Auckland-ish recs for sister?

[bironic]

Hey, NZ friends. My sister and her new husband will be honeymooning in Aotearoa/New Zealand for a couple of weeks, starting in about a week. They'll be based in Auckland. They have some basics planned, like the Hobbiton and glow worm cave day trip, but are welcoming recommendations on what else they should see or where to eat. Any personal favorites that are reachable by public transit or tour? Things they like include: nature, animals, nerd stuff, vegan food, whiskey, things that aren't found in the U.S. northeast.

Comments

[isis]

Not an NZ person but when I was there (note, this was > 15 years ago) we took the ferry to Devonport which is an island across the harbor. Some wartime ruins and museum-y things. Speaking of which the Auckland museum is great, had surprisingly good food and a cool earthquake simulator. Also the Maritime Museum, if you're into that (which I am). Waitakere park (not sure if it's public-transportation accessible) has a beautiful waterfall.

Not sure how tour-able these are from Auckland, but: hiking Mount Doom (Tongariro) is cool; Rotorua is also really interesting, volcanic hot pools and Maori culture.

[bironic]

Thank you! I will share with them.

This is making me want to turn my own vague aspirations of visiting into an actual plan.

[isis]

It's very much worth it! My biggest recommendations are to take as much time as you can, and to expect to vegetate the first day because the flight is heinous and you get there early morning on whatever sleep you can manage on a plane.

[bironic]

Update: They sent pictures from Rotorua and it looked marvelous.