"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 33 Auckland, New Zealand February 2, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 82 degrees Part # 1 84 Pictures

Sent: Tuesday, February 2, 2016 2:17:51 PM
Subject: Report # 33 Auckland, New Zealand February 2, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 82 degrees Part # 1 84 Pictures

Report # 33 Auckland, New Zealand February 2, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 82 degrees Part # 1 84 Pictures

The Amsterdam sailed into the scenic harbor of Auckland, New Zealand, very early this morning. Known as the "City of Sails" because of the two large harbors that are home to many, many boats, Auckland is the largest city in the country. The population is over one million people, ¼ of which are Polynesian, the largest concentration in the world. There is a big influence of Asians living here too, as the country is close to that continent.

Like all cosmopolitan cities, you will find fashion, food, art, beaches, parks, wineries, and cafes. There is so much to see and do here, we really need at least two full days. Usually, we do have more time here, but our stay will be only one day…….8am to 5pm.

Here are the highlights as we have seen them over the years. The imposing structure of Auckland has to be the Sky Tower, a needle-like tower that is 1072 feet high. It is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Sydney also has a similar tower, but we understand that when this one was built, they added an antenna to exceed the height of the Sydney Tower. Major competition between the two countries down under. The Sky Tower has many features. There is the hotel portion, a casino, and a platform where you can walk around the perimeter at the top. You can also "jump", a controlled descent from the tower, called appropriately, the Skyjump. Fun to watch, but maybe not to do, unless you are young and nuts.

The Auckland Domain is the city's oldest park with 200 acres of parkland. There are ponds, statuary, glass houses, old trees, and the Wintergarden and fernery. The focal point in the Domain is the Auckland Museum, an impressive structure that houses Maori and Pacific Island artifacts.

A unique place to visit is Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium with 2000 creatures. They include King and Gentoo penguins, as well as an acrylic tunnel where you are surrounded with sharks, sting rays, and schooling fish. All of this is located under the water in the bay. You would never know it was there.

Another walk that is close to the cruise terminal is to the America's Cup Village, where you can see the luxurious boats and yachts in the marina. The Viaduct takes you to the Wynyard Quarter, the old waterfront made new with dozens of restaurants, cafes, a fish market, and entertainment.

Across town, you can see the gannet colony at Muirwai Beach. High above the cliffs, 1200 pairs of nesting gannets lay their eggs, and hatch their babies this time of year. It's a steep drive to the top of the cliff, but when you look down, it is hard to believe these seabirds come here every year to hatch their eggs.

Then there are the sheep ranches. This has always been one of our favorite tours to see the working dogs, sheep shearing, and even the tanneries where the hides are cured and made into many products, such as slippers.

Wineries are numerous in the nearby region. More than once, we have taken the wine-tasting tours to some of the most famous wineries in the area. One time while on an extended stay here, we took a ferry to an island where we had olive oil tasting. Now that was different.

Crossing the Auckland Bridge is cool too. Devonport, a suburb of Auckland, can be reached by bus or ferry. You can find boutiques, shops, galleries, and cafes galore there.

Tablemates Bonnie and Paul went to the Auckland Zoo today. It has been years ago, but we have also been to the zoo here. We remember the habitats that housed the native wildlife such as the kiwi bird, parrots, the tui, and many more animals. They even had a collection of Australian creatures as well.

You can cover these highlights by taking the local Ho-Ho bus (Hop on Hop off) too. Or walk to some of these places. That is exactly what we did today…..walk a whole lot.

We left the ship by 10am, just about the time dozens of travel agents were boarding for a ship's tour and more than likely, a special lunch. It was very important that we had a valid ID and our room card to show local authorities as we exited. And we had to make sure our shoes were clean of soil….first time we ever heard that requirement. When we got off of the gangway, a cute little beagle jumped up and sniffed our bag with the command of his handler. Good thing nothing in the way of food was in that bag, or we could have faced a fine.

Then we were free to go into the city. We headed uphill towards the Sky Tower, where we turned left to Albert Park, a steep climb up steps and pathways. Once on the top, a beautiful landscaped garden appears with mature trees, flower beds, fountains, and statues. Constructed in 1882, this park contains trees from long ago. They truly command respect as they created much needed shade for the many visitors here.

Finding the elevated walkway across the highway, we located the Grafton Bridge. On the way, we passed by a very old cemetery dating back to the late 1800's.

We walked past Auckland City Hospital, where directly across the street is the Auckland Domain, the oldest park in New Zealand. Following the map, we made our way down to the ponds and gardens, which happen to be full of blooming hibiscus in a variety of colors we have never seen before. Due to the longer daylight hours down here, the flowers have a chance to super-size. They are beyond beautiful.

Sitting by the ponds, we shared a soda, a much needed rest, even if it was five minutes. Across the road is the Wintergarden, which in the summertime is in full bloom. The central garden has a pond, surrounded with blooming vines such as the wisteria, which just finished blooming. At one end, there is a glass house that serves as a nursery for all of their bedding plants. Seems that the same type of flowers that we have in California, are here too. One side of the complex is dedicated to a fernery, completely shaded and misted to create a subtropical climate. The courtyard also had potted sunflowers and a type of hibiscus that is deciduous. The flowers on these plants are the size of a dinnerplate, and have a name to match.

Moving along, we strolled up to the Auckland Museum, but not to visit. There just was not enough time. Photos were all we took of the beautiful stately building on the hilltop.

Located on the downhill side of The Domain is a district called Parnell. We found it quite by accident last year, and came across a very good place for wood-fired pizza. The name of the pub was Windsor Castle, obviously a night spot. Today, it was not crowded, so we ordered our usual margherita pizza with Stella beers. Gosh it was nice to sit and watch the world go by as we enjoyed every bite of the pizza. As always, the time flew by all too quickly, and had to head back.

We needed to make an important stop at the local Countdown, the major supermarket in Auckland. Our most sought after item was a quart of hokey pokey ice cream. And an insulated zippered kid's lunch bag to transport it back to the ship. The best part was that a quart cost the same as a cup with two scoops. We hustled back and transferred the creamy treat into small plastic containers that we had previously bought for this purpose last year. The containers fit perfectly in our refrigerator's little freezer compartment.

Since we had over an hour before the all aboard time of 4:30pm, we went off and headed towards the America's Cup Village and the yacht harbor. On the way, we did stop at Valentino's Gelato shop for the cups of hokey pokey ice cream. Yes, we love it that much. We could not get as far on the walk as we would have liked, but we did walk our legs off today.

Sail away was fun since Barb, Bill, and Leta joined us for a change. The sail out of this city is always a scenic one. Keeping a lookout for dolphins, we never saw any. While we were talking at the back rail, the guest chef, George Geary surprised us with a visit. He is a whole lot of fun, and we told him that we had signed up for his cooking class. That should be a hoot, and actually a first time for us taking the class. It is a nice 5 star Mariner perk, where you get a lunch and a quality apron to take home.

Once again, we watched the sun go down at dinnertime while sharing stories of our day with each other. Good thing tomorrow is a day at sea to rest up for the final port in New Zealand…..Picton.

Bill & Mary Ann

Activity on the Queens Wharf