Auckland holiday (day 5)

Day 5 photos are now here on Flickr.

I think I had a pretty decent sleep on Wednesday night and woke up a bit earlier this time. I had an actual plan for this day although I wasn’t totally sure it was do-able or not. Anyway, I got up and ready and was out the door within a reasonable time. My first stop was back to the Countdown supermarket where I picked up a bag of baby carrots, a couple of muffins and a big bottle of water.

Then I was off to buy a memory card because I’d filled the one I’d taken completely. This was a bit of a surprise for me because I’d never gotten anywhere near filling the 8gb card before. I found what I needed at the Warehouse in the city, which looked a lot nicer than the one I’d visited the day before to find tape. I hadn’t bought a card for a while so had no idea how good or bad the price was but took a chance and bought one. Fortunately they had one of the type I needed available so I bought that and headed out again.

It happened that there were more cruise ships in port this morning, The Voyager of the Seas and the Aurora, in addition to the one that was docked there the day before. It was cool but weird to see three ships in port at the same time. I only had time to take a couple photos, though, and the Aurora was a bit hard to get properly as it was mostly visible through chain link fence. Seeing the many different cruise liners reminded me of Lego Lover at home and how much he’d had loved seeing them.

My plan for the day was to do the Coast to Coast Walk, which I’d seen mentioned in some of the travel information and on a sign near the Britomart Centre in the city. The walk is a 16 kilometre walk which is supposed to be doable by most walkers quite easily. I’d been walking well over that 16 kms the past couple of days so I figured I could surely do this walk.

My first issue was finding my way to the starting point. I had seen the information and I had a map of sorts but the start point wasn’t marked properly on there and I really wanted to start at the right point. In hindsight, this was far less important than it should have been and I’d have started much earlier had I just started sort of near the beginning. The biggest delay was stopping at the tourism office and waiting for ages to be given a map I already had and no other information. I really thought there must be a bit more available but I guess there wasn’t.

I did eventually find the right place, which was actually quite near the tourism office and the quay. I took a photo to mark the start of my journey and I had planned to take photos at various signposts along the way. I knew the second signpost was the one at the Britomart Centre and I stopped there for a photo as well, even though I had taken a photo of it the evening before. Then the real fun began as I attempted to follow the signs of the path I needed to take. There are markers along the way in two versions: one was from the CBD to Onehunga and the other was from Onehunga back to the CBD. They mainly just used different colors to mark the way.

I passed by several locations in the CBD that I had already passed a number of times on my travels so far. Then I started up a hill to a park next to Auckland University. To get there, I passed through something of a natural alcove made from large tree roots. They were so large that some of them were held up by metal supports. There was a statue in the middle of this of a pastor of one Auckland’s churches from the 19th century and alongside it there were some benches for people in amongst the tree roots. I reached the top of the hill and passed onto streets that are part of the campus. This is where I lost my way for the first time this day when I couldn’t find the right path to get off the main road of the university. I was walking up and down the street trying to figure out the turn off, which wasn’t marked very well on the map. I eventually did sort of work this out and passed through a part of the university I hadn’t seen yet. It was orientation week and there were lots of student groups with representatives located along this side street with information for new students. Also, along the streets of the campus adjacent to the park, there were various Chinese lanterns hung from trees for the Lantern Festival that started that evening and continued through the weekend.

One I got across to the path I needed,  I was a bit uncertain how to get back to the path that took me across the motorway to the Domain (where I’d been the day before). I think I finally gave up on finding the exact path and found the road I’d been followed before. I got across the motorway and into the Domain properly and seemed to be back on track. Along the way there were some sculptures not far off the pathway that were pretty interesting, mostly modern art works from what I could see. I would have liked to take photos of more of these art works but there were others ahead of me doing the same thing and it would have delayed me even more than I already was.

Eventually I came to an intersection in the Domain that wasn’t too far from the museum. I hadn’t seen this part of the park, though, because it was on the opposite side to where I’d walked the day before. I found a little duck pond not far from the path and it was really peaceful and lovely despite being in a fairly well-travelled area of the Domain. I took a few photos there, probably spending more time than necessary trying to get a decent shot of a bird hanging out on lily pads.

After leaving the duck pond, I found a playing field where some teenagers were engaged in a game of bubble soccer, something I have never seen before. It uses a very small part of the field and players are all sort of encased in a big plastic bubble to play some version of soccer. If I’d had time I would have liked to have seen how the game really worked but instead moved along..

