Arrival in Auckland

Hi all,

Greetings from Auckland!   After two flights (the second of which was a thirteen hour, uncomfortable flying sardine can. Or at least it felt that way back in steerage - or economy as they call it these days) we made it safely to New Zealand. Just before landing, we caught a glorious sunrise from our seats on the plane. 

It was 8 a.m. when we arrived here, so although we were extremely tired from the long travel, we thought it best to fight the urge to sleep and do a bit of exploring around town. So, after checking into the hotel and dropping off our bags, we opted for a sightseeing tour bus as the best way to get an overview of the city while just sitting back and relaxing as much as possible. 

A bit of area history and info first... New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is comprised of two major islands, referred to as "North Island" and "South Island" by locals.  With a population of 1.5 million, Auckland houses approximately one-third of New Zealand's residents. It is known as "The City of Sails" because of the popularity of sailing/boating in the region. In fact, we learned that one in three households in Auckland owns a boat!  The America's Cup has been hosted in this city several times, and there are numerous yacht clubs and marinas spread throughout the city. It is said that this city has the highest percentage of boat owners of any city in the world. 

Auckland was first settled in the 1300's by the Mãori culture, and there is still quite a large presence of Mãori in the islands. Just like in the US, tribal groups today live in both urban centers and their traditional regions.  One of the first sites we saw after boarding our bus was the Mãori tribal village perched atop a hill overlooking the ocean. Quite beautiful. They say this village was founded in 1837. 

Our next stop was Bastion Point Mission Bay Lookout. Absolutely gorgeous!  It is built right on the edge of a point of land jutting out high over the Pacific, and has beautiful, well-kept lawns around which to walk and spectacular views of the crystal clear water on three sides.  It was quite a windy day today, and we had a hard time trying not to blow away!

We hopped back on the bus and stayed on till we came to a very quaint little shopping district called Parnell. It had several nice little cafés along the Main Street, so we chose one and stopped in for a cup of tea and some people watching.  A very sweet New Zealand couple sat down next to us, and we struck up a very enjoyable conversation with them. They were kind enough to treat us to one of the local pastry treats. 

By the time we finished the bus circuit around the town, Karen was exhausted and losing the battle with sleep. She crashed at 5:30, and David went down to the lobby for a cup of tea and a nightcap. 

We hope you all had as enjoyable a day as we did!

With love,

Karen and David