A City With Nothing To Recommend It

Tuesday 5 December

We awoke to an overcast morning in Auckland and stepping out of the hotel for a few blocks, soon scuttled back to retrieve warmer clothing – fleecies etc. We decided to wander around to find an Information Centre, but we came across a bus station with a bus advertising a circular tour for free, and jumped on. It toured around the streets of the city – we found out where the main shopping street was – Queen Street, and as we climbed a steep hill, found a lovely park and Auckland’s Art Gallery – sadly closed. We got off the bus at Sky Tower – another of the Telecom towers - this one had been pictured on my screensaver since before we left home. It was nowhere near as tall as I was expecting, and hardly dominated the landscape unless you got a clear view between the high rises – in fact, one of the best view was from the drive-in circle to our hotel. What a disappointment inside too – the towers in Hong Kong and Berlin had viewing platforms and lots of information about the surrounding city. This tower concentrates on a Sky Tower Jump – it looks like sky diving but its not too high, so I wonder – and the hotel and casino. We did find an information centre on the ground floor, but when looking for things to do in Auckland, most involved at least a day tour – to the islands nearby, or to sights around North Island that we will be visiting on our tour – such as the glow worm caves, Rotorua and the hot springs, or even flying to Christchurch on South Island. There was nothing inspiring for the city itself. Lots of people had told us that Auckland was had nothing going for it, but we hadn’t realized just how uninspiring and almost characterless it was going to be.

We wandered along Queen Street and grabbed drinks – I am still drinking tea! So Earl Grey for me – and croissant as we hadn’t had breakfast in the hotel still being fairly full from last night’s dinner – and then on down to the docks. We could see a large container vessel being loaded and a huge tanker ship that was ‘obviously’ empty – or so Colin said – silly me I didn’t notice it was half out of the water! The ferries to the islands seemed to be busy in and out, and we found a tall ship moored in the marina that took part in the television programme “The Onedin Line” all those years ago – it has been a training ship over here, seeming to sail to the Polynesian Islands, but there was no activity on board today. Strangely there is also a replica of the Statue of Liberty in the water to one side of the marina – we could only assume it was erected to commemorate New Zealand winning the Americas Cup in 1995. One of the boats that took part in a controversial Americas Cup in the mid eighties, whereby the decision about who won was made in Court in New York, is mounted along the road outside the marina.

We couldn’t find a whole lot more to look at in town, so we had some lunch and returned to the hotel to try and catch up with publishing the blogs. It took ages to get connected, but finally managed to add eight entries to the site. Looking at the itinerary for tomorrow, we had originally thought it strange that it didn’t include a tour of the city before going on to other parts of North Island – now we know why – there’s not a lot to see.

Before our meeting time of 18.00 in the lobby we strolled around the streets again to the post as the sun had at last come out. Happy hour at this hotel was between 17.00 and19.00 but instead of two drinks for the price of one, it was cheaper house wines and on-tap beers. We ordered a wine and a beer, and waited and as people entered the bar area (next to reception), tried to calculate if they were on the tour. A small coach-load of people arrived around 18.00 and sat at the far end of the bar. A older lady approached us with her husband and asked if we were on the tour and could sit with us – tables were all full by this time. They were Elaine and Dick from Cumbria. Eventually a man in AAT Kings blue uniform came and introduced himself as “Alan” our tour leader and we wrote all our particulars on his forms, in return for which we received a ‘free drink’ token for wines and beers – so we just had to have another round. Just before 19.00 a mother and daughter couple from America came and introduced themselves – Maureen who works in a bank in New York and her mother Sheila from Pennsylvania I think - across the river from Millie and Jim?. When we sat down for dinner Pauline and John from Felixstowe completed our table. Elaine and Dick have been here almost two weeks, driving around the country north of Auckland to see the Bay of Islands. Maureen and Sheila have just arrived from the States and are only here for the two weeks of the tour – holiday restrictions in US banks – and Pauline and John have done a fly-tour of Australia for the past couple of weeks. The tour group that arrived earlier has been on the extension to this tour to the Bay of Islands for two or three days, so already know each other – there will be sixteen new faces to fit in. The meal was very tasty and well presented – I had mussels and steak yet again as I genuinely didn’t fancy anything else on the table d’hote menu– but it was delicious and a sign of good things to come we hope.

Everyone was wanting an early night as we have to be leaving the hotel by 07.45, having already eaten breakfast, and thought this sounded extremely early – just wait till they are on the tour – I expect there will be a few mornings earlier than this. Although Colin is threatening to get up at 06.00 to be at breakfast early, as he has missed his ten courses for the past week or so.