During our 2014 visit, we hadn’t planned to spend any time on the North Island except to fly in and out of Auckland, but since Australia and Tasmania were not on our 2018 list, we had time to explore the island now.

When it came to photography, the weather didn’t cooperate, and as we drew closer to the Bay of Islands, the winds kicked up and it began to drizzle, making for a wet, chilly day and poor photo opportunities. But we enjoyed our lunch and after we ate made the long journey back to Auckland.

Not everything on vacation, or in life, goes according to plan, including dinner reservations. We had reserved a table at the Grove, one of Auckland’s top-rated restaurants, and were looking forward to it, but they called to say they would be closed for a private event and were happy to comp us a meal at a restaurant of our choice.