Auckland is a beautiful city. Very photogenic in a lot of ways. It is a shoreline city, where sails dominate the skyline. I made a video of this place, while the seagulls were going crazy about something. Loved the sound, which stopped the second I turned on the camera. Sigh.
It is a big business city with the tempo and tension that all big cities have.
It is a noisy city, with a lot of traffic, made all the noisier by all the hills to climb.
Vies from our hotel balcony.
Our last day, we woke up very late because there was no traffic noise. It was Good Friday.
But there are lovely quiet residential streets in a lot of central areas like, Parnell Road, Karangahape Road, Ponsomby, St Mary's Bay. We walked them all.
Near Newmarket, from the commuter train platform.
The commuter train station. There are so many of these in such good condition.
An apartment with such a velvety covering.
Ponsomby area. Old railway worker villas, hotels and union shops in the area too.
These would have been workmen's cottages. Now they are a hot commodity with stratospheric pricing. As bad as Toronto or Vancouver.
Our hotel was on Hobson St., easy access to everything. The Britomart, general bus station, train station, Quay street, with Princes Wharf, where all the ferries departed for the outlying towns and islands. The Viaduct Basin and Wynyard Quarter, with fantastic entertainment and restaurants.
Britomart bus/train station.
How could I resist a picture of a tour/shark bus?
Mainly in pictures, from day one, where we went in search of a Japanese textile store my sister knew about. A commute to the Newmarket area found not only the shop but some very interesting buildings and decorations.
Pedestrian bridge with shade.
I wonder whose office is in this part of the building.
How does this jet fit in with this company?
Very Frank Ghery style of staircase, don't you think?
There were some days spent near the sailboats.
It may not look it, but that boat was the largest sailboat I have ever seen. The mast topped well over one hundred feet.
Big cranes for lifting shipping crates. Amazing to watch them work.
A very busy seaport.
A world of excess I cannot imagine.Is that a dollar sign on the side of this ship?
This port area had a few interesting buildings and restaurants and other things.
This whole building was faced with small silvery triangular pieces. I did not see them move, but they certainly looked like big schools of fish.
One of several rickshaws seen in Auckland.
A cement truck backing onto a ferry, probably to go out to Waiheke Island.
A footbridge that allows the sailboats in and out of the basin.
A nice view of the basin, condos and tower in the background.
Big, big blue boat being fitted out as a private yacht.
Sailboats from all over the world. There were a lot of young people who were crewing these boats. What a fun adventure that would be for a year.
The next bunch of pictures is of the gardens behind the Auckland Museum.
The greenhouse.
The theme in the greenhouse was of vegetables being grown in with other, sometimes more exotic plants. In this case, eggplants, hot peppers and petunias, with the palms.
These are pitcher plants, a member of the orchid family. They enjoy live insects...
Another day, we went on a ferry ride out to a suburb called Devonport. This was a big walk day. We enjoyed this lovely little town and then began slowly walking around the bay to the next ferry landing, Bayswater. This was about a 10 km walk.
The commuter parking lot in Devonport.
The old and beautifully restored Post Office.
Mangrove swamps. Mosquito bites!
A small trail by the mangrove swamp took us by what seemed like a perfect Pirate cove, complete with pirate ship sitting on the low tide mud. More mosquito bites.
Bayswater pier to catch the ferry back to downtown Auckland.
Spotted on the street on our way back to the hotel.
Washroom is out of bounds.
Another great find. Frank! what is this one?
Now, we are exploring Parnell on another day.
Villas, so cute.
A nice logo.
Another great rickshaw.
Our last view from the balcony of our hotel.
Ponsomby road.
A charming bakery, unfortunately not open on Good Friday.
An installation of new "ruins" in Western Park.
Finally, it is time for us to catch the bus to the airport. The ride is about an hour and we arrive with time to spare.
A sad moment.
Now, after she leaves going south, I wait in the International airport lounge, waiting for the gate to open. They keep you in the shopping area for as long as possible.
Seated in my window seat, I watch as the sun goes down. We start off and up, up and away.
Faster...
The hours pass quickly. I am tired and the bumpy ride is like being in a truck on a rough road. I fall asleep.
This is the first I see of the coast of California. Not much left till I get to Toronto.
So, I guess this story...
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