richwest3 – Page 304

Four Days in Auckland (New Zealand)

April 3 – 7, 2013

Each boat has their own way of doing things, their own rules of thumb. One of ours is when a period of strong winds is predicted (like 3 days or more), we try to be in a marina. It can be initially cozy to hunker down in a good anchorage while the wind blows, but it gets old fast. When the winds are strong, we don’t like to venture off the boat because even in a well-protected anchorage the water gets too choppy for a dinghy ride or a swim, and we worry about the possibility of dragging (by us or another boat onto us).

At an anchorage, strong winds require frequent checks outside to note the position of our own boat and surrounding boats, and at worst it might keep us up a lot at night. At a marina it’s something we might notice as we walk to get coffee or do errands, and at worst it might prevent us from using the grill. A marina slip does cost money, but for us the peace of mind is worth the price.

During the windy period in Auckland, we enjoyed several trips to Starbucks, fun restaurants like the Urban Turban (Indian street food), Monsoon Poon (Asian food), and Sal’s New York Pizza (surprisingly authentic), a planetarium show, walking around One Tree Hill, shopping for boat stuff, and exploring new (to us) areas of Auckland.

I think the highlight of this Auckland visit, though, was seeing a performance by the family on Laopiote. (Previous Post). We first saw them on a cold November night in San Pedro, California. It was soon after our final surviving and very old cat had died and we were grieving his loss while starting to completely dismantle our lives so we could move onto the boat and get her ready to cruise. The second time we saw Laopiote perform was on a lovely warm evening in Tahiti (Previous Post). We had come a long way since the first time we saw them, but we were still having adjustment issues with this lifestyle and had serious doubts whether we were up to the rigors of cruising the South Pacific. In other words, we weren’t sure this cruising thing was going to work out in the long run.

Seeing Laopiote perform this third time really brought home how far we’d come. The ache of leaving behind the home we loved had dimmed along with the grief of no longer being pet owners. Our confidence had grown tremendously. We persevered through the sometimes-rough first year and had adjusted to cruising life. We’re as whiney as ever, but we had learned to trust ourselves and our boat. We pretty much knew what we were doing, at least most of the time. We had arrived at a happy point in our lives, and seeing this show again really brought that home.

By the 7th of April, we were excited about heading out again and exploring the south Hauraki Gulf, but we also looked forward to returning to Auckland someday. We love having cities that feel like home to us, and we were happy to add Auckland to our list.

Above is a gallery of photos from the four days we spent in Auckland. Some have appeared in a previous gallery showing Auckland in general, but these are specific to this time. As always, click to enlarge and scroll. –Cyndi

Auckland: Mount Eden and One Tree Hill (New Zealand)

January and April, 2013

So, what is it that makes Auckland unique and special among the world’s great cities? As far as Rich and I are concerned it’s obvious: dormant volcanoes! According to our guidebook, there are 48 visible volcanic cones in the area. On top of that, many of these cones are pa sites, terraced by ancient Maori people to make them protective forts. The tree-cleared, grassy landscape only adds to their exotic look.

During our first visit (in January), a friend drove us up to the top of Mount Eden, which today is a park, wealthy residential neighborhood, and viewing point for seeing the city of Auckland. Yes, it had an amazing view of the city, but I think even more amazing was looking down into what was obviously the caldera of an extinct volcano. In fact it was one of the most unusual things we’ve ever seen. Visible on the horizon were other extinct volcanic cones, a pretty remarkable sight.

On this subsequent visit to Auckland, Rich and I went to see another dormant volcano, One Tree Hill, now the site of a huge park at the base and viewing area at the top. As we drove into the park and headed towards the hill, we saw what looked like hundreds of sheep grazing the area. When they said sheep graze on this hill, I though they meant a few scattered here and there, not an army of them! It looks more like a strange dream more than anything real . . . “I had the weirdest dream, and you were there and there were sheep everywhere . . . !” If you have a fear of sheep, do not come here!

(Is anyone actually afraid of sheep? Apart from wool allergies? Or someone who finds mutton disgusting? –Rich)

We arrived at the top of the hill and watched the sun set over the surrounding scene: the monument above us, sheep grazing on the terraced hillsides around us, the grassy volcano caldera just below us, and dormant volcano mounds amid the cityscape below. Very surreal.

I have to say I’m surprised these dormant volcanoes are barely mentioned in the guidebooks, and when they are it’s more about the history of the parks that cover them now. Does New Zealand not realize that not every city has these? Perhaps we should write a letter to the New Zealand Tourism Board advising them that 48 dormant volcanoes might attract more tourists than a sky tower or a yachting-themed waterfront, nifty as those things are.

Below is our gallery combining the park on the way to the top of Mount Eden, the peak at Mount Eden, and our sunset trip to One Tree Hill. Click on any picture to scroll and enlarge. –Cyndi

Auckland (New Zealand)

January – April 2013

We drove through Auckland several times, but we only stayed there twice, once in a hotel, and once in our boat. We’ve seen parts of it, but it’s a big place and we feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Our impression of Auckland is that it has a lot in common with a port city like San Francisco: Neighborhoods of varying degrees of wealth and/or trendiness sprawl down hillsides toward the downtown area behind the waterfront. This area, formerly a run-down commercial harbor, had been revamped for the 2000 America’s Cup and became the famous Viaduct Harbour. Now, it’s a thriving area full of promenades, restaurants, bars, wharves, boats, marine stores, a ferry terminal, and lots of people enjoying themselves during the summer months.

If you travel a little ways north, there’s the massive Westhaven Marina near the base of the Harbor Bridge. As you travel southeast, you come to the beautiful seaside suburbs and beaches and a waterfront promenade perfect for walking, jogging, or skating. Of course, the city has large and beautiful parks.

If you were to ask a Kiwi what makes Auckland unique and special among the world’s big cities, they’d probably think of the Sky Tower, Auckland’s version of the Seattle Space Needle. Or they might say the Viaduct Harbour area. Both the Sky Tower and the Viaduct are neat, but they’re tourist attractions, and many cities have sky towers or revamped waterfronts.

This doesn’t mean Auckland doesn’t have some unique and special features, but that’s the subject of the next blog post.

In the meantime, here’s a gallery of the Sky Tower, downtown, Viaduct Harbour, marinas, neighborhoods, oceanfront and a few of the places we ate. –Cyndi (Click on any image below to enlarge.)

The Circus, Again (Auckland, New Zealand)

April 4, 2013 in Auckland

When we motored in to the Viaduct Marina in Auckland, we were behind a familiar boat. It turns out it was La Laopiote, the boat of the French acrobats we’d seen twice before – before we left on this cruise in Los Angeles and again in Papeete, Tahiti. They put on an incredible show on the deck of their boat and up into the rigging. Here are some pictures from this performance in Auckland… -Rich