18 hours.
Or, the better part of a day.
That’s what it takes to get to summer.
Day 1 – Ken
The trip from Calgary through Vancouver was (thankfully) uneventful. No weather delays, no baggage issues, no fuss, no muss, no bother.
A SIM card at the airport and we were able to grab a an uber to the hotel. At 5:00am the traffic was light and we were quickly at the hotel.
Front desk staff were very accommodating although check-in isn’t until 3:00pm.
With the bags stored, we enjoyed the breakfast buffet and hit the streets with the heat building quickly.
In all my discussions with my Kiwi friend, there was never a mention about the hills of Auckland (and there are many!)
So, up and over, one street to another. Finally, the docks. Good plan, but nothing is yet open.
Slow wandering as the heat continues to build. Viaduct Harbour, Wynyard Quarter, then up to Albert Park.
Our legs are tired, so we duck into the Auckland Art Gallery. Amazing drawings and paintings of aboriginal peoples from the early 20th century. Eclectic collection of fashion art, including historical paintings about fashion to modern dress. This is a teaser. There is a bigger exhibition of fashion art in the building and we pass on that.
Finally, things are open, so, back to the docks, and more hills. Then, a salmon lunch at the fish market and a beer on the docks. Yet, it is only 1:00pm (or 5 pm, yesterday at home).
Back to the hotel, the room is ready.
The view is of the Sky Tower. Wait, there are people dropping off – ahh, just bungy jumpers. Not for us to do.
A snooze, by one of us; reading by the other.
Isn’t it night time yet???
Nope.
Yet?
Nope!
Yet?
Ok.
7:30 bedtime.
Pull the blackout curtains and it is dark enough to sleep.
Good night.
Day 2 – Phyllis
I had the best sleep, perhaps because I was physically exhausted, the AC was quiet and we’re on the 19th floor.
We didn’t have specific plans for the day but found out that there was a ferry to Waiheke Island and that there was a bike rental shop right at the terminal on the island. It was the perfect set up for the two of us. We had walked the entirety of the downtown tourist and harbour area on day 1.
Waiheke Island is a summer cottage refuge, 40 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. Like the city, it is quite hilly. Hence, the bike shop only rents e-bikes. The route given by the shop stated that the route was only 24 kilometers long and we were informed that we would know the proper electronic and manual gear ratios after spending the entire day either going up, or going down. The 24 km route did not account for the incorrect roads we took, straight up and straight down.
I have an e-bike at home that I absolutely love. I know it well. I am convinced that these bikes were specifically configured for the hills. By maintaining a pedal speed of 70 to 100 revolutions per minute, using all three bars of power and staying in the first three gears, it was possible to gain speed going up the hills, at least at the start of the day. Its top speed was supposed to be 32 km/hour. I rode the brakes on all down hills after noting that I had passed 45 km/hr.
There was even a sticker on the handle bars reminding you to stay on the left side of the road.
While we recognize that the kids are just starting a new school year here, the beaches were the quietest of any we’ve seen in a long time. We didn’t remember to bring our ‘swimmers’ so we only waded in the water. The beaches were long, clean and less intimidating than most Maui beaches. The water is a lovely green on a sunny day and at the top of the many hills, we had beautiful views of the rocky coast, downtown Auckland and the surrounding small islands.
At mid-day we stopped at Charlie Farlie’s where I had a novel, very tasty Zucchini salad. I can’t wait to try it out at home. We tried a wee bit of local beer and stopped at one of the island wineries later. We met the same American and Scottish couples at our various stops. It seemed we were getting lost in all the same places. Interestingly, both couples had been to Calgary, Banff and down to Vancouver.
Tomorrow, we head north, and Ken read of some inclement weather. Hopefully it is not as bad as the abnormal weather we hit through our travels last winter.