A gift was presented to us for our wedding anniversary. But somehow, we never opened it and it escaped our sight for more than 4 months.

Very recently, when I was searching for a pack of stapler pins, the unopened gift caught my attention. Having forgotten completely about it, I was curious to know what is in it.

I tore the gift wrapper and found a nicely bound book titled, “The lure of New Zealand”.
So, knowing my passion for travelogues, somebody had presented it to me. Yes, there was no label on the gift to tell me from whom it came from.

The book contained useful information about the cheap hotels in New Zealand, different routes to land in New Zealand, events and festivals etc.

There was a stunning photograph of the popular yacht race that I felt was taken with extraordinary imagination. Staying in Auckland seemed to be the best choice because of its proximity to several sight seeing places.

The book had separate chapters dedicated to accommodation, eating, local transportation etc. Under Auckland Accommodation, there were as many as 125 hotels with different ratings. Budget travelers like me can look for hotels under the category Cheap Hotels in Auckland.

The book warmed me that a vegetarian may find it difficult to get along in New Zealand.

Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east, the low Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the Manukau Harbour to the south-west, and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north-west.