January 17, 2014
One of the best things about being a cruiser is that we can embed ourselves in a place, making it a second home of sorts. Then, we can show it off to visiting friends as though we’ve lived there all our lives.
Our friends Bob and Linda were returning from the US and passing through Auckland en route to their boat in Whangarei. They’d been to Auckland before, but they hadn’t seen our Auckland, and we were excited to share our finds. My inner tour guide was very excited about all of this, and Rich was excited that for once, that dreaded tour guide wasn’t focused on him. I hoped our unsuspecting friends weren’t hoping for a restful stop!
We picked up our friends from their airport hotel and drove them to the hotel where they’d be staying in downtown Auckland. After dropping off their luggage, we headed out into the warm, sunny afternoon. Rich and I had considered taking them for Chinese noodles, but really the best way to acclimate after a long flight is get outdoors and spend some time in the natural light and fresh air. It’s better yet if that light and air are near the water.
And so we headed to the Viaduct, specifically the aptly-named Waterfront Cafe & Bar because of its location. The walk from our parking space to the restaurant took us along the festive promenade area and lots of yachts, always fun to look at. Once we arrived at the Waterfront, we were led to a shaded table right on the water. Soon we were enjoying a really delicious lunch and soaking in the seaside atmosphere.
We would have understood if our friends needed a nap after this, but they were up for another outing; so Rich and I took them over the bridge so we could show them around the North Shore. We started with our tour with drinks at coffeehouse in our local neighborhood, Takapuna, before heading to Devonport.
After first driving to the top of Mount Victoria to take in the views of Auckland, we headed into the town. Our first stop: Devonport chocolates, followed by a cold drink at a sidewalk cafe, then down to the beach to look for shells and admire the view of Auckland and boats sailing by. Not surprisingly, our friends were quite taken with the area; the next time they came to Auckland, this is where they chose to stay.
After a drive to see the North Shore’s beaches, we headed back into Auckland. It was Friday evening and traffic heading out of the city was heavy. We’d planned to drop off our friends and head back to Legacy to get ready for dinner out, but traffic was so bad Rich and I opted to park the car and take the ferry back to Bayswater. We only had time to quickly change and freshen up before getting the next ferry back to the city. (Thankfully there’s a small ferry boat that goes right to Bayswater marina).
Our plan for dinner: the Auckland Skytower. Just like on my birthday, we used our alloted time for the Observation and top decks before dinner, watching the evening deepen and the city lights come on after the sun set. Then we enjoyed another fantastic dinner overlooking the the city lights. Rich and I hoped this experience would be as special as it was on my birthday, and it easily was.
In all, we’d done a lot during this amazing day. But no rest for the weary; my inner tour guide had made plans for tomorrow. I’m not sure everyone was thrilled to hear we had an early-morning booking the following day, but we knew they’d be happy with what we had in store for them! –Cyndi
