Like Japan, New Zealand is a long and narrow country, with both urban and natural features. It is the home of Auckland city, once voted the world’s most livable city. It is also a world leader in human rights, and a country that cares about animal welfare. On this Domain Island Tour, we explore what New Zealand has to offer, including visiting the country’s oldest shelter cat cafe for special needs cats, Auckland Zoo to see the flightless Kiwi, a modern library to relax, a cafe for anime fans, and the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere, the Sky Tower. The ccTLD for New Zealand is “.nz“.
◆Where is New Zealand?
New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere, in a region called Oceania, and has an area that is approximately three-quarters the size of Japan. The capital city is Wellington, but the largest city is Auckland, which is where we went. The local currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD).
= Table of Contents =
◆Strict Customs & Biosecurity Laws Protect NZ Borders
◆The “.kiwi” Domain and the Zoo Where You Can See Kiwis in the Dark
◆Happy Special Needs Cats Living in NZ’s Oldest Shelter Cat Cafe
◆Cafe for Fans of Anime and Daiso’s 333 Yen Shop
◆Modern-looking Birkenhead Library, Founded in 1949
◆Riding an Electric Scooter Around the Sky Tower, the Southern Hemisphere’s Highest Tower
◆What to Eat in New Zealand – Traditional Maori Food, etc.
◆Finding “.nz” Around Town
◆How to Purchase a SIM & Test the Internet Speed
◆Strict Customs & Biosecurity Laws Protect NZ Borders
A direct flight from Tokyo to Auckland takes around 10 and a half hours. On our way to immigration, we passed through a uniquely decorated gate with hymn-like folk music playing.
We had no problems going through the automatic immigration gates with our Japanese passports. After going through the gates, we head towards biosecurity. Biosecurity checks aim to protect the country from pests, microorganisms and disease. It is notoriously strict.
Travelers must self-declare any prohibited items such as fruit, meat, plants or seeds by ticking Yes or No on the Arrival Card. Camping, scuba and fishing equipment is permitted as long as it has been cleaned and in a spotless condition. If you are unsure about anything, the airport staff have an information sheet in Japanese and other languages that you can ask to check.
We were able to clear the biosecurity checks in about five minutes. Making a false or inaccurate declaration, even accidentally, is a violation of the law and can result in a fine or even imprisonment. We walked to the bus stop with a long line of baggage carts being pushed along beside us, like some kind of centipede.
To get to our hotel we took ‘The Yellow Bus’, which is an airport-hotel transfer service. If you show proof of your hotel booking, you can ride for free.
It was a 15-minute ride to the Airport Gateway Hotel, where we had booked our stay.
The room was clean and tidy, but the lock on the door was broken, which was a little worrying. There was no air-conditioning.
We were visiting in mid-May and at night it got as low at 10°C, so it felt quite cold. Remember to keep in mind that New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere and therefore will be the opposite season to Japan.
◆The “.kiwi” Domain and the Zoo Where You Can See Kiwis in the Dark
If you visit New Zealand, make sure you see the cute little flightless Kiwi in person. It’s native to New Zealand, and it is also their national bird. We were told that the only place you can see them in the wild is on Stewart Island, but we had limited time, so we went to Auckland Zoo instead.
It cost $35 NZD to enter. We head towards the Kiwi enclosure, walking through light drizzle.
The zoo is spacious and the greenery is lush, almost feeling like we were walking through a safari park. It was extremely quiet, maybe because it was a weekday.
There were other interesting animals, like a tiger and her cub, but we were single-minded in our search for the Kiwi.
At last, we’re at the Kiwi enclosure.
Let’s stay as quiet as we can… No flash photography or flashlights allowed. Let’s take a look inside.
It’s so dark inside you can’t see a thing. It feels a little scary. Kiwis are nocturnal and therefore go about their life in the dark. Let’s wait a while for our eyes to adjust.
As our eyes start to adjust, we see something round moving about in the dark. It’s moving surprisingly fast for an animal with such a round body. It’s too dark and they move too fast to take any good photos. The only thing we can do is put our phones up to the glass, start recording video, and wait patiently for them to come closer.
Look! It’s a Kiwi. It’s a cute bird with an adorable way of walking. I wasn’t expecting to have to see them in such a dark environment, but I guess they are nocturnal and it’s probably almost impossible to see them in the wild.
