Around Auckland, NZ

Our flight from Tahiti was wonderful; Air New Zealand has the most comfortable seats: reclining, adjustable head rests, extending foot supports with plenty of room.  A choice of wines and entrees, snacks & juices, satisfies your hunger, and entertainment choices are diverse with real head phones. Our bid for an upgrade to premium had been accepted and was appreciated.  But arrival was at 10pm; by the time we went through luggage, customs, and car rental, we arrived at our B&B near midnight by following GPS directions.

The B&B is brand new, six rooms (four of which are master suites) run by a Chinese woman (immigrated from China four years ago). Her family is renting the home, and she runs the B&B while her husband and two children are at work and school respectively.  The neighborhood is upscale: nice for us but not probably appreciated by neighbors.  Our room overlooks tidal Manukau bay.  All the shoreline is parkland with many miles of paved bicycle paths.  Our accommodation furnishes two bikes (both slightly undersized).  We explored for several hours on the bikes today (and every day). Beautiful scenery and the weather is perfect, 65-70 degrees with light breezes.  We did some local shopping this afternoon and encountered a real immigrant influence.  A food store had the seasonings, foods, smell, and personnel of India.  Another store featured the tastes and employees from China.  Walking down a street of many shops, each shop seemed to have its own culture.

Sunset over Manukau Bay.  Our B&B looked out directly on the Bay.  We loved bike riding along the well-maintained paths along its shore.

Manukau Bay shore.  The Bay is subject to large tidal changes and can have wide mud flats at times.

One Tree Hill.  This "hill" is in fact a small extinct volcano cone.  When we drove to the top. the temperature was notably cooler than below.  It provides a good view of surrounding areas.

Looking north from One Tree Hill towards Auckland.

The traffic congestion heading into downtown Auckland convinced us to explore elsewhere. Instead we enjoyed beautiful parklands at One Tree Hill, Cornwall Park, and the Auckland Botanic Garden.  One Tree Hill is an extinct volcanic cone rising high above its surroundings to provide excellent views of all Auckland.  Sheep graze on its slopes.  Cornwall Park, about 160 acres, adjoins and has many walking paths, trees, and meadows; very relaxing and scenic.  We arrived at the Botanic Garden in time for a guided walking tour of current attractions.  Our guide, Shelly made it very interesting, and we learned a new word "chocka", as in very crowded.

Auckland Botanic Gardens.  The area has a semi-tropical climate where almost any type of plant will grow.

On another day we headed southwest, west of Hamilton, to the classic surfer town of Raglan.  I don't think there is any stretch of straight road once west of Hamilton.  The speed limit may say 100 kph, but you don't want to go that fast.  On the way back we stopped at a nature preserve which had such lush, dense jungle that it seemed like something from the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Surfers near Raglan.  It was mid-week, but the beach parking lot was full.

You walk a path through dense growth to get to this waterfall/ nature preserve. You can also stand at the top of the falls which are almost 200' high.

On our last day, we headed northeast to the Coromandel Peninsula.  The day became somewhat of a bust.  A recent strong storm had caused the coastal highway to washout.  Traffic was limited to a one-lane road in spots with flagmen and delays for opposing traffic.  Then it started to rain.  We stopped for lunch in the town of Thames.  It seemed like a very nice medium-sized town; small enough to have a main street where most businesses are located and people know each other.

A very wholesome-appearing town where life is still centered around a single main street.  We had lunch here in a cafe staffed by a group of elderly ladies.