Two days in Auckland, NZ

We have left the Celebrity Soltice for the last time. Now we have two days to explore Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand with a population of 1.6 million people. At one time, Auckland was the capital of New Zealand.  However, the capital was moved to Wellington in 1865 in order to be more central to the country. Departing the ship took no time at all so we had all day to explore.



The commitment to bilingualism is very apparent here in the city.  Children are educated in school in partial or full immersion Maori/English.  Signs are bilingual.  The national anthem is sung first in Maori and second in English at events.  When the English arrived, they encountered fierce warriors and decided to sign  a treaty rather than try to conquer them. Anyone who has seen the Haka (Maori war cry) would understand why.

The treaty of Waitangi was signed on Feb. 6 1840 by representative of the British crown and Maori chiefs of North Island. Over the years, however, the Maori suffered loss of culture and land.  A reconciliation process began in 1975 and settlements are still occurring.  It was interesting to see how the Maori are integrated into the population of New Zealand, with 15% of New Zealanders claiming to have Maori blood.  At the Auckland War Memorial Museum we saw a presentation about Maori history and culture.

The museum sits on the grounds of a 75 hectare park - The Domain - sitting in the crater of the Pukekawa volcano. with the cricket pavillion, The Wintergarden, sports fields, duck ponds, and hundreds of different trees.

From high atop the rim of the old volcano we descended to the harbour which opens to the Pacific Ocean. Auckland is known as the City of Sails.  The Westhaven Marina, under the Harbour Bridge, holds 2000 boats.  The original bridge was built in 1959.  By 1969 more lanes were needed to accommodate the traffic.  A Japanese company engineered extensions to each side of the bridge - known affectionately as the "Nippon Clipons".

After crossing the bridge to the North shore we drove to the west coast which sits on the Tasman Sea.  New Zealand is very narrow at this point. The beaches along the west are totally different.  We drove through rugged hills as we crossed to the west coast.  First stop was the Arataki Visitor Centre in the Waitakeri range.

Part of the Hillary trail runs through this area. The trail itself is 76 km (47 miles) long.  It was established in honour of New Zealand's famous citizen Sir Edmund Hillary who conquered Mount Everest.

We walked through part of the trail with our guides identifying native plants which have re-established themselves on these hills which were clear cut by the European settlers as pasture land. The guides also talked about the continual need to remove the non-indigenous mammals which have destroyed so many native birds.  Traps and poison are used to kill possums, stoats, rats, and weasels.  There is a program known as TIMBY - "trap in my back yard" supported by the government.

Then, on to Karekare beach near the town of Piha. Here the sand is a mixture of volcanic rock and iron oxide.  It is a popular spot for surfers as well due to the huge waves.

"Magnetic sand"