’t worth the entry fee. Instead, we wandered through the museum’s free galleries, moving from one space to the next at our own pace. It was the perfect way to soak in the quieter corners of the collection—no hurry, no agenda, just time to explore.

NEW ZEALAND TOUR DAY 16