Auckland City of Sails
Trip Start
Feb 13, 2008
1
16
19
Trip End
Apr 05, 2008
Auckland,
New Zealand
Friday, March 28, 2008
We were quite sad to see Una returned to United. I can't remember how many km we did but over 1600. (I am typing this at Brisbane Airport and don't have any travel details with me). We stayed at the Rydges Hotel on the 12th floor, so had a good view over the harbour. It was lovely to have crisp white sheets instead of the navy ones which seem to be supplied to camper vans. We always knew a fellow camper at the thermal baths because they had the same navy towels as us. Also, lovely white towels and, of course, the toiletries!
Our first morning Chris sailed on one of the Americas Cup yachts. It has been the highlight of his holiday. I can't give you any nautical information except that it was very windy and they did 22 knots, which the skipper (a female) said was too violent for racing. There are several photographs of Admiral Withers at the wheel. Chris said he wished I had been with him but he also said he knew I would have been scared to death! He was out there braving the elements for two hours along with about sixteen other farepaying sailors and five crew.
In the afternoon, we went by ferry to Devonport - about 20 minutes across the water. We climbed Mount Victoria and had wonderful 360 degree views of Auckland and surrounding islands. This was an extinct volcano, all covered in grass now, of course. Devonport was very quaint and we had a real Devonshire cream tea in one of the numerous cafes. Dinner was in The Koreans - a buffet where you picked the food you wanted and cooked it yourself on a stove in the middle of the table. It was a large restaurant holding about a hundred people that evening and we were the only Europeans there - the rest presumably were Korean and we were amazed at the amounts of food they were consuming. Because it was a buffet - prawns, oysters, mussels, chicken, pork, beef, vegetables, salads and lots of things we didn't recognise, we came away feeling far too full!
Yesterday we went to Waikeke - an island about 35 minutes away by Fullers ferry. They seem to have everything sewn up from Auckland to the Bay of Islands and no doubt beyond. It is a fast and frequent service. We also had an all day bus pass and travelled all over the island, stopping at various bays, collecting shells etc. Louise had recommended the Mud Brick Cafe to us and so we took a taxi to this very pretty Winery. It was the perfect spot to taste the wines and have lunch. There were lovely views of the water looking back to Auckland in the distance. We had a very nice day out and then came back to our room to do the packing!!
