Auckland

Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Auckland & Queenstown, North Island, New Zealand
4th May. After an overnight flight, we arrived in Auckland on a lovely sunny day. Getting through customs at Auckland Airport took a long time because of the stringent checks to prevent foodstuffs, plants etc coming into the country – if it helps to save the cute kakapo then fine !. We were staying at the Auckland Club just off Queens St in the city centre – very comfy and convenient. We resisted the urge to crawl into the beds and sleep for the rest of the day. After a fortifying cup of instant coffee, we made our way to the Skytower, the tallest structure in New Zealand. The 360o view up on the Main Observation Level, at 186 m (610 ft) was spectacular.  But we paid another $3 plus (big spenders !) and went up to 60th floor, to the Sky Deck at 220 m (722 ft). The view up there was absolutely great and the glass was frameless. We also saw a few people doing the Sky Jump. It's not a bungee jump but they did jump off the tower and fall straight down – with the help of harnesses. The leaflet said that the fall would last 11 seconds at a speed of 85kph, just over 50 mph. It was fun watching but we were happy to stay firmly on the "ground". Much more our thing to sit in the Sky Cafe and admire the views across the harbour.

Next day we visited the Auckland Museum famous for its collection of Maori artefacts . The Museum sits on top of a hill in the Domain, the city’s largest park. As part of our Maori Experience we signed up for the Maori Cultural Performance. To the eerie sound of a conch shell horn we were escorted by two hunky Maori warriors to the theatre where there was a programme of songs, traditional games such as stick throwing/juggling and poi twirling. For anyone who isn’t familiar with a poi it is a ball on a cord which is spun by twisting the wrists.   The other part of the Museum we “enjoyed” was the special room where you could experience what it will be like when one of the volcanoes on which Auckland sits erupts. Quite scary, even though they stop short of zapping you with poison gas or a pyroclastic flow ! The eruptions happen every thousand years or so – let’s hope not in the next couple of weeks....

We strolled back to the Club and as luck (sixth sense ?) would have it passed the Chocolate Boutique. Had a marvellous chocolate fix to shake off the jet lag .

May 6th Happy Election Day ! Fret not, we have sent our postal votes.

Early flight from Auckland down to Queenstown which is billed as the centre for extreme outdoor sports – just our sort of place ! Wonderful view of the Southern Alps and Mt Cook from the plane. Arriving at the airport in the midst of the mountains on a chilly but sunny autumn morning was literally breath-taking. The town lies on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, a huge glacial lake surrounded by majestic mountains. Dumped our bags at the hotel and headed straight into town. We took a trip on the gondola (cable car) which goes straight to the top of Bob’s Peak (2600 ft (790 metres) . Oh, we thought at the start, it’s like the funicular railway in Linton/Lynmouth. But it was, in the words of the great Craig Revel Horwood, a-ma-zing ! Yet more brave souls/idiots launching themselves off the top tied to bits of elastic.

Alan’s sister had recommended a restaurant for dinner called Roaring Meg’s, named after a famous 19th century prostitute (classy). The food was wonderful – we had lamb, of course. It has found its way into the Japanese guide books and this being Golden Week, we were the only non-Japanese in the place. Bit of a busman’s holiday...
Other Entries

Comments

Lynda Chang
2010-05-07

WOWWWWWW!

Carol
2010-05-07

Hey Guys
Sounds FAB - could go off you?!!
Saw Luisa and her beautiful baby today - Lu sends love.
Carol xx

2025-02-14

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank