Auckland citywalk and surrounding attractions ranked from awesome to lame

👍🏻Awesome: Hamilton Gardens, Hobbiton ❤️Top tier: Auckland Art Gallery, Mount Eden 👏🏻Elite: Albert Park, Mangroves 😃NPC: University of Auckland, Queen Street, St. Matthew's Church, Central Park, Kuirau Geothermal Park, Rotorua Government Gardens ❌Lame: Lake Rotorua Who agrees, who disagrees? 😃Places I haven't been to but want to visit: Mission Bay, Victoria Peak, Blue Springs, Lake Taupo, Huka Falls, McDonald's Plane Restaurant. Anyone been to these? How would you rank them from awesome to lame? ———————— 🥚On the way to Hobbiton, I started to appreciate the beauty of New Zealand: clean streets and skies, endless green fields dotted with scattered homes, scenery everywhere, pleasing and relaxing. The tour guide was very enthusiastic about the cultural features of The Lord of the Rings, with fruit wine and a buffet. The 20 themed areas of Hamilton Gardens can be toured in just over an hour. Auckland Art Gallery features works by Picasso, Dalí, Matisse, Gauguin, Monet, Cézanne, and others. Mount Eden, Albert Park, and the Mangroves are worth visiting; there are some giant trees and lounge chairs, perfect for resting or reading under the shade. University of Auckland (the clock tower is under renovation), Queen Street, St. Matthew's Church, Central Park (open views, great for wind and sunbathing), Kuirau Geothermal Park (with several foot baths), and Rotorua Government Gardens are all NPC spots. In contrast, Lake Rotorua is shocking because the water smells terrible—really awful. At first, I thought it was farm waste, but it’s actually the sulfur smell from geothermal activity. It probably can’t be fixed anytime soon, so don’t go there; you’ll be overwhelmed by the stench. I hadn’t seen this mentioned in any previous guides. While rushing in Rotorua, a kind local lady driving by invited us into her car and took us to the bus station.