Note: The photoset for this day can be found here.

I didn’t sleep all that well the first night. One of the main negatives of sharing a room with others is that I know I sometimes (or often) snore and I was worried about waking the others in the room. Then there was the sleeping on top bunk business. It’s a good thing I have a strong bladder because I wouldn’t have liked to get up and down in the night. Even with a lightweight person, there’s a fair bit of jarring on the structure. There was also the jetlag/time change to deal with. I still logically thing that if I am tired enough I will sleep. But this doesn’t seem to be always the case. Perhaps I might have done well to take some of Lego Lover’s melatonin with me.  I don’t really find that works that well but perhaps for air travel it might help in the future. I really should experiment with that.

Despite the broken sleep, I woke up fairly early. A couple of the girls in the room were up and getting ready to head off to work. The girl in the lower bunk was still in bed at that point. I was a bit self-conscious about getting up at this point so pretend to be asleep for a while. When I finally did sort of wake up, the girl from the lower bunk was up and also getting ready. We chatted a bit while she was busy. I mentioned the reason for my holiday being my 50th and then she commented that I’m the same age as her mum. :D I later had a similar conversation with the Australian girl who also has a mum that is my age. It was kind of weird but I didn’t particularly feel old because of that.

After the last of my roommates had left, I finally got up, showered and dressed.  I didn’t end up leaving until about 10:30 am so felt like I had slept in after all. Outside it was quite overcast and there was rain predicted during the day. I probably mentioned this already but a rain prediction here doesn’t mean a whole lot and we seem to be the last to get anything. I don’t usually carry an umbrella because it’s just a waste of effort and rain almost never lasts that long anyway. Of course I didn’t know how it was in Auckland so I was contemplating finding an umbrella to use for the duration.

I didn’t eat anything in the morning as I wasn’t really all that hungry. I think I had a lot of nerves still from just getting used to the place so I was anxious to have a look around. When I left, I wasn’t really sure where I was going and decided to start walking and see where I ended up. I chose to go off in a direction away from the CBD. Well, it was sort of away from there when I started. I think I was heading east at first but eventually found myself back in the CBD from a different direction and eventually back on to the main strip on Queen Street.

This time I went past the main areas of the CBD to the Civic Theatre and beyond. There’s also a cinema and an arts centre there. Around the arts centre they were setting up for an arts festival that was starting just after I would leave. It looked like it was going to be really interesting stuff there but as I was going to be gone, I didn’t look too closely at what I’d be missing.

Past the arts centre, the street turns into a more residential area. At least on one side of the rode it was mostly residential accommodation like apartments or units/condos. The opposite side seem to have a few hotels and more housing. The road was pretty steep, at least compared to the landscapes I am accustomed to walking. While it didn’t go straight up, it did slope quite sharply and it was something of an effort to keep moving at times. The problem with stopping is that starting is just that much harder, especially when it’s an uphill climb.

There were lots of trees on this road and it looked quite pretty. I think it would have been even nicer if the sky hadn’t been so grey at that point. At the top of the road there was a rather fancy looking YMCA, painted red, black and white (I think). I’m not sure what services they had there aside from some sort of accommodation. It was nice to reach the top of the hill and catch my breath.

On the opposite side of the street, more on the corner/intersection, there was a decent sized fire station. How lucky for Lego Lover! I stopped and took a few photos and realised a lot of people were in it so waited to see if I could get one where it was a bit clearer. The traffic light changed a few times with lots of midday movement so it didn’t quite clear up. I was about to accept what I had when I hazmat vehicle arrived at the station and pulled in. Lego Lover was even luckier! I got some good photos of that as the people had disappeared by this point.

Then there was the decision as to which way to go. Turning left seemed to take me into a more commercial area and I was leaning towards going that was as it seemed possible to have places of interest. But then I was looking across the road  going not quite straight on but slightly to the right where another road takes off over a major bridge crossing a motorway (freeway). I don’t usually get too excited about crossing over a motorway but I happened to notice there were nice, wide footpaths on each side of the road and a couple people were walking along them. One was a woman who was obviously intent on reaching a destination. The other seemed likely to be another visitor since he was also lugging around a camera and stopping to take photos along the way. I was curious what I might find and figured I could always come back and go the other way later.

The bridge was another sort of uphill walk but it was more pleasant than I expected and there was a lot less traffic than I would have thought on such a big road. I imagine it gets a lot busier at other times of the day but it wasn’t

Quite prominent along this was construction which appeared to be added on to an already standing structure. I’m not totally sure if that was really the case, I probably need to recheck my photos of it and see. It just seemed like there were two different building styles, one established already and another being built onto it.

Once I reached the middle of the bridge I had a lovely views of the city and harbour. Despite it being middle of the day, I was easily able to cross to the opposite side of the bridge and took more photos.

After taking in the views a bit longer, I moved on and found myself walking past what I later determined was Auckland Girls Grammar School. What I happened to note at the time was some sort of outdoor assembly where a program of some sort was going on. It seemed like they were singing Maori songs although I could not see who was putting on the program. It all sounded really beautiful and seemed such a lovely activity to spend a Tuesday afternoon doing.

