Auckland

We’ve been docked for three days now in Auckland, right down town where you can walk to everything. Well, not exactly everything because this is a city of 1.65 million people and it’s very much like any other city with suburbs and freeways and parks that go on forever.

On our first day we took a Hop on Hop off bus to get the lay of the land and we saw just about everything by riding its 2 big loops around the city. We stopped for lunch and had fish and chips, walked around that artsy area and then made another trip part way around so we could stop at the public gardens. They were small but lovely.

I haven’t seen a lot of lichen here and that is surprising since it is so rainy and wet so when I saw this at the garden I had to document it. The parks are often huge expanses of lawn, often set on hills which were once volcanos and they often have great views of the city.

On our second day here Brenda and I braved the rain and later the WIND to go shopping on the main commercial street which is just out from our dock and then after lunch we all walked to the NZ Maritime Museum. It was a well curated and interesting place which covered all things that float from earliest pioneering voyages to the America’s Cup history.

Today we took the free tour offered by Viking and retraced some of what the Hop on bus showed us as well as a stop at the Auckland Museum where Dale enjoyed the exhibits dedicated to the NZ and Australian war efforts and I stuck to the world and natural history exhibits.

Afterwards we stopped off in town at the Sky Tower, first place to celebrate New Years and home to in-city bungie jumping. We didn’t indulge. Walking home from there was almost too much for Dale after an already full day but he made it and my phone says we have walked 2.9 miles so far today.

After lunch I went directly to do the laundry because I (mistakenly) thought it wouldn’t be busy. So I waited and visited with the others who were doing the same. I’ve heard laundry room stories that I couldn’t believe before but this man’s story topped them all. You have to understand that there are four machines for about 170 people and one needs to be responsible and set their timer so as to be there right before their machine is done. When someone is not there on time most people wait impatiently but some people just remove the stranger’s wash in order to get the machine. So someone did and as they did the owner came in and was furious. So said owner decided to get even by putting a chocolate bar in with that person’s drying clothes! Yes, there are a wide variety of people on here in every sense of the word.

I have to get my laundry very soon and directly after that there is a port talk to explain the excursions at the next port of call; then the church service (yes, it is Sunday here even though it is only Saturday where you are) and then dinner in a restaurant (instead of our usual World Cafe buffet). We stay busy here.