March 4-5, 2024
1.64 NZ$ = 1 US$ (it’s easiest to think 2 US$= 3 NZ $)
Two days is not nearly enough time to spend in one of my favorite countries in the world. I realize this was my fourth visit, but Auckland does not get “old”, and I’m constantly finding new things to do. The weather was predicted to be rainy and blustery, so John and I decided to go to the edge of the city to see the planetarium, which shows movies along with its displays. I confirmed the opening time online as 9:30, so we walked a bit before grabbing a $25 Uber out to the museum. They were closed. No sign in the door. We walked around and saw some people in what looked like a meeting room, walked back to the front – definitely locked. I was pissed. (I did what a lot of people do when you can’t call and there never seems to be a “contact us” page – left a 1 star review, explaining in detail, what happened. They responded – they were in a meeting and no one thought to leave a sign out to state they were opening late). There is an obelisk at the top of the hill – One Tree Hill –
at the base of which is a great view of the city. We called another Uber to take us up the hill since John had injured his hip playing pickle ball a few days earlier and hiking up the hill was not an option. The driver could only take us half way, but there was a nice overview.
We took a few photos and walked down the hill back to the main road, where the Auckland bus to the city center was pulling up. We boarded – but like Vancouver, you can’t buy tickets on the bus – you have to purchase a pass. The kind driver understood the predicament and let us board for free, and rode to within a few blocks of The Sky Tower.
The City Center Sky Tower hosts a number of activities: tether in and walk around the outside (not a great option on a windy, off and on rainy day), do the drop – where you basically bungee jump down part of the tower, walk around the viewing deck inside with a glass floor, or on lower floors, do the “All Black” or the “WETA” experience. We debated between the All Black and WETA– in the All Black they take you through some of their rugby team’s training methods. The WETA lets you wander through “almost movie” sets that never made it past the preview stage, but lets you put hands on some of the cool movie magic props and digital effects. It was $65NZ pp – but we decided on the WETA experience. It was fun and worth the admission.
The other big draw of the Sky Tower – the casino. We won there last visit, so couldn’t resist and visited twice during the day– I broke even the first time and $100NZ ahead the second, John was $400NZ ahead the first and $200NZ down the second. Our winnings paid for wine, chocolate and other fun. We would have stayed longer, but the ship had arranged for a local Haka dance troupe for the evening entertainment and we didn’t want to miss. We’re glad we didn’t.
The Bay of Islands, which I had not visited before, was our second port of call. The ship anchored in the bay then we tendered to the town of Paihai, where the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi gave use of the land to the British. (The treaty house still stands, admission to the house and grounds is $60NZ pp (free for children) is good for two days and includes a guided tour.) We saw a sign for a $40NZ 1-hour van tour around the area, which started at 9:30-ish, and included one of the main things I wanted to see – the Haruru horseshoe falls. John and I signed up and convinced our friends Ken and Dotti to join us.
Our tour drove us to the falls and included other scenic spots – including a scenic overlook the other tours did not go to – it required a drive up gravel Mt. Bledisloe road (“no exit”) to a parking area next to a hiking trail. The five-minute hike down a paved, well-maintained trail brought you to this amazing view. A big tour bus would not have been able to negotiate the road.
Back into town, we took the 15-minute ferry across to Russell ($17.50NZ round trip, crosses every 20 minutes each way).
Russell was the first capital of New Zealand, and originally known as a place for drunken sailors, whalers and people of ill repute.
Eventually, churches began to “settle” the locals. When the capital moved to Auckland, the town fell into disrepair until local fisherman brought it back with the growing popularity of sport fishing. Author Zane Gray frequently visited, and now a thriving tourist business keeps the town of a little over 1,000 inhabitants busy. We visited the local museum
and walked around, just missing the return ferry by 2 minutes. It started raining, so we ducked into the supermarket next to the pier. John bought 2 scratch-off tickets – I continued my winning streak – I won $75 on a $5 scratcher and bought some chocolate for friends. A productive miss of a ferry. We grabbed the next one and were off to join Liam, Alan, Ken and Dotti at Zane Gray’s in Paihai for some oysters and a few glasses of the wonderful sauvignon blanc for which New Zealand has become famous.
A tipsy return to the ship and a nap, as we set sail for Australia.
History lesson:
New Zealand was among the last habitable places on earth to be settled by humans. It was discovered by Polynesian sailors around 1350AD, developing the Maori culture over the next several hundred years. Abel Tasman charted the northern portion of the North Island, though never actually landed, in 1642. The British began making regular trading forays after James Cook made landfall in 1769, and in 1840, made it a British protectorate through the Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty was written – one in English and one copy in Maori – it quickly became obvious the Maori version did not say the same as the English, as settlers began covering tribal lands. The New Zealand wars did not go well for the Maori, along with European diseases, their numbers dwindled and most fell into poverty. After the 1940’s, courts started finding in favor of the Maori – but only after the majority of their lands had been settled by foreigners. Today, about 6% of land belongs to the Maori (mostly on the east coast of the North Island).
The New Zealand Parliament is known for its progressive nature: New Zealand became the first country to allow women’s suffrage in 1893, and elected the first woman mayor in Onehunga in that same year. Today, New Zealand is known as a progressive country that puts human and environmental rights to the forefront of policy, though immigration is restricted and refugee settlement is limited to 1,500/year (which was increased in 2020 from 1,000). Skilled workers in necessary fields are often welcome, and have a 6-month application process for residency (though there are age restrictions).