Auckland - The City of Sails

With a little work, my airport shuttle driver found my homestay address in a residential area near downtown Auckland. It was evening, and my host David was out. He left me a note inviting me to make myself at home, and after I eventually found the key in a pair of boots, let myself in to the house. I was greeted by Monty, a friendly and chubby little Jack Russell.

The house and my room were nice, but unfortunately freezing due to no central heating. David does have space heaters, which I cranked up. June 21 in the Southern Hemisphere is the equivalent of December 21 in the Northern one.

I was feeling quite energized, so went out exploring the new city in the dark. David is in a great neighbourhood, lots of funky shops, bars and restaurants on two nearby streets. Of course, I found a cozy little gay bar - I seem to have a nose for this.

I met David the next morning, and he had a nice big breakfast spread all ready. He said the difference between a homestay and B&B, is that a homestay is like being someone's guest. With that, he offered to take me on a quick tour up to Auckland's highest point, Mt. Eden, then to Auckland Domain, with some ideas of how to get around and what to do.

Auckland Domain is a beautiful park in the middle of Auckland, that contains the Auckland Museum. It was definitely worth a visit, with a beautiful collection of Maori items, plus others from various Pacific Islands. It was interesting to the both the differences and similarities with Hawaiian artifacts.














I walked out of the Domain and into Auckland's Central Business District. The Skytower dominates the landscape, and there are some fairly tall buildings, but not like Sydney or Vancouver. I am not sure if I am going to go up Skytower, but I definitely know I am not walking around the outside, or jumping off guided by wires. Someone did that just after I snapped a picture. Remember, all my pictures are on my flickr page.

I walked down to the waterfront, and the city started to remind me of others. The ferry building was a bit San Francisco, the harbour was like a junior Sydney, and the working port and ferry reminded me of Vancouver and the Seabus.














I took the ferry across to the charming suburb of Devonport, and checked out the village and houses there. Unfortunately, it had clouded over and the wind had picked up a bit, so I did not stay too long.

It was back across the harbour to check out touring options, then out to Navel and Family bar for happy hour. It was really nice to spend a quiet evening at "home" later watching a DVD, and relaxing with Monty puppy.

I can feel this trip winding down, and am looking forward to seeing all my friends in San Francisco and Vancouver. See you guys soon.