Today we visited Auckland, New Zealand. We woke up early
enough to watch our approach to the city. We went by an incredibly (perhaps
even completely?) automated cargo pier. It was abuzz with activity. Our dock
was right downtown at the “Queen’s Wharf”. It is very convenient when a city
has a cruise ship terminal located in the heart of the city. Passengers can
then walk right off the ship and get started spending money.
Arriving in Auckland
We, however, had signed up for a tour so our wallets would
have to remain in our pockets for a little while longer. Our tour was entitled “A Stroll
Around Auckland” or something like that. I don’t remember the exact phrasing
but I do remember that it had the word “stroll” in the title. The reason I
bring this up is because the tour turned out to be rather different than what I
had expected. I was thinking that we would walk around the downtown and perhaps
a neighborhood or two, visiting a monument here, a church there and all the
while observing the architecture, stores and street life. What we got instead
was a bus ride to a city park. The park consisted of a steep hill and we were
driven about a third of the way up the hill and then discharged to walk the
rest of the way with our guides. But not before we sang (these Maori people sure
do like to sing a lot). Anyhow, when we stopped about two thirds of the way up
the hill, we discovered -- by looking into a massive crater -- that the hill we
were climbing was actually a volcano (extinct, of course). Auckland is apparently
a city of volcanoes. When we reached the top of the hill -- where we had a
three hundred and sixty degree view of the city, the water and the surrounding
area -- I was able to easily count something like eight or nine volcanoes while
looking in just one direction. I was told the exact number of volcanoes in the
Auckland area but don’t remember the specific number but I think it was
something like forty-five (Google it if you need more exactitude).
Big crater
The view from the top of the mountain of the city was quite
impressive. Auckland is a large city with a central business district that
includes a number of, well, let’s call them “medium-rise” buildings of largely
forgettable design. There is, however, a Space Needle/CN Tower type building
which, I believe, is the tallest structure and where you can walk around the
observation floor (many stories up) on a Plexiglas (i.e., see-through) walkway
suspended outside the actual building. No thanks.
From the top of the hill we visited you can also easily see
the east and west coasts of the island which is why the hill was an important
defensive location for the Maori. Speaking of the Maori, I can say, albeit from
my extremely limited contact with them, that I imagine there are not a lot of
type-A personalities amongst them. They seem to take their time and speak and
move leisurely. I say this because we spent a lot more time on the top of this
hill than we needed to but it was fine, I didn’t mind too much though I heard
some grumbling from others in the group.
Back at the bottom of the hill, we re-boarded the bus for a
short drive to the city gardens. This was a nice surprise consisting of one
long perennial border, one lily pond, a tropical greenhouse, a “cold”
greenhouse and a fernery. We spent about an hour here observing the flora and I
even saw a couple of plants that I do not believe I have seen before which for
me is somewhat unusual.
After enjoying the flowers and foliage we walked across the
street to a café where we were served some yummy food and coffee. This too was
a pleasant surprise as the food and the service were both much better than they
had to be/usually are in this type of situation.
Lunch spot -- delicious
We arrived back at the ship around 12:30 but immediately
went out again, this time on our own. Russell wanted to find some vegan
supplies and I was interested in clothes shopping. We were able to find raw
cashews at an Asian grocery store and then took a brief taxi ride to find the
“Cruelty-Free Store”. We had a tough time finding the store, only stumbling upon
it by chance as it is in a new location and under a different name (“The Vegan
Store”). We were able to buy some stuff and stopped at several more stores on
our way down Queen Street to return to the ship. I scored some handsome clothes
but I won’t tell you from where they came because I am afraid that you’ll think
much less of me due to my infatuation with over-priced, brand label
merchandise. Let’s just say I was a happy camper.
Back on board we both took it easy before leaving Auckland around
five o’clock. At dinner tonight (where I was able to wear my new Prada shirt
and Zegna pants – ooops, did I say that?) we had a terrific view of the New
Zealand coast as we enjoyed mushroom soup and vegetable curry. All in all, a
most enjoyable day.
Queen St., Auckland
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