Tuesday was taken up largely by travel. We left the Sydney hotel at 6AM and had to deal with longer airport delays since Sydney airport is very large and we were flying internationally. We took off near 10AM and had a nearly 3 hour flight, while also losing 2 hours to time-zone changes. Then completed the travel portion with a 40 minute van ride to downtown Auckland and the hotel. Apparently Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city, has only a handful of miles of modern highway and is sprawled a large distance (especially considering the North Island is not terribly large).
Goodbye, Movember loving, Australia… 
..Hello, green New Zealand
Either way, by the time we were settled into the hotel, it was near 5PM and just in time to meet with our New Zealand local host, provided by the Monograms travel service we have used for this trip. She gave us a run-through our itinerary and suggested activities and places to eat, particularly while in Auckland.
We left our meeting with her and headed straight to the Princess Wharf, only a couple blocks from the hotel, for dinner at the Waterfront Grill. The food was pretty good, but we were somewhat let down by having to sit inside, limiting our view, as well as being placed near a family with a small child using his utensils as drum-sticks.
After dinner, we took a short stroll along the waterfront and investigated some of the city near the hotel before returning for bed. The travel day wore on us and Susan was beginning to come down with a cold, probably from all the rapid climate changing we’ve been doing with this travel.
Wednesday morning began much like our first full day in Sydney, with a bus tour of Auckland. Our driver Pete, a former Yorkie from England (and now a Westie in Auckland) was entertaining if not somewhat repetitive as he showed us the sights. He probably strung together more slang phrases than anyone else we encountered on this trip thus far. The bus tour included viewing the city from the highest mainland volcano at Mt. Eden (Auckland is built on 49 dormant volcanoes). This provided views in multiple directions and you could see both the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the coastlines of New Zealand, as well as the harbor. Then we travelled to the Auckland Domain, a large park that includes botanical garden and museum, with a stop at the Winter Gardens (a Pete favorite). Next stop was at the shops and cafes of the Parnell neighborhood before returning downtown to cross the harbor bridge which was not as impressive as Sydney’s, but offered good passing views. Finally we drove the Auckland waterfront and dropped off some other passengers at the aquarium before returning to the central business district for our drop.
On Mt. Eden 
A couple of flowers from the Winter Gardens 
Susan with some flowers at the Winter Gardens 
The Auckland Harbor Bridge 
View of the city
Upon returning downtown, we caught the ferry to Devonport, a small artsy community across the harbor. We grabbed lunch at an “American themed” bar with an amusing, but somewhat absent minded proprietor. After refueling, we split up some as some of the group hiked to the top of nearby Mt. Victoria. The peak included an old abandoned for with a hidden cannon to protect the harbor along with 360 degree views of the sprawl of Auckland suburbs, the harbor, and the islands out in the Pacific Ocean that are also a part of New Zealand. Arriving at the base again, I split out on my own and walked the Devonport village area, stopping at a chocolate shop, before heading along the shore for a stroll. Susan had returned to the hotel since the cold was wearing on her, so I didn’t stroll too long alone before grabbing the ferry back downtown and returning to the hotel to check in on her.
Mo Mo Movember 
Susan along her tour of every cider made in Australia & New Zealand
After some R&R at the hotel, the family gathered in the lobby around 7:30PM to head to our evening dinner reservation. Our guide suggested dining in the rotating Orbit restaurant at the top of the Auckland Sky Tower, the tallest viewing tower in the southern hemisphere. We arrived early to watch the sunset from the viewing deck below the restaurant before heading up a floor to grab our table. The views were impressive as the tower is far and away the tallest outlook point in the Auckland area. The dinner was good, but a little more gourmet than what we would have on a regular basis. Still it was nice to have an occasion to dress up and go out a little more fancy than usual.
Looking down the glass window on the floor of the elevator 
Sunset from the Skytower 
Looking down on the streets of Auckland through the glass floor at the Skytower 
It’s Christmas-time in Kiwi-land
The late dinner returned us to the hotel late, so we prepared for our departure to the last stop of this vacation before heading to bed. Tomorrow we move to the south island and check out Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand.
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