After a marvelous night's sleep in one of the world's more comfortable hotel beds, we wandered down the city's main thoroughfare, Queen Street, towards the ferry port, where we secured passage on the Devonport Ferry, running to-and-from the little harbourside suburb at regular intervals. Devonport, it we discover, is a lovely neighbourhood - clean, peacefgul and affluent, with a hint of the 1950s in its presentation. We poppeed into a few of the well-kept shops, then made out way up Mount Victoria, from which the views over to the Auckland skyline are remarkable, and allow a firm understanding of the harbour's geography. Mount Victoria (the Maori for which is Takarunga) is actually the nighest volcano on Auckland's north shore - its historic lava flows forming much of Devonport's current waterfront. In more recent times, the mountain was used for artillery placements, such was its strategic positioning, defending the land from any direction.
Back on the mainland, we hiked to what is called the Auckland Domain, a lovely park that is home to the Auckland Museum, and offers what is said to be one of the southern hemisphere's finest collections. The mainstay of the collections naturally focuses on Pacific peoples, with many wonderful carvings and canoes, along with impressive natural history exhibits. Well readers of this blog will know how long I could linger in such a place, and it will come as no surprise that we spent some time exploring the galleries here.
Next morning, and up very early for a hotel pick-up courtesy of Bush & Beach tours, destination Hobbiton, the famous film set for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Apart from the Kiwi driver called Dave, we're the only non-Americans on the bus, and all is jovial as we drive out of Auckland and into the Waikato region, the landscape for which is largely the domain of cattle farming. At Hobbiton, movie fans are gathered in their thousands (some, it can be noted, are taking it all very seriously) and after being assigned a guide to make sure we don't wander anywhere we shouldn't, we are off on a poke around the many - many - little hobbit holes. Personally, I'm not very interested in the films, but I have to take my hat off to the quality of the gardening, which is beautifully maintained and offered a feel of the idyllic. After this, a drink in the Green Dragon Pub, then a buffet lunch (which included, I am pleased to report, roast potatoes,) gift shop, and the long ride back to the city.
Briefly rested, we were out again for the Auckland evening, stopping by at 'Sky city', the centrepoint of which is the Sky Tower (name a city that doesn't have one of these nowadays!) The lift ascends in no time, and before we know it, we're staring out over Auckland and to the Pacific. Beneath the tower, there's something of a carnival in town, with music, street food and samba dancing, which drew quite a crowd.
For our final day in the city, we took to the railway station for a very special meeting. More than 50 years ago, Lizzie's great-uncle, John, emigrated to New Zealand, never to return to the UK again. Here he settled, married a Kiwi and had two children, whole also live in the greater Auckland area. On a warm and sunny Sunday morning, we had a convivial chat and a coffee for a couple of hours, learning about each other's lives and sharing some photos Lizzie's family.
Seeing them off with good tidings, we opted to take the long walk from the waterfront to Mount Eden, an old volcano to the south of the city centre. This walk took in an area called Parnell, with a very pleasant atmosphere and a wide variety of shops and cafe, alongside Auckland's surprisingly modern cathedral. Following Parnell Road, we skirted the edge of the Domain, stopping for a lunch of kiwi burgers (that is, beef burgers with a fried egg on top) and then took the steep pathway that led up to the enormous grassy crater. Mount Eden, like all of Auckland, is a dormant volcano, and whilst an imminent eruption is unlikely, nobody is quite sure when the next incident will occur. It's an undoubtedly strenuous climb, but once at the summit, we have yet another extraordinary view to enjoy, which this time includes Eden park, the country's largest sports venue, and a regular host for the famous All Blacks.
It's another quick turn-around that sees us leave Auckland wastefully soon. In the city we found a curiously familiar home, very British in many of its ways, and with the usual friendliness for which this country is renowned. Auckland feels classy, cultured, peaceful, and eminently liveable, and as we know we want to explore more of New Zealand in the future, it seems very likely that we'll set foot in this lovely city again.
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