Thursday 4 February

Driving to Auckland was an easy run as much of it is motorway. We visited One Tree Hill in Cornwall Park for sweeping views over the city. Then we headed for the Domain and the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

The museum was an interesting way to pass a couple of hours after lunch before we had to check in to our accommodation and drop off the car.

Friday 5 February

The weather was forecast to close in today, but we ventured out nonetheless. We found our way to where the Air Bus stops for our trip back to the airport and checked out the ferry timetables for a visit to Devonport.

We walked the length of Queen Street, the main street in the city, all the way to Aotea Square. We returned to our accommodation via Albert Park and Princes Street which borders the University area. The rain was starting as we returned to our lovely apartment overlooking the harbour.

Sky Tower

Aotea Square. There was an NRL 9s tournament on over the weekend and a Fan Day was held in the square

Albert Park. Appropriately with a statue of Queen Victoria!

The Clock Tower, part of the University of Auckland campus

Some lovely timber buildings are being used by various educational institutions

In another tiny park on our return from the walk around the city there these amazing pohutukawa trees. I don't know how old they are but they are definitely an attraction as a guide for the city walking tour was commenting on them.

We were lucky that just across from our accommodation there was a great pub - so good we ate there every night!

There was a supermarket close by and couldn't resist this picture. They use trundlers here not trolleys!

Saturday 6 February

Rain, rain and more rain. Let’s hope it stops as promised later today. Ian ventured out and I stayed in and curled up with a good book. Later in the day the weather had improved so we both went out to explore a bit more of the city.

We walked right past the tower on this amble around town. We just missed a jumper! You can just see the cables to the left of the tower

The gnomes grow big here!

We walked through Albert Park once again entering from a different direction. The rain came again and we took shelter in the bandstand. It did not last long, but you can see the misty rain which persisted.

Old Government House. Now used as part of the University

Sunday 7 February

Today the weather had improved so much more than expected. We headed for the ferry terminal and booked ourselves on the Harbour Tour the price of which included a ferry to Devonport which we also wished to visit.

We enjoyed the Harbour Tour. The wind was coming straight from the east so we were heading straight into it and it was very windy on the top deck. It was not cold though. The commentary was very interesting and we learned a lot about the various islands in the Hauraki Gulf and the volcanic activity which created them and Auckland itself.

We did not have long to wait for the ferry to Devonport after the Harbour Tour. We found somewhere for late refreshments before we tackled the climb up to Mount Victoria. As the cruise ship Voyager of the Seas was docked in Auckland today it was very busy, but they put on extra ferries to accommodate the increased number of passengers which was lucky as the normal Sunday timetable was not very friendly!

Our apartment was in the block with the yellow balconies, just right of centre. We were 10 rows from the top, or, in other words, the level just below the first row of yellow balconies.

Approaching Bastion Point

The lighthouse upon which the Eyefull Tower was designed

Cheltenham Beach, Devonport

It was a great day for kite surfing

On the left is Mt Victoria

The Auckland War Memorial Museum

Auckland harbour bridge

From which they jump!

Hauling back up into the pod suspended below the bridge

Lots of beautiful, attractive buildings in Devonport

This old signal house on the way up Mt Victoria is now used as a writers' retreat

Rangitoto Island from Mt Victoria

And still the kite flyers fly

Voyager of the Seas departing

We watched her do the loop around the Devonport Headland. She would be passing Cheltenham Beach in this picture

And so the trip is finished. New Zealand is pocket sized compared to Australia and it is so understandable why so many people choose to visit. It is easy to get around and there is so much diversity in a very small country. I can recommend anyone to visit. But do it on your own. Tours really do not touch the essence of so much of the country as is often the case.

Yes the tourist sights are worth visiting but there is so much more that can be enjoyed equally if not more than them.

Give it a go, but come visit Australia too while you are at it.

Wednesday 3 February

Today we leave this lovely town, but there is still more to see. On Mo’s recommendations we had a morning planned to visit the Aratiatia Rapids and Huka Falls, both on the mighty Waikato River, the largest river system in New Zealand.

The Aratiatia Rapids have been formed by the damming of the Waikato River. Although there are many dams on this river this part of the river is quite narrow. Water is released at regular intervals into the gorge below the dam. Sirens sound to alert people to the water release. It is now a very popular visitor attraction.

The best viewpoint is a ten minute walk from the dam wall and car park. It is an amazing sight watching the water pour into the gorge creating a river where before there were a series of lakes joined in sequence down river by small falls. The release lasts about 20 minutes and although the rise of the water was very slow the fall once the release has stopped is very quick.

As we left there was a tour boat leaving to go upstream to visit the Huka Falls, where we were headed.

We did not leave the rapids area straight away so by the time we reached the falls and took a look around and sat for a while, we saw the boat arriving. Good timing! A bonus was the jet boat tour coming along too.

These falls are quite astonishing. Water flowing from Lake Taupo travels through the hard volcanic rock creating narrow gorges. The falls themselves are not very high but the force of the water gushing through the narrow gorge creates an explosion of foam into the wider river below. 200,000 litres of water per second pour over the falls with astonishing force.

It was very lucky to be able to see both the river cruise and jet boat arrive and power their way as close as is safe to the surge of water.

Our last morning in Taupo complete we continued our journey to Hamilton in the centre of the island. Although we could have driven straight to Auckland, we planned this short overnight stop to enable us to do some things in Auckland the following morning.

We visited Hamilton Gardens which are probably best visited in spring or autumn, as they were not at their best. Interesting nonetheless.