DAY 39 - AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 7, 2010

THE SHIP HAD ALREADY DOCKED BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED AT THE BUFFET FOR BREAKFAST. OUR MEETING TIME WAS 8:15 IN THE LOUNGE FOR OUR TOUR. TODAYS TOUR WAS THE AUCKLAND CITY TOUR AND THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE SIGNED UP IT REQUIRED 3 BUSES. THEY WERE NICE BUSES WITH PLENTY OF LEG ROOM, WIDE SEATS AND BIG WINDOWS.

OUR DRIVER DOUBLED AS THE GUIDE AND HIS FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS TO TAKE US ACROSS THE HARBOR BRIDGE. ON THE OTHER SIDE HE CIRCLED AROUND THE CLOVERLEAF AND SHOT BACK INTO THE CITY AS THE SUN BEGAN TO GLISTEN OF THE BAY. AUCKLAND IS REFERRED TO AS THE “CITY OF SAILS” AND JUST SEEING ALL THE SMALL, AND SOME LARGE, BOATS TUCKED AWAY IN THEIR SLIPS YOU CAN TELL WHY IT HAS BEEN NAMED SO APPROPRIATELY. WE EXITED THE BRIDGE AND DROVE ALONG THE MARINA, PASSED THE WHARF AND INTO A BEAUTIFUL BEACH FRONT COMMUNITY.

RESTAURANTS WITH OUTDOOR CAFES STRETCHED FOR SEVERAL BLOCKS AND WERE ALREADY CROWDED BY THE LOCALS HAVING SUNDAY MORING BREAKFAST BY THE SEA. ABOVE THE BEACH LINE SHOPS WERE FABULOUS HOMES COSTING AS MUCH AS $1 MILLION NZD, ALL WITH MARVELOUS VIEWS OF THE BAY AND CITY SKYLINE WITH TALL BUILDINGS AND THE LANDMARK TOWER REACHING HIGH INTO THE SKY. OUR DRIVE CONTINUED THROUGH SEVERAL OTHER COMMUNITIES, ALSO WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS. WE ENTERED A PARK LIKE SETTING WITH A VERY NARROW WINDY ROAD TO THE TOP OF MT EDEN.

MT EDEN PROVIDES A VIEW FROM THE WEST AND THE BAY FORMED BY WATERS OF THE TASMANIAN SEA, AND FROM THE EASTERN BAY CREATED BY THE WATERS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. THE TWO BODIES OF WATER ARE KEPT APART BY A TWO MILE PEICE OF LAND TOTALLY INHABITED, AND BUSTLING WITH ACTIVITY. THE CITY IS ALWAYS VISIBLE FROM ALMOST EVERY HILLTOP VANTAGE POINT WITH THE TOWER CATCHING YOUR EYES IMMEDIATELY. FAR TO THE SOUTHWEST YOU CAN WITNESS PLANES LANDING AT THE NEW AUCKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

NEXT ON THE AGENDA WAS THE AUCKLAND WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM. WE WERE SEPARATED INTO SMALL GROUPS OF ABOUT 12 AND MUSEUM GUIDE LED US THROUGH SEVERAL EXHIBITS, MOSTLY OF MAORI HISTORY. MOST OF THE WAR MEMORIAL WAS ON THE 3RD FLOOR AND THAT WAS BEING USED FOR A PRIVATE REUNION. THE GUIDE TALKED CONSTANTLY, MOSTLY AS HE WALKED AND WITH HIS BACK TO THE GROUP. GEORGIA AND I WOULD WONDER OUT TO VIEW OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST AND CATCHUP AS WE FELT NECESSARY. FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE THE 90 MINUTES WAS A WASTE OF TIME. THE VIEW FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING HOWEVER SUPERB.

AS WE RETURNED TO THE SHIP WE WERE GIVEN THE OPTION TO BE DROPPED OFF ON QUEEN STREET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOPPING DISTRICT. WE HAD OVER 3 HOURS TO KILL AND IT PROVIDED THE CHANCE TO MAKE CALLS BACK HOME, AND FIND A DUNKIN DONUT AND A GREAT CUP OF COFFEE. (THE SHIP COFFEE IS NOT REAL GOOD).

WE TRIED USING THE IDT ACCESS NUMBER FOR NEW ZEALAND BUT THE TELECOM COMPANY PHONES BLOCK THE NUMBER. WE THOUGHT IT WAS A PAY PHONE PROBLEM BUT WE FOUND A TELECOM STORE, BY THE WAY THIS IS SUNDAY, OPEN AND THE FELLOW IN THE STORE TRIED THE NUMBER ON HIS CELL AND GOT THE SAME RESULTS. HE THOUGHT WE MIGHT HAVE LUCK WITH A CHEAP PHONE CARD. IT WAS WORTH A TRY FOR $5 NZD. IT DIDN’T GAIN ACCESS TO THE NUMBER EITHER AND SO WE USED IT TO DIAL DIRECT TO GRANNY. THE CARD LASTED ABOUT 3 MINUTES. SIDNEY WILL BE OUR NEXT TRY.

WE CONTINUED TO MEANDER THE BUSY SHOPS AND CROWDED STREETS. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A CRUISE SHIP IN TOWN, US, THE SREETS WERE FILLED WITH LOCALS. THE CRUISE SHIP, WITH ITS WHOOPING 650 PASSENGERS COULD NOT PROVIDE THE CROWDS WE WITNESSED. SEVERAL HOURS AFTER LEAVING THE BUS WE WALKED THE FULL LENGTH OF QUEEN STREET ALONG THE WHARF AND ONTO THE SHIP. THE DAY WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.

TONIGHT WAS THE SHOWING OF “SOUTH PACIFIC” IN THE LOUNGE AND WE WANT TO GET FRONT ROW SEATS. THEREFORE WE WENT TO THE BUFFET AT 6:00 FOR DINNER. TO OUR SURPRISE, RAMESH, LOLITA, RICK AND CINDY ALSO HAD THE SAME IDEA. AFTER DINNER GEORGIA WENT TO THE LOUNGE TO GET SEATS,I WENT TO THE CABIN FOR THE LAPTOP. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT THE LOUNGE THE DOORS WERE CLOSED, THE DANCERS WERE PRACTICING, SO I WAITED OUTSIDE. I KNEW GEORGIA WAS ABLE TO GET IN AND I DIDN’T WANT TO DRAW ANY ATTENTION AND GET US THROWN OUT. FRANKIE CAME BY AND ADVISE SEVERAL OF US THE DOORS WOULD OPEN AT 7:15, AND THEY DID.

A CROWD OF ABOUT 100 GATHERED FOR THE EVENT AND WE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME. WE ALL GAVE FRANKIE A HARD TIME BECAUSE HE DIDN’T PROVIDE POPCORN FOR US. HE TOLD US IF WE WANT POPCORN GOTO CARNIVAL. THE 3 HOURS PASSED QUICKLY AND IT WAS 11:00 BEFORE WE REALIZED.

WE STOPPED BY THE CASINO LOUNGE TO HEAR THE NEW PIANO GUY, DANIEL GOT OFF TODAY, FOR 15 MINUTES BEFORE HIS BREAK. HE TOOK HIS BREAK AND WE HEADED FOR THE CABIN. TOMORROW IS A SLEEP-IN DAY.