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| Arrival Winds - 48 mph |
We arrived in Auckland on schedule at 5pm, February 5th. The sail-in itself was spoiled by high winds of 48 mph. After leaving the high temps & humidity of the South Pacific, the 64-degrees felt nice but standing on any of the outside public decks was somewhat treacherous – we stayed in our stateroom and observed what we could from the port side of the ship. The pilot boat had a difficult time dropping the harbor guide off as well – the Captain had to turn the ship sideways to block the wind so the guide could safely come aboard. Once docked and the ship was cleared by local officials, Cheryl and I joined hundreds of other passengers and disembarked for a few hours of walking. We were docked in the middle of downtown Auckland, so access to shopping and other attractions was literally right off the ship. Many office workers and other professionals were just starting their commutes home. People from the ship were very easy to spot with their purple Holland America backpacks (murses) strapped to their shoulders – we would often here the ‘locals’ comment…”It’s the boat people!”
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| Pilot Boat Struggling |
Cheryl and I were back on the ship by 9:30pm. Up at 5am, we grabbed a quick breakfast and by 7:00, we were on a city ‘Hop-on/Hop-off’ bus – a very inexpensive bus that travels a predetermined route throughout the entire metropolitan area – you can get off at any point to, shop, rest, eat, and get back on the next bus (every 30 minutes) to continue on. Some of the initial pictures here were taken from the infamous Sky Tower - elevators to the top are made of glass, to include the floors! I don't particularly like heights so while the views were spectacular, the feeling was NOT! The Tower stands 636' tall and took 33 months to build. Some of our passengers were actually bungie-jumping from the top - actually, it was some of the younger crew members!
Captain Mercer Docking The Ship
Finally Docked
Sky Tower Glass Floor Elevator - Yikes!
Auckland is known as Queen City or City of Sails. It’s the largest and most modern city in New Zealand. Its location on the Isthmus of the North Island, between Waitemata Harbor to the northeast and Manukau Harbor to the southwest, makes it a perfect habitat for anyone who loves water. Population here is 1.4 million; New Zealand in total is 4.5 million. There are 102 beaches for swimming, surfing, waterskiing, & sail boarding. They say there are over 70,000 powerboats and sailing crafts, or one per every four households. There’s a lot to see & do here in Auckland, and we're now into our second and final full day. We leave this evening at 5pm for a short, 150-mile journey south. Having toured the entire city, we’ve seen only one police officer – driving alone in his squad car. This city by far, is one of the safest, cleanest LARGE cities we’ve ever visited. We have walked the downtown streets well past sunset, and many passengers have been out until the wee hours of the morning without incident. The residents here are very friendly – everyone we’ve engaged in conversation has been welcoming, sociable, gracious, and helpful. There’s quite an ethnic mix here – local natives are common, but also a heavy concentration of Asians. Economy is very strong, unemployment under 5%. Poverty is minimal – most homes here are $300K & up, several neighborhoods are north of $1m. Two major accounting firms have a big presence here; Deloitte, and Ernst & Young – hundreds of ‘preppies’ with their MBA’s walking the streets in their 3-piece suits. Not being critical here at all – both are great companies and I’ve done business with both – just painting a picture for you. Sheepherding is big here – in fact, there are ten-times MORE sheep than people – 45 million fuzzy animals vs. 4.5 million folks. We would live here without hesitation. Public streets are clean – most are lined with beautiful trees & shrubs – flowers, gardens, and parks are everywhere! The only downside here is cost of living – VERY expensive! We ate two meals off the ship – no, not exotic New Zealand fare, but our two favorite burger joints back home. Yesterday it was Burger King, today McDonald’s – price for two burgers, fries & small drink…$18! I wanted to buy a new pair of walking shoes – lowest price I could find for a good pair - $179 – thanks, but I’ll go barefoot for now!
On Our Way to Another Island
We grabbed an early breakfast on the ship and off we went this morning. There are multiple islands around Auckland – we opted for Devenport, just a short 30-minute ferry ride from the city and highly recommended by the local folks. Beautiful small village with several boutiques. We walked along the beach for a couple hours, and then stopped at a local grocery store to pick up some New Zealand wine before boarding the ferry for the trip back to Auckland. After dropping off the wine on the ship, we ventured downtown again to get Cheryl’s glasses adjusted at an Optometrist, then pulled up a bench along the boardwalk and just ‘people-watched’. It was a beautiful 75 degrees, but chilly in the shade. We were back on the ship by 2:00, showered, and ready for the lifeboat drill at 4:00. Any time we have new passengers on board, we’re required by law to conduct a complete drill – we lost 80 passengers in Auckland and picked up 30 new. After the drill, we decided not to participate in the sail away party but instead, went to ‘happy hour’ at our usual late afternoon venue, the Ocean’s Bar. After one drink, the dinner bells were ringing – it was nice to reunite with our other 4 tablemates (after two days) and listen to their Auckland stories & adventures. We all did something a little different – it’s always interesting to hear the impressions & experiences of others. One impression we all came away with – Auckland & the people here are WONDERFUL – just a truly beautiful city and wonderful society. I’ll post additional pictures from our visit here when I have more time.
Next stop…Tauranga, New Zealand.
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