Auckland Museum

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It was another late start for the family who continue to struggle with jet lag. We were able to find a car. We ended up buying a low mileage Toyota Land Cruiser. The gas is going to be expensive, but the truck was a reasonable price. It will have the room that we need to cart around 3 kids and accompanying luggage while negotiating any poor road conditions. We still have to arrange to get money wired and insurance, but hopefully we will be able to pick it up and leave Auckland on Tuesday morning.

After our trip to the dealership to fill out the paperwork, we went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. It is much more than a War Museum, chronicalling all aspects of New Zealand history. There is a main hall dedicated to the Maori culture. Very similar to aboriginal displays in the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. The Maori artwork is very unique and appealing.

There was enormous floor space devoted to New Zealand’s rather brief war history. I was not able to get through more than half of the exhibits before the museum closed. They had two iconic World War II planes restored and on display: a rare Japanese Zero and British Spitfire (mark XVI). The exhibits were dimly lit, but both planes were in dedicated rooms with a view gallery.

Astrid took over the driving after the museum. This was her first time driving on the left (wrong) side of the road. She was a natural and confident Kiwi driver. Not one other driver honked at her, putting my driving to shame. She managed to signal turns effortlessly, while every time I attempt to signal I ended up turning on the wipers.

The kids stayed in and made themselves dinner, while Astrid and I went out for a decent meal. There are a plethora of good restaurants to choose from. We ate at “White” which overlooks the Harbour. The food was excellent and we enjoyed a leisurely walk there and back. The weather couldn’t be better.

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Photos

Outside the Auckland Museum
Astrid and avery share a laugh.