Welcome to the Auckland house! Our first and only actual house of the trip and we loved, loved, loved it.  Our house was in a little town called Birkenhead just north of downtown Auckland it was perfect.

We were all pleasantly surprised by how spacious the house was when we arrived.  The house is in a neighborhood on a quiet street that reminded me of a lot of Brixton Lane. We had a sidewalk, fenced in yard, and an amazing patio.

Upon first entering the house, there is a beautiful hardwood hallway. Just to the right was a shoe cubbie and coat hooks, so Nolan knew exactly what to do — he quickly sat down, took off his shoes, and announced, “this is a great place for shoes.”  Once inside the house, this is a bedroom directly to the left with a bathroom ensuite and a smaller bedroom on the right.  Jim and I took the bedroom on the left and Nolan quickly took the bedroom on the right, which had a cat duvet cover.

Down the hallway, you’ll pass a living space, a full bath, and a third bedroom before entering a second living room, kitchen and back patio.  Priya took the third bedroom and used the second bathroom had her space.  The kitchen and secondary living space became our main hang-out in the house.  The kitchen was hands-down the best kitchen of the trip.  A full-size refrigerator, stove, stove-top … and wait for it … a dishwasher!  There wasn’t a coffee pot, but I was prepared by my french press, so no problem at all!

The back yard was amazing and Nolan enjoyed being able to get outside an play. The patio was incredible, I spent several mornings enjoying on the patio, drinking coffee, and easing into my day.

The house was hardwood throughout and had recently been updated.  All the bathrooms and the kitchen were very modern. Thankfully Jim has started looking for bathtub, so Nolan was able to continue enjoying his bath booms … #spoiledrotten

Off of the kitchen area was another small bedroom/living space.  Jim and I set up our office in this space.  It was really wonderful to have a separate, dedicated workspace.

Oh, and don’t let me forget the laundry closet with a FULL-SIZE washer and dryer.

The pictures do not do it justice, but let me show you around.

Entrance & Hallway:

Jim & Kathy’s Bedroom and Ensuite:

Nolan’s “Cat” Bedroom:

First Living Room (aka TV room):

Second Bathroom:

Kitchen:

^French Press … and my Auckland Starbuck cup!

^The kitchen was a little extra home because I finally broke out the Mango Peach Salsa candle my mom sent me!  It was perfect.

Workspace:

Backyard & Patio: