Auckland is located on the northeast side of the North Island. It stretches across 60 extinct volcanoes and spans a narrow isthmus.

While it was exciting to be in Auckland, the weather made the prospect of walking around seem very unexciting . It was a shock to the system to walk off the ship and be confronted with overcast skies and 15 degree temperatures.

Given neither of us had been to Auckland before, we once again took the 'get on a bus' approach to sightseeing. While the city does have a hop on/hop off bus, it also has link buses that do a series of loops through the centre of the city. We decided the link bus would be interesting and so hopped on and started out mini tour. As we were on a public bus, there was no commentary but each of the stops was announced so we had an idea of where we were.

After about an hour riding around on the bus, we got off and headed to the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower is a 1072 foot, free standing structure that towers about the city. From its upper levels you get a 360 degree view of Auckland and the surrounding area. At one point you can see the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Like most tall things in New Zealand, if you were that way inclined, you can pay money to jump off the edge of the building or walk around the outside of it .

Even though we were only in the upper levels of the tower for about an hour, we saw quite a few people take the plunge and jump off. It was a little bit off putting to be eating lunch and every so often seeing a person go flying past the window. Not really my cup of tea. I was happy enough to see that there were sections of the tower and lifts floor that were made from a clear plastic – note to self it is not nice to see how high up you are and how fast the ground is coming towards you.

After coming down from the tower, we headed towards the ferry wharf. One the way we called in at one of the touristy shops. Mum bought a beanie and I decided that I needed a pair of possum gloves (actually mix of merino wool and possum fur fibres). Unlike in Australia, possums in New Zealand are an introduced species and as they have no natural predators, they have become a serious pest that eats everything in sight. To try to control their numbers, there is a strong industry in culling them and using their hides to make items of clothing . Not only could you buy the usual warm clothing items like gloves, beanies and scarves, you can also get possum fur shoe inserts, ear muffs and headbands.

When we did finally make it to the ferry terminal, we bought a return ticket to Devonport. The ride across Waitemata Harbour was uneventful, other than it being a little bit cold. Once we arrived in Devonport, we wandered around for a while. During our wanderings, we came across a small chocolate shop and a costume/party shop. We also had a wander through a local supermarket, where we discovered that you could pick and purchase fresh mussels.

We caught the ferry back to Auckland, got back on the ship, dumped our various purchases and defrosted a little.

Feeling a little warmer, we headed back out into the city. Given it was too early to eat dinner and too late to look at any of the tourist attractions, we wandered around a nearby shopping complex . Most of the shops were closing, so it was slim pickings. However we did stumble across an interesting Kmart like shop that offered free Wi-Fi. As it was also warm and open late, we perused the various items that were on sale.

After a while we were getting hungry, so we started walking to the Viaduct area of the harbour. On the way we had a quick look at the yacht that first won the America’s Cup and what I assume is the current America’s Cup yacht.

After a nice dinner, we walked back to the ship and went about our evening activities. I rugged up and took some photos of the Auckland skyline at night, while Mum checked out a show.

Fun fact:
Auckland has more boats per capita than any other city in the world. This is why it is known as the City of Sails.