Our whirlwind tour of New Zealand continued with a visit to its largest city, Auckland. Auckland was a busy port, and we had a similar central location to that of Sydney, though without the magnificent view of the Opera House & the Harbour Bridge. In contrast to Sydney’s magnificent weather, Auckland’s weather that day was cool and rainy. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the beauty it had to offer.
Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and had been its first capital. We were scheduled for a short morning tour, which included the Kelly Tarleton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World as well as the Auckland Sky Tower, touted to be the tallest building in the southern hemisphere at 1072 feet. We set off past huge container docks and shortly arrived at the Antarctic Encounter. We were fascinated by the penguins we saw upon arrival. They have two varieties there, the tall stately king penguins as well as the little gentoo penguins. A few minutes later we entered the replica of Captain Robert Scott’s Antarctic Hut, which back in 1911 was located on the McMurdo Sound. We couldn’t imagine making camp in Antarctica now (considering what avid winter fans we are), let alone back in 1911!
Proceeding on, we boarded a snow cat, which took us into an Antarctic world of penguins, where we were able to see both species of penguins strut, pose, and show off for their guests. A favorite was the “nursery” where we viewed penguin chicks nestled on the feet of their fathers. Adorable! Unlike the pig that Chuck wrote about in Gisborne, I’d have eagerly welcomed the chance to cuddle one of these cute little tuxedo-clad birds. Alas, our snow cats didn’t stop or offer us such an opportunity.
Next came a visit to Sting Ray Bay, with the massive fish swimming by us in all their glory. These sting rays were much larger than the ones we’d visited in Moorea (which seems now like a lifetime ago). Here we were able to see their bellies and mouths as well as those huge brown eyes we’d become so enamored with so many weeks ago. We also took a moving beltway that traveled through a tube which allowed large fish, including sharks, to swim around and above us. It gave us the opportunity to see an octopus.
Now it was my turn to panic. I made a small purchase in the gift shop, and as I opened my purse, I realized that my wallet containing my state I.D., American dollars, and credit card was missing. Unlike Chuck, I had no idea where it could be as we’d been off the ship for a few hours and I’d been into the purse a few times for the camera. I didn't remember seeing it since the day before. What especially concerned me was the fact that New Zealand requires an original government I.D. to get back on the ship. There was nothing I could do at that point but sit and worry. I climbed back on the bus, rather distressed to say the least. As I went through my purse more carefully, I discovered that I’d put it in a different pocket as I’d boarded the ship in Tauranga. Relief!!!
We drove past Millionaire Mile as the guide pointed out homes that were worth multi-millions of dollars (one estimated at $25,000,000 NZ) on our way to the Sky Tower. Having been in warm weather and away from home for so long, we’d forgotten that Christmas season is upon us, but our arrival at the Sky Tower brought that thought to the forefront as we admired the festive decorations. We stepped onto the elevator for our quick ride to the top of the tower, and as we began our journey, someone said, “Oh, look, you can see through the floor there!” I hadn’t noticed that I was standing on a “window” to the workings of the elevator! I felt like I’d left my stomach down at the bottom!
At the top, we were treated to a magnificent view of the city of Auckland and could easily see the ms Amsterdam docked a few miles away. We also noted that people had the opportunity to make a controlled jump from the top of the Sky Tower. We both considered it for a few minutes, and then we decided that, yes, we could do it! We certainly could step up to the window and watch the brave individuals make their jumps! I actually got the picture of a person (well, the top half of the person) as he dropped past the window! After returning to ground level, Chuck noticed an older man suiting up. Later, we went outside and witnessed someone making his descent, and when he arrived at the bottom, Chuck said, “That’s the man I saw suiting up.” I replied, “That’s the Catholic priest from the ship!”
Although it was Sunday, many shops were open, so that afternoon we took advantage of the opportunity to do some shopping. One building caught my eye as it reminded me of my cousin Michelle! Right next to a Kiwi Souvenir Shop was the DIlworth Building!
Soon we were sailing to our final port of call in New Zealand, the beautiful Bay of Islands. Bay of Islands was voted to have the second-bluest skies in the world (behind Rio), but the Maori name for NZ fit it better the day we were there. The Land of the Long White Cloud lived up to its name, as we had the cloudiest weather of the trip in New Zealand. Despite this, we were taken by the beauty of the country and appreciated the friendliness of its people.
Our tour guide in Bay of Islands was of Maori descent, and he was able to give us a very interesting account of the history of the Maori people in New Zealand. Our first stop was at Kerikeri, where the oldest stone building in NZ stood next to the oldest wooden building in NZ. Both were constructed by missionaries. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the Puketi Forest, where we learned about the kauri trees, second tallest in the world only to the giant redwoods. These stately giants grew straight up, with the trunks being the same width from bottom to top. At one time they were used for canoes as well as lumber, but now they’re protected. They were absolutely magnificent. One tree we saw was documented to be about 500 years old, and our guide said that one of the trees had been dated back 4000 years!
Our last stop was at the Mangamuka Marae, a Maori meeting house, where we were welcomed by one of the chiefs of the Maori people. We enjoyed learning about the Maori people, and were invited into the meetinghouse as guests, as well as witnessing a haka ceremony.
It was so difficult to leave New Zealand, with the realization that the two countries that had been our main destinations were now only wonderful memories.
Barb
No comments:
Post a Comment