I soon came across the entrance into Western Park, called Te Rimu Tahi in Maori. There were steps leading down into the depths of the park, which was at a much lower level than the street where I was walking. It looked very inviting so I decided to take the plunge. I use the word somewhat ironically since it felt like a plunge at times. Despite the steps, it was quite a steep descent at times and aside from a couple areas, there were no handrails to keep balance. I found myself taking the steps sideways, much like I used to do after my knee surgery a few years ago. Once I reached the bottom, I found myself at the bottom of various hills. These volcanoes make for an amazingly varied landscape. There was only one way to go and that was up, no matter which direction I took. I also noted that this area was used for off-leash dogs, presumably as they wouldn’t easily rush into the roads. I would be assured of my dogs getting quite a workout on the hills there. :) There weren’t many people around but those that were all seemed to have dogs with them. I chose a path and followed it along, going up and up until I found myself looking into a ravine of sorts. It appeared there has been a flow of water at the bottom of the ravine at certain times but it was absolutely dry on this day. I stopped next to one of the many big trees there and sat down to take some photos. While sitting there I discovered what appeared to be itty bitty strawberries growing wild near the roots. They were already quite red so maybe they are a small variety or maybe it’s not a strawberry but some related species. I carried on walking and found another road bordering the park. There probably was much more I could have explored but I opted to move on to whatever was ahead. I think this might have been one of the more official park entrances since it had a big sign out front and there were some curious sculptures of what looked like classical buildings that seemed to have sunk into the ground.

The next part of my day was spent travelling along Ponsonby Road, which travels through the suburb of the same name. I am pretty sure Ponsonby is a fairly well-to-do area and I kind of liken it to Mt Lawley here in Perth. There were shops going down both sides of the road with all sorts of wares being sold. I only ventured into one,  a kitchen shop, mostly in search of tea implements. I didn’t find what I wanted but there were plenty of interesting items for sale. But I wasn’t keen on getting things that had the potential to break while travelling. I saw that the surburb is getting its own Countdown (what we call Woolworth’s here in Perth) store soon. I could have used one at that point as I was rather thirsty but I didn’t see any other grocery stores around.

What was most interesting were the names of many of the shops, often quite humourous and very creative. First there was Murder Burger, some sort of burger shop. I checked out their menu online and they have some interesting sandwiches and two different veggie options!!! I also noticed kumara chips, which are a local specialty. I didn’t stop to eat there but moved on an discovered Thai Me Up restaurant. At least I think it was a restaurant and not a café. Then there was a bookshop called Classics and Suchlike Books with a nice bright exterior that made it quite tempting to stop in. I opted to carry on, not knowing how much was ahead to see. After all, I was there more to see things rather than buy.

I found the Ponsonby fire station along the way and managed to get a photo of it for Lego Lover. It seems fairly close to the central fire station I passed earlier. I suppose the central station serves the CBD more and this one was for suburban fires.

I soon came to an intersection referred to as the Three Lamps which had some sort of historical significance to three lamps being lit for some reason which I now have forgotten. I probably should go check this out but will save that for later in hopes of finally finishing this post. Either I didn’t see the replica of the Three Lamps there or it has been taken away. At least I didn’t get any photos of it. Or maybe I took one and it wasn’t any good and I didn’t keep it, forgetting that was there. I did get the Three Lamps Bar, which seems to be in some old building that looks like an old church or town hall. Again, I suppose I better check on this and update here. :)

Further down the road I saw the Ponsonby Public Library which is housed in the old Ley’s Institute building. I think that was some sort of school for women back in the days it was still open. Once past the library it turned into a residential area and the road name changed to St Mary’s Road. It all looked rather quaint to me and it was particularly interesting to see the type of houses built in the area. Around here  in Perth, everything is built with brick but there it was wood instead. They did have a unique sort of look to them as they didn’t seem like houses back home or the houses in Nova Scotia, which were also predominantly built with wood. It was all very pretty and the dark skies made the colours seem more intense. Again it was quite hilly but it afforded me a lovely view of the harbour bridge which wasn’t too far off in the distance. While it is not quite so grand as the Sydney Harbour bridge (which I haven’t seen in person), it does have it’s own appeal.

I eventually reached the end of the road, which was essentially a dead end leading into a parkway. The park area was pretty plain, being right next to the motorway (freeway). I had a choice of going left or right so went to the right since it seemed to go back towards the city. The pathway went right along the motorway but there was a huge plexiglass sort of barrier next to it that blocked out much of the noise of the roads. It was kind of surreal to be walking right next to cars moving quickly in the opposite direction but hearing so little of the noise. The pathways was really quite nice and there was flora along the way that was lush and colourful. That had been a sign as I started along this way to beware of falling debris and it was easy to see why that was posted. It looked like erosion had removed quite a bit of soil from the roots of many big trees and some looked like they could be at risk of major damage, which would be a shame as so many were obviously quite old and established.

