Travelsmartplanet

So many of New Zealand’s famous names are unknown in North America. In 1919, the centennial year of artist Colin McCahon’s birth, a huge exhibit of many of his creations was set up in the Auckland Art Gallery. This is one of McCahon’s earlier paintings titled “The first Waterfall” which was painted in 1964. McCahon was a driving force for art in NZ; He helped run the Auckland CityArt gallery, installed exhibitions, taught art classes and painted too. 

Tags: art class, art gallery, artist, Auckland, Auckland Art Gallery, centennial, centennial year, CityArt, Colin McCahon, creations, exhibit, exhibition, famous name, install, Museum, New Zealand, North America, painted, painting, sights, sightseeing, The first Waterfall, Toi o Tamaki, tour, tourist, travelblogger, waterfall, year

The food in New Zealand was a delicious surprise. Look how simple it is to make rice look pretty.

Tags: Auckland, decorative, Eastern Beach, eat, food, local food, New Zealand, North Island, pacific, Pacific Ocean, plate, rice, rice plate, sights, sightseeing, tour, tourist

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Wherever you are in New Zealand, you are never far from a beach or birds. Here, the birds are the only ones enjoying Eastern Beach.

Tags: Auckland, beach, bird, birds, Eastern Beach, Nature, New Zealand, North Island, pacific, Pacific Ocean, relaxation, sand, sights, sightseeing, tour, tourist, travelblogger, wildlife

When your name is Stanley, it’s a bit of a thrill to have a street named after you…This one is in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tags: Auckland Domain, city, city view, name, New Zealand, New Zealand trip, sights, sightseeing, Stanley, Stanley street, street, street name, street view, tour, tourist, travelblogger, trip, view

The Sky Tower in Auckland, NZ is the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern hemisphere. It sits at the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets and is 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall.

Tags: Auckland, Auckland Domain, corner, Federal, freestanding, Hemisphere, New Zealand, sights, sightseeing, sky, Sky Tower, southern, Southern hemisphere, street, structure, tallest, tour, tourist, tower, travelblogger, Victoria

In the stately columned Auckland War Museum, you can discover the world’s largest collection of Maori and Polynesian artifacts. Sitting impressively in the center is a large ornately carved Hotunui meetinghouse from 1878 and a Waka (war canoe), Te Toki-a-Tapiri from 1836. They’re heart and soul of the museum, yet there’s lots more.

Tags: ancestral, artifact, Auckland, Auckland Domain, Auckland War Museum, canoe, carved, collection, column, heart, heart and soul, Hotunui, Maori, meetinghouse, memorial, Museum, New Zealand, ornate, Polynesian, preservation, sights, sightseeing, soul, Te Toki-a-Tapiri, tour, tourist, travelblogger, Waka, war, war history, war memorial, war museum, wood carving, world

The Kauri trees are endangered so it’s really special when you can go into a forest and see quite of few very old ones. The Arataki Visitor Centre goes to great lengths to preserve and protect them. You can climb up a high trail and see then at the top reaching for the sky. The circular cluster is called The Cathedral.

Tags: Ancient, Arataki, Arataki Visitor Centre, Auckland, cathedral, Centre, circular, city, climb, cluster, ecology, endangered, foliage, forest, fresh air, Kauri, Kauri tree, local, location, Manukau, Nature, nature trail, nature walk, New Zealand, NZ, ocean, outdoors, preserve, protect, quiet, range, regional park, scenery, sights, sightseeing, sky, stairs, steps, The Cathedral, top, tour, tourist, trail, tranquility, travelblogger, tree, trees, treetop, view, view from the top, visitor, visitor centre, Waitakere, Waitakere ranges, Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, walk

In the trails outside the Arataki Visitor Centre in Waitakere NZ, you can get lost in the sea of ferns.

Tags: Arataki, Arataki Visitor Centre, Auckland, Centre, city, Coast, country, ecology, fern, foliage, fresh air, local, location, Nature, nature trail, nature walk, New Zealand, New Zealanders, North Island, NZ, outdoors, range, regional park, scenery, sights, sightseeing, silver, silver fern, tour, tourist, trail, travelblogger, tree, treetop, view, visitor, visitor centre, Waitakere, Waitakere ranges, Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

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The silver fern has been a symbol of New Zealand since the 1880s. To Maori, the shape of the fronds stood for strength, resistance, and power. To other New Zealanders, it’s exemplifies their homeland as it grows throughout the country from the North Island down to the coast of the South Island. It is the most abundant of all ferns in New Zealand. You can find it on all kinds of souvenirs. We bought sports socks with ferns on them as a momento of New Zealanders who enjoy lots of physical activity. 

Tags: Ancient, Arataki, Arataki Visitor Centre, Auckland, Centre, city, Coast, country, ecology, fern, foliage, fresh air, fronds, homeland, local, location, Maori, momento, Nature, nature trail, nature walk, New Zealand, New Zealanders, North, North Island, NZ, outdoors, physical activity, power, quiet, range, regional park, resistance, scenery, shape, sights, sightseeing, silver, silver fern, south, South Island, souvenir, strength, symbol, tour, tourist, tranquility, travelblogger, tree, treetop, view, visitor, visitor centre, Waitakere, Waitakere ranges, Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

You can take quiet walks in Waitakere’s Arataki Visitor Centre. These steps lead up and up and up to the treetop Cathedral of ancient Kauri trees. Worth the walk.

Tags: Ancient, Arataki, Arataki Visitor Centre, Auckland, cathedral, Centre, city, ecology, foliage, fresh air, Kauri, Kauri tree, local, location, Manukau, Nature, nature trail, nature walk, New Zealand, NZ, ocean, outdoors, quiet, range, regional park, scenery, sights, sightseeing, sky, stairs, steps, tour, tourist, trail, tranquility, travelblogger, tree, treetop, view, view from the top, visitor, visitor centre, Waitakere, Waitakere ranges, Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, walk