I travelled across the playing fields and out of the Domain to an adjacent neighbourhood where I again spent far too much time trying to work out which way I needed to go.  I finally found the correct way and soon found myself in front Outhwaite Park. This was a pretty small park after the Domain, so I got through it quickly and soon was onto another main road with heavy traffic on it. The path followed along the main road for a while and soon I was passing by Auckland Grammar School, right around dismissal time. It was a bit risky walking past at this point due to young and teenaged boys ripping out of the school at great speed. I nearly got run down trying to travel in the opposite direction to most of the boys.

Not long after passing by the school I turned down a road towards Mt. Eden. I’d considered trekking there the day before but thought better of it. Happily it was one of the main points on this walk so it worked out just fine. The road leading in was filled with a number of upmarket properties with large gardens and manicured lawns as I recall. It wasn’t a particularly long street and at the end there was an old brick house covered with ivy. This house had a totally different feel to it from the others on the street and I thought of it as something of a mystery house, especially being right near the entrance to Mt. Eden’s pathways. In truth it probably wasn’t particularly different but I could certainly imagine it being so.

There is a gate leading in to Mt. Eden and the road going to the peak had a concrete/stone footpath next to it for the first part of the trip. As you make your way up, the path rises well above the roadway and also away from the road to an unpaved path. The views going up were fantastic and you can see the city and sea from many directions. I think it took me about twenty minutes to half an hour to reach the top. While it’s not especially a high elevation, it’s still a pretty vigorous climb that would be difficult for less able and fit individuals. I reached a large, flat sort of plateau on  the volcano while on the way up and wandered towards one edge to take good lucks at the CBD and harbour. There were a few other groups up here, hanging out and enjoying the local environment while being able to look out on the area all around.

I continued  towards the peak after sitting there for quite a while and was even more impressed as I climbed. First there was the crater of the volcano, which was really fascinating because it looks rather like a large grassy pit. That area is blocked off to visitors but it’s rather weird to think of such a placid places as a crater for a volcano. At the peak there was a wonderful view of the south coast. Even though there were quite a few visitors, it still felt peaceful there and I could have sat there for hours. It was a bit windy at the top but not particularly cold. I imagine it can be quite chilly in the winter months though.  This was the highlight of all the places I visited during my short time in Auckland. I liked it so much that I had grand ideas of going back before my return home even though I didn’t really have the time for it.

The trip down the volcano was a bit easier than that going up but it was rather steep in some areas. I was rather amazed when I passed by a man running up the steep road at a pretty decent pace. I don’t know that he was exactly a runner, though, because his arms and legs were all over the place as he  made the ascent and there was no grace about him at all. It was rather amazing and funny at the same time to see this guy running with arms flailing about. When I exited the park, it was onto a different main road, the one that travelled through the suburb of Mt. Eden. I was reminded of the Maori name for the volcano which is Maungawhau on the  sign by the other entrance into the park. By this time the traffic was even heavier due to peak traffic time and it was quite congested in some areas.

I think I lost the proper path again around here but ended up veering off course anyway due to extreme thirst and mild hunger. It wasn’t hot but I had long before finished my bottle of water and definitely needed a refill. I eventually found myself in Mt.  Eden, the suburb, and walked along the main strip looking for a place where I could get refreshment. I found it hard to decide where to go even though there were plenty of potential places to stop. This seems to happen to me a bit too often. I think maybe it’s a matter of too many choices even if most aren’t really great options. Ideally I should have had a proper meal but after my experience of the previous day, I wasn’t keen to eat anything too substantial and eventually I settled on a small grocery which had a wide variety of drinks and snacks for purchase. I got another bottle of water and a can of soft drink and a Fruju bar (a frozen sorbet/ice cream bar). I walked past the main district and found a small park where I could sit down and take a break. While I sat there I noticed a couple of swings hanging from the branches of yet another large tree. When I looked closer I realised the seats were made from skateboards  and the wheels were still attached.

I felt much better after rehydrating and refuelling a bit. . My feet were pretty sore at this point but it was time for the next stage of my journey. It again took me ages to work out how to get back onto the correct path to continue my journey. I can’t imagine how I’d have managed without the gps on my phone because themap was such a help in finding my way back to the proper trail. It led me down a few neighbourhood streets and I eventually to another main road at what must have been just one of the entrances to Cornwall Park. There was a fountain near this end of the park with a memorial to another prominent person. Starting in, I had no idea how massive this park would end up being. Or maybe it wasn’t that big but my feet led me to believe otherwise. :D Actually, looking at map it is reasonably large. The first section I went through seemed to be mostly dedicated to sporting fields and there were many locals participating in afternoon practice for various sports. There was one building for what seemed to me to be an odd activity, but now I can’t recall what that was and I looking at street view on the maps doesn’t help me either.  This first road seemed to go on and on and then it developed into a different part of the park, moving into the One Tree Hill domain. (Maungakieke in Maori).

