Auckland

Tuesday 14th December

RAIN!!!

Anybody with a garden in Auckland will have been pleased as this morning we awoke to heavy drizzle obscuring our view across the harbour. The quay had a new occupant as the (medium sized) cruise ship ‘Rhapsody of the Seas’ berthed at just before 0800.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast (not using the balcony!) and then headed off to Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter Underwater World. This was a 15 minute (free) bus ride away and gives a journey through Perspex tunnels with the fish swimming round you (including a range of sharks, stingrays and other fish); a close view of penguins (including some very young fluffy ones) via a snow-cat ride; and walks amongst tanks of a range of sea creatures.

We had a very enjoyable few hours before heading back. We had a short wait for the return bus to arrive but as we had good views of the Auckland skyline and the rain had reduced to a few light showers that was a good opportunity for a short stroll.

The latter part of the afternoon was spent exploring Auckland's central business district shops (every other one seemed to be a souvenir shop) before dinner on the balcony overlooking the harbour, the weather now having cleared up.

Wednesday started bright and warm and got hotter! We opted for a harbour cruise which included the harbour bridge, the viaduct basin, the Bean Rock Lighthouse and the Devonport naval base as well as a stop off at Rangitoto Island, a volcanic island that emerged in the bay in a series of volcanic eruptions just 600 years ago. The trip was also excellent to get views of the Auckland skyline and for some boat and ship spotting.

We came back to the apartment for lunch and then headed off for the short ferry ride to Devonport (the ticket came as part of the morning’s cruise) which is a quirky haven much quieter than Auckland’s bustling centre. There we wandered through the shops and headed up Mount Victoria for superb views over the harbour and Auckland.

The temperature by now was well into the 30’s (apologies to UK and Canadian followers, especially the former who have apparently had more snow to date than the latter!) and having explored the fort at the top of the mount we descended to the plethora of cafes to select one for iced coffee and a bit of shade.

Before returning across the harbour we explored some of the galleries and shops including ‘art of this world’ where we spent most of our time talking to one of the staff rather than admiring the art! We also came across these chappies....

It was then time to make our way back across the harbour where we explored the quayside, admiring the incredibly luxurious yachts which were available for charter and checking out the array of eateries and watering holes.

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Auckland as we fly to Vancouver on Friday.... plenty to choose from to occupy ourselves but we won’t be bungy jumping from the Sky Tower or the harbour bridge!