We were docked by 7:30, off the ship by about 8. We planned to go on the On And Off bus to see the city. The pier is right downtown, so a very nice location. We bought tickets then waited until 9 for the first bus.
Our first stop was Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Adventure and Aquarium. That didn't open until 9:30 so we had to wait a bit there. The picture is of us from that location, looking back at the city. Kind of hard to see in the background. The attraction itself was kind of a let down. We are so used to the beautiful Monterey Bay Aquarium, this place paled in comparison. They had a number of King and other penguins in an enclosure. We got in a "snowcat" which moved around the enclosure so you could see the penguins closer. We sure had the realistic smell, but the cat was completely enclosed. After that there was a moving walkway which went around in a circle surrounded by an aquarium so the fish were on both sides as well as over head. There were some shark and rays and other larger fish. That was the complete place! There were some pretty tropical fish in a few aquariums after the walkway, but we were done in just over 1/2 hour. For this we paid about $25 each! A bit disappointing. There is supposed to be another Antarctic Adventure in Christchurch. It has won several NZ tourism awards. After the one in Auckland, not sure we'll go.
Back on the On And Off bus, we headed to the Auckland Museum. It is a huge building on top of a hill overlooking the city. Really beautiful. They had a number of wonderful exhibits on the Maori culture in NZ before it was taken over by white men. There was also an extensive exhibit on WWII which Mel enjoyed. He said the films gave a totally different perspective from what he'd seen in the US, NZ and Australia's perspective of the war. We decided not to pay extra to see the Maori cultural show since we'd be seeing one on the ship that evening. We did have lunch there at the museum then walked to some glass houses where they had beautiful plants and flowers. After that we got back on the bus which was heading back downtown.
Queen Street is the main shopping street in Auckland. It ends at the Ferry Building which sits right by our pier. We decided to just get off the bus and walk down Queen Street, back to the ship, shopping along the way. We did go to the Auckland Art Gallery. Unfortunately their permanent building is being renovated, so the temporary exhibits were very small. They did have some beautiful quilts from the Cook Islands though.
My good walking sandals are now being held together with bright pink duct tape. I figured I would be able to find new ones in NZ, especially since they are known for their healthy, outdoorsy lifestyles. All we could find were Merrill, Teva and Keen, which I can find in the US. We did finally find a different pair at another shoe store. Hope they are as comfortable as my old Tevas! We went into every souvenir shop along Queen Street just looking at everything. I imagine that street is like Powell Street in San Francisco, places the locals never go. But to us everything was new and interesting. They do a lot of wood carving with inlaid paua shells. Really beautiful stuff. There were also a lot of sheepskin items, boots, rugs, etc. We bought a few things then went back to the ship. We'd done a lot of walking so I was exhausted.
Turns out that the Maori Cultural Dance troupe that came on the ship to perform is the resident troupe at the Auckland Museum. We were VERY glad we hadn't paid extra to see it! It was an interesting show, showing war dances, weapons, etc.
Day two in Auckland, we decided to ride a ferry over to Devonport, a small community across the bay. I had communicated with a quilt shop there to be sure they would be open. It was a quick ride over. The area reminded us and looks very much like Sausalito with galleries, small shops and many restaurants with sidewalk seating. I did buy some fabric with NZ motifs, kiwi (the bird not the fruit) and paua shells. Very unusual. We went to the large grocery store to buy Lumps, chocolate covered pineapple candies, very good. We walked back to the ferry and went back to Auckland.
Now today is Monday, February 7. Mel wanted to watch the Super Bowl on the ship.....we are now a day ahead of the US...so he headed back, I went back up Queen Street to buy a few things I hadn't bought the day before. This time I had no veto power with me so they were quick decisions. It was a nice afternoon of shopping and Mel enjoyed watching the game with a bunch of guys on the ship.
Sail away was beautiful with all the islands in the harbor. It was a while before we were in open sea again. Auckland is a beautiful city, I can see why people love living there. One fourth of the country of New Zealand live in Auckland and its surrounding areas. The total population of the country is only 4 million!
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