The One Tree Hill park seemed more suited to leisure outings and group gatherings compared to the main part of Cornwall Park. I had yet to eat those muffins I’d purchased in the morning so I stopped to sit amongst the trees on Twin Oak Drive and enjoy them. While I sat there, there was a steady stream of joggers passing by on what was used as a jogging/running pathway. One Tree Hill was another park filled with massive old trees throughout and they were stunning in the late afternoon light. I passed by a number of picnic areas and reached as sort of summit where there were some old buildings, notably one called Acacia Cottage, Auckland’s oldest surviving building. Looking it up just now, the building was originally situated on Shortland Street in the city center and moved to this park in 1920.

I followed along the path through this part of the park, expecting to come out on the other side but suddenly found myself back to an earlier part of my walk and realised I need to turn off at one point. I was nowhere near that turn so headed back in the right direction. Despite this being a park area, there were several areas that doubled as farm area for sheep and cattle and I found myself walking into areas with these animals grazing next to the walkways. It was rather surreal to find this in what is essentially a city park.

I did finally find my way back onto the right path and exited the park into the Cornwall suburb. By this time the light was starting to fade as the sun started setting. It’s a good thing they have daylight savings time there because it allowed me that extra hour of light in the evening. Otherwise I’d have been in the dark quite a bit earlier. I must admit that I was feeling somewhat defeated at this point and my feet were aching terribly and I was so very tired. I had really hoped to make it to the other coast before sunset and there was no chance of that now. It was probably my one big chance to watch a sunset properly and I missed it.

Even though I was feeling really frustrated and miserable, I kept going because Onehunga wasn’t that far off and I was determined to complete this challenge even though it was nearly dark. I gave up taking any more photos once I’d passed by the Royal Oaks shopping area and the sun was pretty much gone. It wasn’t totally dark but might as well have been for all the more I could see. I travelled through more neighbourhood streets and reached the entrance to another park. The path was supposed to go through the park and out another side but it was so dark I tried to navigate the area from the streets around it instead. Again I found my sense of direction quite impaired and got totally confused as to the correct direction to travel. I don’t suppose the lack of light helped me much either though so it was now a matter of just finding my way to the end of the road which was so close and yet seemed unattainable.

I did get there in the end and it was very much dark when I arrived and pretty much deserted. I can imagine there might have been a number of visitors to the area hanging about while the sun set. Now, though, it just look alone and abandoned. And I felt rather alone at this point because I now had to negotiate my way back to the other side rather late. I did use my phone to take one last photo to show I’d reached the end because it would require little thought and the flash was built in. I didn’t linger long afterwards but used an app on my phone to work out when and where I could get public transport back to the CBD. It turns out the bus stop was pretty much across the road and the next bus was due quite soon. I walked there and sat down to wait and there was a man already waiting there, which seemed really weird in the isolation I was feeling at this point. There was hardly any traffic around so to find another human being here was pretty astounding to me. The bus came and went right past the stop despite the fact both of us stood at the side of the road and signalled. Not really what I wanted at this time of night…which was probably about 8:30 or so…maybe later. Anyway, it was quite a while until the next bus was due so we started walking towards the terminus which was in the town proper of Onehunga. There is also a train station somewhere there but I couldn’t work out where it was so settled for waiting for a bus. Here there were a lot more people waiting around for a number of buses to go through. At least I was able to sit down while I waited.

Eventually the bus arrived and I was relieved to sit down for the next half hour while we travelled back to the city proper. The bus trip was pretty uneventful and I arrived promptly in the city when expected. In hindsight, I wish I had found the train station because I never did ride the train and surely that trip would have been so much faster anyway. I guess that will have to be saved for another visit. J Once back in the city, there was the walk back to the hotel but I did stop at the Countdown supermarket again for more sustenance. I don’t even recall what I bought aside from a drink or two. They had some interesting fruit drinks with feijoa in it that I liked so bought more of that. I don’t normally drink much juice but figured I probably could use it on this occasion and it really wouldn’t require much effort mentally or physically to consume. Then I dragged myself back to the hotel where I pretty much collapsed on the bed. I was really glad I was now on the bottom bunk because I don’t think I’d have made it up to the top that particular night. I was tired enough that it didn’t take me long to get ready for bed and to go to sleep.

I will post a link to photos once I process them, both here and in a separate post.