Cruise World-Day #28-Auckland, New Zealand on Groundhog
Day--February 2, 2016
I was up early to see sunrise (cloud cover a bit) and had
a lively conversation with Asia's family.
It was fabulous to be out on deck for the sail-in to
"the city of sails", a large sprawling city of 1.2 residents. I love
the iconic skyline featuring the famous Sky Tower, and the downtown area.
I hopped on the HOHO (hop on hop off bus that stops at
the port.
The first stop on the tour was Bastion Point, a
picturesque hill filled with vast, varied colorful gardens overlooking the
city. The views of the gardens and city
skyline were spectacular! I highly
recommend this stop!
Back on the HOHO, to the next adventure…I absolutely
loved the Seaquarium especially the penguin village, the stingrays swimming
overhead, the moving bridge, and the seahorses. Even though I saw penguins in
the different Argentina and Chile cities in their natural habit, I appreciated
this manmade, cooled habitat! I highly
recommend this stop!
I was surprised there was no line to visit the 1000+ft
high Sky Tower. Taking photos pressed against the glass was fun! You can
actually bungee jump or crawl around the tower.
A fellow dancer, Linda, (from Seattle) actually took the plunge. I
highly recommend this stop!
I love the energy, pace, and beauty of this modern,
waterfront city filled with friendly diverse residents.
After the effervescent sail-away party, I dined with a
Dutch couple living in Canada and wait for It: a Dutch woman living in Canada
(cruise critic handle: fiberholic).
Not only did they not know one another, they were randomly seated together for
dinner. The wait staff sang the famous birthday song to Hans and brought him a
cake for his 81st birthday.
I watched a spectacular sunset. As a result, I was late
to tonight's big show, it was Martin Ralph, a guy who performs an act with
spinning tops and yo-yos. Many people complained later that this act was more
appropriate for a high school talent show at best. I agree. I only ran into one
person who appreciated the show. I was
delighted that I had watched a wonderful sunset, missing the first half of his act.
I discovered lively Judy who ballroom dances and does
Karaoke every night is under the weather from over-exerting herself. She has
fibromyalgia. I hope she will take it easy tomorrow.
It was another reminder that health must occupy number
one, top-priority status!! It is easy to
overdo it on a world cruise.
Prices: HOHO $60 pp; Seaquarium $25 pp; Sky Tower $25;
casino in sky tower; Queen Street window shopping: bought small furry kiwi
souvenir: $10.
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