Auckland Adventures

We took the harbor cruise in the bay. There were just a handfull of people on the ship, and we quickly all got along well, especially when the complimentary beer was served. The captain was hilarious. The cruise went past the ship docks, out to the main islands, back through to the bay bridge, through the harbor, and back. It was a nice 1 1/2 hour cruise, and a perfect day for it!

Cruise ship


Auckland from the water


This lighthouse has a great story...It was first staffed by a man and his wife. After 5 years, they had 6 children and had to find a bigger light house!





Auckland Harbor


Rangitoto Island is a volcano that appeared not too long ago, geologically speaking.



We had a great time!





Now it's time for a walk...





We of course were suckered in by this sign! The beer was really great. After we had a drink, we wandered the city and checked out some shops, making our way up to the Sky Tower for dinner.




The view from the skytower is spectacular. There are two restaurants, a bar, and a viewing deck.

Downtown Auckland from the Skytower


New Zealand's Navy. Yep, that's it...all three of them. One of them just re-fuels the other two.


Sky Tower viewing deck...the 'ground' below Jon's feet is actually clear glass! He's brave.



There is also a bungee jumping platform, where people are straped to two wires and free fall to the ground. They stop the people right in front of the bar window, which is really fun to see! Some people are definitely enjoying it while others look terrified! This guy was loving it.


Jon really enjoyed dinner! We went to Orbits, the rotating restaurant. It makes one revolution an hour, and gave us great perspective on the city and surrounding topography. You can see both the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea from there.

After dinner in the skytower, we walked back to the hotel. The skytower was beautifully lit, as were some of the other lovely buildings in the city.





































We went back to the hotel and crashed early...we pick up the campervan tomorrow and start our big adventure, so we need to be well rested. We'll be driving on the wrong side of the road for the next 40 days! Can't wait!