The Silver Whisper arrived at Auckland early on Friday, January 25, 2013. Similarly to the Bay of Islands, we sailed through many small islands into a relatively sheltered harbor. Unlike Bay of Islands, however, Auckland is a city. It is the largest city in New Zealand and has a skyline to prove it. We docked at Queens Wharf right in the central business district, next to the ferry building. There are only two wharves designed to handle cruise ships. Nearby there are several more wharves with huge cranes for loading and unloading large container ships. Auckland is actually a rather small city. As we docked, we observed a very large Princess ship at the Princess Wharf to our west and a large shoe box like ship unloading automobiles at the adjacent wharf to the east. The historic and picturesque ferry building was only a few steps away street side between the two cruise ships.
Michael and I headed to the ferry building as soon as customs agents cleared the ship for passengers to leave. We planned to take the first ferry to Rangitoto Island, a volcano now restored to natural flora and fauna and preserved by the New Zealand National Trust. We purchased our tickets and waited the half hour until departure by having espresso at a dockside gelato shop that offered free Internet. It was a relief to check e-mail and find that nothing has happened back home that requires our attention. Michael was even able to make a Skype phone call to a friend in Boulder. Our house is o.k. No pipes burst during a recent cold spell that had Boulder temperatures falling to well below zero Fahrenheit for the first time in about five years.
We had a sunny ferry ride to Rangatoto by way of a stop at Devon, an Auckland suburb. There the ferry picked up a small high school's complement of students and their teachers, also on their way to the nature preserve. We encountered sub groups of them at various points during our hike to the summit of the volcano. The young people were uniformly polite and friendly.
The hike reminded me of how out of shape I have become living at sea level and eating gourmet food three of four times a day. I reached the thousand foot summit breathless but happy to have made the climb. The views of the harbor and surroundings were wonderful. Michael took some panorama shots with his I-Phone. We both took lots of regular camera shots too.
The Rangatoto volcano formed some six hundred years ago and has repeatedly had lava flows, as recently as seventy years ago. The cone is covered with vegetation now but some bare lava remains on the flanks of the volcano. The indigenous New Zealand plants are strange. The Auckland region has a sub tropical climate, running to ferns and succulents. Rangatoto has a forest of rare Pohutukowa trees that have red feather like flowers. They call it the 'Christmas Tree' as it bloom around Christmas time – midsummer here. Native birds and plants have been reintroduced as pests such as rats and possums have been eradicated. The whole place is fascinating.
Michael and I returned to Auckland just after 1:00 PM. We set out along the harbor to find a place for a late lunch. We were tempted by some wonderful looking hot dogs sold from a stand next to the Princess Wharf but we persevered for a few blocks until we found a sidewalk café by the boat basin that served real food as opposed to fast food. We enjoyed fish and chips made with a local fresh-caught fish and had some local beer. It was all good.
We strolled around the Viaduct Yacht Basin and climbed to Queen Street, the main shopping street in the city. Michael and I saw a good bit of the downtown shopping district as we embarked on a quest for a replacement watch battery. We had tried unsuccessfully to have the battery replaced in Papeete. Too unusual, they said. A woman in a local bookstore suggested a jewelry and watch store on lower Queen Street. I felt out of place in a store selling Rolexes and Pate Philippe high-end watches, asking for a battery for an inexpensive Timex. The sales clerk said they had it! The only thing unusual about the watch battery is that is lithium rather than the more common metal hydride. That merely means more expensive. We returned three quarters of an hour later, paid $25 New Zealand and I had a working everyday watch.
Mission accomplished, Michael and I returned to the Silver Whisper to watch the sail away while sipping cocktails on the rear deck.
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