Auckland NZ

With more boats per capita than any other city in the world, Auckland is appropriately known as the City of Sails. We learned that 1 out of 4 people in Auckland own a boat and there are more than 1 million residents. At dinner tonight the couple we sat with told us they learned that it costs $150,000 a year to own a spot to anchor your boat, or $12,000 a year to rent the spot! Yikes!!

We sailed into port this morning about 7 am. Our berth is located almost within arm's reach of the Hilton Hotel on the pier right in downtown Auckland. As the ship docked, the residents of the hotel came out onto their balconies to welcome the ship by waving and snapping photos. We could almost shake their hands!

New Zealand consists of 2 islands....North and South. Auckland is located on the northeast side of the North Island and stretches across 60 extinct volcanos. The volcanoes are easy to spot as they rise steeply and feature flat tops. Spanning a narrow isthmus, Auckland separates two seas--the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west.

The Maori people had settled in the Auckland area as early as 1350; European settlers arrived in 1840. The British got quite a bargain when they bought the 3,000 acres on which Auckland now stands from the Maoris for $110 and a scattering of items. Because of its central position, good harbor and fine soil, it was chosen as New Zealand's capital, but later the capital was moved south to Wellington as it was considered a more accessible site for the people of both the North and South Islands.

We had a tour booked today with Milestone Tours and it was a very nice tour. There were just 6 of us and our tour guide. We rode around in a Mercedes Benz van....it was quite comfortable. Our first stop was to one of the extinct volcanoes...Mt. Eden. Our guide gave us a brief orientation of Auckland's unique geography and we enjoyed 360 degree views of Auckland that included two harbors, the Waitakere Ranges to the west and the youngest volcano just off the eastern coast.

Next we stopped by the Arataki Heritage and Environment Center, which is at the gateway to the Waitakere Ranges, to get an introduction to the rain forest. It is a popular education center for the school children in the Auckland area and the displays and short video were impressive. The park has walking trails, access to beaches, breathtaking views, spectacular rock formations and waterfalls. We visited Pihu Beach and Karekare Falls before stopping for a lunch break at a restaurant with wonderful views. From the road above, we could see Karekare Beach, which is the location where the movie The Piano was filmed. I remember the scene where the piano was brought ashore with great difficulty in that movie. Never did I ever think that we would some day see the beach featured in the movie.

Pihu Beach

On Pihu Beach missing our little grandson

Karekare Falls

Then it was off to the wine vineyards. New Zealand is known for excellent wines. We stopped at one winery for a little tasting and then due to popular (male) vote within the tour group, the next stop was a spontaneous one at a local brewery for a little sampling.

After returning to the ship, we walked around the downtown area a bit looking for a couple of souvenier t-shirts. It was interesting to experience crossing the street at an intersection. Traffic in all directions stopped; green walking light was for pedestrians only and you could cross in any direction--even diagonally across the entire intersection. Certainly an efficient way to move people along.

It would be nice to stay and explore some more--we only got a sampling of Auckland, but cruise ships only stay in a port for one day. So tonight we sail towards Wellington, located at the
very southern end of the North Island. We have one day at sea before arriving.

View of the Auckland downtown as we leave port

View of New Zealand coastline as we sail south to Wellington