HEY GUYS. Guess what?! I went to New Zealand over my Easter break! How cool is that? I mean, if you don’t find that cool, then you probably haven’t seen the Lord of the Rings movies. In that case, WE CAN’T BE FRIENDS. 

ALSO. Aside from Hobbiton being a mere 2 hours away from the center of Auckland’s city, Auckland is also just a generally very hip, chill, vibey city and I would highly recommend visiting. New Zealand is definitely a one of a kind place. And Auckland has SO much vegan food. Here are my faves that I visited:

1. Little Bird Unbakery 

The CUTEST little cafe/brunch place in the cutest little area called Ponsby. Everything is raw and dairy and gluten free. They have a whole bakery section as well as a normal menu. I don’t remember if everything is vegan, so definitely double check.

I got the hot cakes and the “salmon” lox on a  bagel. Because everything was raw, it wasn’t my FAVORITE thing ever. Like the textures were a little weird and it definitely tasted SUPER healthy but my friends loved their food so maybe I’m just a picky bitch.

Everything was yummy but it wasn’t mind-blowing. I would definitely come back for the vibes though. Oh and some of the desserts I was too full to try!

 

2. Giapo 

Mark my words, you have NOT LIVED, until you’ve tried Giapo.

COOLEST GELATO PLACE IN ALL OF THE LANDS. It’s like a gelato spa. Luxury gelato. They treat their gelato (and their customers) VERY seriously. Choosing which flavors you want is a very fun ordeal and they make you feel very important.

They walk you through all the flavors, let you try the one you didn’t order, go around to customers with hand wipes and glasses of water, and they have gourmet cones that are chocolate dipped and gourmet ice cream flavors like smoked peanut. DID I MENTION THEY HAVE AN ENTIRE VEGAN MENU?!?!?!?!?!?! 

YES SIR, LADIES. (Lol why does that sound like it made sense?)

FIRST NIGHT (yes I was in Auckland for three days and I came here twice), I got the chocolate almond dipped cone with chocolate chip cookie coconut gelato dipped in chocolate and topped with a  donut. I KNOW. IT WAS SO GOOD. Except by the end, I was so chocolate-ed out that I would recommend just getting a normal cone LOL.

Second night I got smoked peanut and the cookie coconut gelato with little crisps on top and a chocolate chip cookie. Equally divine.

UGH YOU HAVE TO GO HERE. Gelato will never be the same. (Also why does the girl in the back look like my sister? Olie dat you?)

3. Hobbiton!!!!!!

LORD. OF. THE. RINGS. Best movie of all time. Don’t you debate me on this. Because I will come after you.

So, if you come to Auckland, definitely visit Hobbiton because seeing Bilbo Baggin’s house was SO cool. Also everything is a LOT smaller than it looks in the movies #FunFact. 

Anyway, at the little cafe in Hobbiton, they have fruit salad (its vegan! Surprise!) and they actually had a vegan soup. So if you’re starving and looking for some second breakfast (LOTR reference), you’re covered!

Enjoy my janky ass photo of some basic AF fruit salad

4. Frida Cocina Mexicana & Tequila Bar

Who doesn’t want some BALLER Mexican food in New Zeland?! (lol how far away is Mexico from New Zealand? #questions) We went here for dinner one night because it was super close to the harbor and seemed v yummy.

 I got the fajitas (or tacos? I can’t remember). I asked the waitress what could be made vegan and she pointed it all out. I also got a side of fries. Everything was SO yummy. Would deff recommend if you’re in New Zealand and randomly craving Mexican food. Also the fries were chili spiced and oh so delicious.

SO. If you’re on this side of the world (then hayyyyyy), then check out New Zealand and DEFF make Auckland your first stop. Because it’s a DOPE place. Also, there was a famous vegan bakery called Tart that we didn’t have time to check out, so if you’re in Auckland and have time, deff check it out.