After leaving the zoo, we went to visit the domain name registry that operates and manages the “.kiwi” domain. Not only referring to the bird and the fruit, “kiwi” can also mean the New Zealand people themselves, who like being called by this nickname.
The domain name registry is located in ‘Dentons – Auckland Office’, a commercial law firm in a modern, stylish building near the Sky Tower. Unfortunately, the manager wasn’t in at the time. Instead, we met some very kind and helpful Japanese staff members. We told them that we were visiting from Japan for a project called ‘Domain Island Tour’, and gave them some Japanese souvenirs.
◆Happy Special Needs Cats Living in NZ’s Oldest Shelter Cat Cafe
New Zealand is considered a world-leader in animal welfare. We made a visit to New Zealand’s oldest shelter cat cafe called Purrs & Beans.
There were quite a few caution signs at the adorably decorated entrance. Usually, you have to make a reservation, but they happened to have an opening so we were able to go in. The minimum age of admission is 10 years old, and those who are 10 to 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult (over 18).
They sell a variety of cat merchandise in the reception area. The money paid for these goods goes towards supporting the shelter.
We ordered a banana smoothie ($8.5 NZD). It was good!
We saw a white cat with no ears, like the Japanese anime character Doraemon. She had some kind of skin disease when she was rescued and needed to have them surgically removed, but she was very cute and friendly.
Many of the cats have special needs, such as missing legs etc., but they all seem relaxed and happy.
We could tell they are well-loved.
Information about each cat is hung on the wall and is also compiled into a notebook.
A staff member kindly told us all about each cat.
They have free access to three large rooms and a bright, airy patio area.
We really hope all the cats find loving forever homes.
◆Cafe for Fans of Anime and Daiso’s 333 Yen Shop
We heard about a place in New Zealand that is so famous that it’s guaranteed to be known by anyone who is an Anime fan in New Zealand. It’s called Graphic Novel Café and it opened in 2002.
It’s filled with manga, both classic and more recent titles. A single manga costs around $20 NZD. Walls were decorated with valuable autographed drawings by various manga artists and others.
One of them is by Masahiko Otsuka, the President of the animation studio, Studio Trigger.
We enjoyed Dragon Ball drinks ($4 NZD a can), while ‘Wasureji no Kotonoha‘, sung by DAZBEE, played in the background.
As it’s also a cafe, it would be a good location for an offline get together.
The famous Daiso can also be found in New Zealand.
We enter through a small doorway. But once you’re inside, it’s surprisingly spacious.
They sell many of the same items sold in Daiso stores back in Japan. Daiso is known as the ‘100-yen shop’ in Japan, but here in New Zealand, most products are $3.5 NZD, or about ¥333 JPY. Over three times the price in Japan.
Even so, there were many people in the store and queuing up to pay.
◆Modern-looking Birkenhead Library, Founded in 1949
We were feeling a bit tired out from walking, so we stopped and entered the Birkenhead Library found on Auckland’s North Shore. While prices are high in New Zealand, their public services are excellent, so there are plenty of ways to relax without spending a fortune.
It’s a modern building, almost entirely made up of floor to ceiling windows which give great views of the city. It has been rebuilt three times since 1949.
We saw a LGBT flag hung on the wall. The LGBT community uses the domain “.lgbt“.
The ground floor space of the museum opens up to all the way to the second floor.
The library holds over 30,000 books and magazines, as well as having free Wi-Fi and lots of places to sit and relax.
◆Riding an Electric Scooter Around the Sky Tower, the Southern Hemisphere’s Highest Tower
The Sky Tower is the symbol of Auckland city. At 328m high, it’s the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.
While it’s not as high as Tokyo’s Skytree (634m), Auckland has few high-rise buildings so it’s visible from anywhere in the city and at night, when it is lit up, it is surreally beautiful.
Since we’re here, let’s go up! We found it a little difficult to work out where the entrance was. First, we entered through the Skycity entertainment complex, and then took an escalator down to the ground level.
Huh? What’s this? There’s no one here at reception. It seems to be closed already. It’s currently just after 8pm. It’s supposed to be open until 10pm… After checking further, we find out opening times can change, depending on the time of year and the day of the week. Keep this in mind when you visit.
Bungy jumping from the top of the Sky Tower is a popular attraction, but unfortunately, we couldn’t try it this time. Give it a try, if you have the chance!