Soon I came to the end of that pathway and to steps leading up to a pedestrian bridge that crossed the motorway. The bridge was also covered with plexiglass and had a neat design on it that looked more interesting than just the usual plain clear stuff. While that path did end, I could have stayed on this side of the motorway but decided to see what was on the other side of the road. At the other side, I found myself in a sort of business area, mostly related to marine business as it bordered the waterfront. I walked down the street until a side one grabbed my attention. I soon found myself in an area called Wyndham Quarter, which was essentially a redevelopment of an industrial area from the past. There were many silos around which I presumed at the time were still in use although many had been painted in brighter colours and some had some art on them. I discovered while working on the photos that the area is called Silo Park and has made new use of old cement silos. There is one called the six pack, which is six very tall but narrow silos are close together. I also discovered too late that some of them house artwork. I don’t know if the ones with the art are in the six pack or whether in some of the other old silos. I guess that’s something for a future visit. :)

Near the edge of this area and bordering the Viaduct waterfront area, there is a decades old sculpture called the Wind Tree which looks really neat. It has a shallow water features underneath it where some waterfowl swim and people sometimes wade. Going down the waterfront area I saw a number of cafes along the old tram lines. It was late afternoon but a bit early for dinner so there weren’t too very busy at this time. A bit further along the pathways was painted in stripes which made for a rather novel view of the next area, also part of the waterfront. In the midst of the many features were areas being prepared for the Volvo Ocean race that was happening later in the week. It was one of many events taking place while I was in Auckland. Another major event was the Cricket World Cup which was co-hosted with Australia and several matches were held at Eden Park in Auckland.

I passed by the Voyager NZ Maritime Museum at some point but did not stop to visit. I had considered this a potential place of interest but it lost out in the end to other places of interest. I had taken a number of photos from this area of waterfront but in one photo I thought it quite interesting how it looked more like a small fishing village than part of a major city’s waterfront. I will admit it definitely didn’t feel like this while passing through due to the vast number of visitors in the area.

I soon reached Wynyard Bridge, a bike/pedestrian bridge that raises and lowers for local marine traffic. It just happened that it was closed off and raised when I reached there for some sort of yacht, I suppose, that was on its way.

Once past the bridge I found myself back into the ferry terminal area with various ferries to the many local islands docked along the way. The ferry terminal itself was quite busy with passenger coming and going through the day. But the most interesting thing I saw was the cruise ship Oosterdam which was docked for the day. I wasn’t expecting to see cruise ships but it was a nice surprise. I was glad I managed to see it for Lego Lover’s sake as I was able to take a number photos for him to see the parts that were visible to us.

It was at this point my camera battery had had enough and died on me. It’s the first time this has ever happened while I’ve been out and about and I kind of wish I had had the foresight to purchase a spare battery before I travelled. I did have my phone with me so took a few more photos with that and then went back to the hotel to put the battery on to charge. It was still early enough that I thought there was a chance of using it again before bed time. When I got to the room I quickly opened up the battery compartment and saw the door to that fly up into the air and never saw it again. I have no idea what happened but the door to the battery compartment completely disappeared. I checked every part of the room and never found it. My theory is it must have fallen onto some luggage or something belonging to one of the other girls and got lost within a bag of some sort. Or it got stuck somewhere far out of reach. It was not a small item either. Anyway, that left me with no desire to run around with my camera being left rather open to the elements and I didn’t use it again that day.

Instead I put the battery on to charge and found my way to the nearby Countdown store. Although it had been quite overcast during the day, I managed to get a sunburn on my face and shoulders and was in great need of sun screen for the rest of my trip. I don’t suppose this was the cheapest place to find sunscreen but my options were limited. I bought a few other things I needed and a sushi meal to eat for dinner and headed back to the hotel. My feet were quite sore at this point so I ate my food then spent the rest of the evening on my bed, reading and relaxing.  I spent a few minutes Skyping with the Scientist before going to sleep.

And that is finally the end of day three of the holiday, the second full day in Auckland. I will update later on the facts about the Three Lamps.

 

 

 

soon out of the main city area and more into residential areas …lots of houses in this part

Had noticed on shuttle ride from airport…brick houses seem uncommon. mostly weatherboard which is so different to Perth/WA

Looked really quaint

started downhill towards a dead end on that road…both sides of roads had footpaths with a wooden rail next to them. Didn’t make sense until reached end of road and discovered a proper walking path beyond

small reserve area between end of that road and the motorway (freeway)

a clear-ish poly? wall alongside motorway. could see it but it blocks sounds considerably made for more pleasant walk

path ran alongside motorway for some time with interesting flora along the way

finally reached a bridge crossing to other side of motorway…think could have walked further on this side but crossed bridge and went down on the other end

then walked down road into ??? lots of fishing boats, shipyard sort of places

found a park built in the midst of old industrial area in a renewal project

had another bridge crossing from one part to another…didn’t need it but was good for finding interesting views

could see harbour bridge well from this area

started walking down into the harbour area…lots of eateries and much stuff going on for many events occurring during this time

Volvo? sailing race of some sort

setting up for the event happening int hat area

saw maritime museum from outside

reached a pedestrian/cycle bridge that passed over

Camera battery ran out