Auckland

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We took a leisurely drive to Auckland via the West coast, a long way but we can say that we have seen a bit more of NZ.



We found the hotel first time - the satnav was a good purchase. The room had a kitchenette and the hotel did not have a restaurant, but as we were a stone's throw from the Viaduct harbour we went in search for food. There are some really expensive yachts moored here, including two America Cup yachts that you can hire.



We found Donny Doogans, an irish pub serving roast dinners and we were served by a girl from Cardiff! Roast beef and a pint for less than £10, a bargain.



On Sunday we decided to walk to the Eden garden. This took much longer than anticipated and due to the humidity we were dripping when we arrived. The garden was an old quarry, handed over to enthusiasts to develop as a garden. A large proportion of the funding was from memorials so there was no lack of wooden benches to sit on.



We had lunch there and caught a bus back into the city centre. We then went for a dunk in the hotel pool to rehydrate.



Later we went out for food and saw a film crew working and using a fire hydrant as a source of rain. We chose a little cafe for dinner as they were supposed to serve the best fish and chips, but they had run out of fish so we ended up a la Irish again.



Now writing this in the departure lounge at Auckland airport. Oz here we come.

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