Lies, Weatherman, All Lies
June 7, 2013
In Sydney we had the fog that took away the harbour, now in Auckland I have the clouds that are hanging over me like a wet blanket. Did I bring it with my from Wellington? All of that beautiful sun that was shining on Auckland yesterday must have a hangover from the State of Origin Rugby Match played Wednesday past. Look at me using local slogans – Wednesday past!
Rain or shine I did the Auckland Harbour Cruise and it was amazing.
I had to have some “bubbles” during the cruise.
I took about 400 pictures of wonderful houses along the waterfront, naval vessels, and the Auckland Skyline.
We got to see the Royal New Zealand Navy’s largest ship in action. HMNZS Canterbury L421 passed us and then turned around to dock with the aid of two tug boats. We didn’t get to see the actual puling up to the harbour but it was well positioned to do so. Very cool to see the sailors atop the deck preparing for docking.
My favorite part of the harbour cruise was learning about Rangitoto Island. This island has an active volcano on it so the “sands” are black and typically what you’d think cooled volcanic lava would look like. The really interesting thing was learning that the waterfront houses I photographed were built illegally! They are called Baches (comes from Bachelor) and were considered mansions and holiday houses when they were built in the 1920’s and 1930’s. I think now they are owned by the island preservation society and just kept there to show what used to be.
Shortly before we docked at Rangitoto our ferry started blowing its horn and stopped the engines. Apparently a speed boat was shooting the gap between us and the dock. It made it out fine but I think I heard the captain say “where’s the coast guard when you need them?”
Next sighting was the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Not to be snotty but that is nothing compared to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They offer climbs but I’ve already climbed the Mount Everest of bridges why would I now climb the Lego Set of bridges?? They do offer bungee jumping from the bridge which somehow has me thinking…
More cool Naval vessels on the way – Against the Devonport docks we saw the HMNZS Endeavour A11 which is the navy’s oldest vessel and is used for refueling other ships. Has a lot of rust on her but I’m sure she gets the job done. There were a couple of other vessels there, too. Also of note, Devonport is the only operating naval base in all of New Zealand.
Auckland is home to the largest marina in the Southern Hemisphere, the Westhaven Marina. You could see sailboat after sailboat after sailboat docked there. And the rock that forms the barrier from the sea was taken from volcanic rock on Rangitoto Island. Made for some pretty cool pics.
Just before we got back to our pier we passed the Tank Farm. Right now there is a spot of land being developed for a huge new park and commercial buildings. The tanks that live there now to assist in the construction have been dubbed Tank Farm.
As we pulled into the dock the ferry captain stopped right outside my hotel. We were able to view the SkyTower in between the buildings that make up the Hilton. SO COOL! Just wish there would have been a little more sunshine above.
My hotel with the Auckland SkyTower.
K. Dana Morris 