Finding ourselves unable to go to the top of the Sky Tower, we decided to try riding electric scooters around the area like the locals do. Electric kickboards, as they’re known in Japan, are called e-scooters in New Zealand. It’s common enough to see people taking the steep hills of Auckland riding a Beam e-scooter.
E-scooters in Japan tend to have a single designated return area, but Beam has numerous places around the city and you can often spot them by the side of the road. It costs $1 NZD to unlock, then 59c per minute.
You must be at least 18 years old to use one. While you don’t need a driver’s license, you do need to wear the helmet provided. Unexpectedly, we sometimes saw the helmets left by themselves on the side of the street. At first, I found it hard to master the correct timing to get started on the scooter, but I think if I could get more used to it, it would be a convenient way to get around the city. Incidentally, Beam is also available in Japan, but the pricing is very different. ¥50 JPY to unlock and then ¥15 JPY per minute.
◆What to Eat in New Zealand – Traditional Maori Food, etc.
・’The Hangi Shop’, a Restaurant Serving Traditional Cuisine
If you visit Auckland, don’t miss out on trying the traditional Maori way of cooking, Hangi. Let’s take a look inside the restaurant ‘The Hangi Shop’.
It’s a casual, small restaurant. Meals are available for takeout, too. It has a cozy, homey atmosphere and some of the local customers asked us where we were from.
Traditional Hangi uses steam, but here there is a choice between steamed and boiled dishes. We ordered the pork and chicken Hangi ($19 NZD) and the boiled Miti Kohua Porkbones ($20 NZD). The meat in both dishes was very tender, with lots of vegetables and a mild flavor. Little salt packets were also provided, like you get in an airplane, in case you found the flavor too mild. I added some to my meal and it was perfect.
・Popular Hamburger Chain – Burger Fuel
Burger Fuel is an original hamburger restaurant created in New Zealand.
Both the exterior and the interior are extremely stylish and almost feel like a club for young people. It’s no wonder it’s so popular locally.
Burger Fuel is the most expensive hamburger chain in New Zealand. We ordered the American Muscle ($13.58 NZD), the V8 Vegan ($15.58 NZD) and the C N Cheese ($15.58 NZD).
All of the hamburger buns were huge. The American Muscle was particularly delicious as it was packed with veggies, had a nice rich sauce and even included mashed potato as a filling!
・Japanese Restaurant – Hayashi
We happened to pass by a Japanese restaurant called Hayashi. The Japanese dolls and barrels of sake in the display window caught our eye, so we decided to go inside.
The staff told us that it had been quite a while since they’d had Japanese customers! The chef was Korean. We ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry Don ($23 NZD). It came with miso soup.
The Vegetable Udon ($19 NZD) came with a large portion of tenkasu (crunchy bits of deep-fried flour-batter).
This was the California Roll ($15 NZD). As you can see, prices are pretty high in New Zealand. It all tasted as good as Japanese cuisine back home, so we really enjoyed it.
Unlike what it says on the sign below (“Stubborn Old Man at Work”), the chef didn’t seem to be a “stubborn old man”, instead he seemed very kind. If you’re missing Japanese food in Auckland, you can easily pop in here for a great meal.
・New Zealand Cuisine – Glass Goose
In our exploration around the city, Glass Goose, a NZ restaurant not far from the Sky Tower, was the most beautiful restaurant that we came across. Both the exterior and the interior were very trendy, making it a perfect date spot.
We started by ordering some drinks. Both the Strawberry Basil Crush and the Spiced Apple Mojito came to $13 NZD.
Our main dish was the Pork Belly ($42 NZD). The pork skin was crispy and the mustard was a great accent flavor. All in all, this is the place to go if you want to experience modern NZ cuisine in style.
◆Finding “.nz” Around Town
The ccTLD for New Zealand is “.nz”. We came across it many times as we traveled around Auckland city.
Spark (A New Zealand telecommunications company) and Spotify
Airport shuttle bus
A motel.
A game arcade.
A hair salon.
We found the “.kiwi” domain at the shelter cat cafe, Purrs & Beans NZ.
The sale of live animals in pet shops is strictly regulated in New Zealand.
How to Purchase a SIM & Test the Internet Speed
We used the eSIM Trifa. We measured 64Mbp in Auckland city.
