Blogs from Auckland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 12

This blog is a few months behind - but I honestly thought that I had written this blog sitting in the airport in Auckland. But anywhow - I left you while we were in the Tasman avoiding a storm heading to New Zealand. Having cancelled a few ports and added a few sea days the guests were very unhappy to say the least - from the bridge point of view the 5 sea days in a row were incredible. Almost like a short break in the middle of a contract. I wonder if this is what people who do proper ocean voyages constantly feel like at work... Stopping in Tauranga was a pretty neat port - there is a small mountain at the mouth of the harbour so when you sail into the city from the ... read more

Hello folks. Well, after driving from our home in Colorado to Southern California and catching an overnight flight from L.A., we finally found ourselves in Auckland on NZ's North Island with boxed bicycles in tow. To backtrack a bit, it was great to see some old friends and neighbors in San Diego, and we really appreciate the hospitality of our friends Dennis and Xu for putting us up for a couple of days while we were there. So, we flew out of L.A. on a Tuesday and somehow arrived in New Zealand after a 13-hr flight on a Thursday. I've done the maths; it checks out, but still seems a little fishy to me. After spending a couple of peaceful days at a small hostel in the agricultural countryside south of the city, we set out ... read more

We had another busy flight all the way to Auckland from Apia arriving in the Kiwi capital late afternoon. Good news, the weather is on our side for this last week-end in New Zealand. I don't know what is happening to Auckland? Is it because Santa Claus is in town for the week-end that you can't find a hotel at a reasonable price tag. 180usd for a Mercure? Are you kidding me. On our first night, I ditched nearly 100usd for a night at the Ibis Budget in the CBD. For this, we have a basic shower, a basic bed in 11sqm. But it's Friday night, windows are of the worst quality I have every seen, and it's impossible to sleep till 3am, even staying on the 16th floor. Downtown is a big party place, and ... read more

I found some beautiful flowers on the Rangitoto Island Preserve.... read more

Geo: -36.8474, 174.766A quick breakfast, then shuttled to the airport for our flight to Auckland.One hour later, landed and shuttled to our apartment.Out for an explore and grabbed some McLunch on the way.Back to the room for a cuppa and a relax before dinner.Quiet home cooked dinner, local TV, then bed. ... read more