I (Marty) arrived in Auckland on Saturday afternoon, picked up the hire car from the airport, and made my way to the Auckland City Oaks Hotel. Lesley was already there - she had been in Auckland for 3 days for a conference. That evening we went down to the wharf and found a nice place to eat, the Neptune Cafe and Bar. The staff were lovely and the food was great.
The next morning we packed our bags, and filled our thermos with boiling water, for coffees on the road. We returned to the wharf, where we had an awesome breakfast at Ronnie's Cafe. Then we headed south for Tauranga - the drive took about 4 hours, with a few rest/sightseeing stops along the way.
Our room at the Trinity Wharf Hotel (Tauranga) was the best of the whole trip - literally right on the water, and luxurious, especially the bathroom. We were also able to have meals delivered to the room so we could just chill out.
