07.00am: Hello Readers and hello to New Zealand! We’re finally here in Auckland! 😁
We arrived around 7pm last night, so it was really too late to soak up the sights. With only today and tomorrow here, we aim to remedy that today! 👍👍. And in other news, we both had a GREAT night’s sleep – so for now, at least, all is right with the world!
If you’ve missed a previous Post scroll to the bottom of this one! 👍😉
Day 8 – Where are we? (Wednesday, 6th November)
Day 8 of 33
I don’t think there was any chance of getting sunburned today, but at least it was dry! In fact as we left, heading for the Harbour it was, at best, overcast!
9.00am: Our first stop was something for breakfast and even at this time in the morning, it was actually quite hard to find anywhere that was open for more than just a coffee. McD’s to the rescue! 👍
The Bus
9.25am: As planned, we decided to head for the ‘Big Red Bus’ to get a feel for Auckland – but just a reminder that they’re YELLOW out here, but the Tour itself IS called the RED Tour! 😉. It covered 14 ‘prime stops’ around the City costing us 65NZD each (about £32). We picked it up at its first stop: ‘Downtown Auckland’. More information HERE. Did I mention, there’s a BLUE route too? Maybe next time! 😲
The Yellow Bus on the Red Route (obviously!)
A more detailed map is HERE (Latest version at time of writing: October 2023).
Shots along the route
Actually, I was a bit disappointed with the shots that I took. The grey weather didn’t help, but with the Bus not stopping for long ANYWHERE along the route, it was a case of ‘grab ’em whilst you can…’. Not the best Bus Tour we’vetaken! 🤔
The Old Ferry Building, Auckland
The Ferry Trip
11.06am: What came next, more than made up for the lacklustre multi-coloured Bus Tour! We took the Ferry to nearby Devonport Village. At a very reasonable 16NZD each, return, (£7.90ish) the 15-minute journey took us to this very quaint village that’s steeped in maritime history and has a major Naval Base. With just a population of just 3000 (ish) it certainly had a ‘small’ feel to it. 🤔
The village was immaculately clean, and it all felt very quaint. The architecture was a bit of a mix, but predominantly ‘turn-of-the-centry/1930s’ design. Even the weather was now beginning to brighten-up, making it all look even more attractive.
The Esplanade Hotel“Cashier No 3 please…”
11.35am: We found ourselves a nice spot for a coffee (a small Café called So French) where Ann was able to practise her French-speaking skills with the French owner. The Café looked across the main road to some of the other small retail outlets opposite and it made for a very relaxed chilled-out experience! The coffee was good too! 👍
Beautiful!
After coffee, we took a gentle wander around the immediate area whilst we waited for the Ferry. It was turning into a warmer day that was forecast, and it was good to be soaking up the Sun on a day when we thought we couldn’t!
Scenes around the Ferry Terminal in Devonmouth21st-century Auckland!
12.09pm: Time to head back to ‘Downtown’ and the City.
🎶”You can always go…” 🎶
TODAY’S TRIVIA: New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote (in 1893)
Looking towards the City from the Downtown Ferry Terminal
12.34pm: We decided that whilst we were at ‘this end’ of Auckland, we’d take the short walk to Auckland’s famous Maritime Museum.
Opened in 1993 the Museum looks at New Zealand’s relationship with the ocean through various ‘eyes’: immigration, trade, design, innovation and leisure. In recent years, the official name has been changed to New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui A Tangaroa.
We spent longer than we thought there as there was so much to see. The section covering immigration and separately, The Americas Cup got most of our interest, but overall it was one of the best Museums we’ve been to in recent years.
Admission if you’re a local is FREE, but we parted with 24NZD each (£11 ish). Well worth the visit!! 👍👍
2.07pm:After a short diversion into Woolworth’s (yes, they still exist out here, but are more akin to Sainsbury’s) to pick up some essentials, we arrived back at the Apartment. Plenty to do… a Blog to write… and some packing to be done…
We’ve now travelled by aeroplane, train (buses and boats too), and so, tomorrow, we get closer to ‘completing the set’ by hiring a car for the rest of this holiday.
See you all tomorrow as we head north for Paihia (The Bay of Islands) where we’re staying for three nights. 😁😁
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
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