Auckland: possibly the friendliest city in the world…

We are back in Auckland for a day. Auckland is a delightful city, really more of a “town” than a city. It is compact enough that you don’t feel overwhelmed, but spread out over three peninsulas and several decent-sized islands that you can get away from it all – as if getting away from a lot to see and do, good food, and nice people needed getting away from at all…

Last time we were here we opted for a food tour around Auckland. It was then that we discovered just how charming the city and its people really are. Since we are here on a holiday weekend – don’t forget Waitangi Day and the fact that a weekend holiday requires a Monday closing – we probably won’t be able to see much downtown. Therefore, we chose to take a harbor ferry across to Devonport. Devonport is one of the original “towns” that were the precursors of modern Auckland. Devonport is a fifteen minute ferry ride across the harbor and a journey back to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

As we pulled in on the ferry, we began to see the charm of Devonport.

On our arrival we stopped at the info center in the ferry terminal and picked up a brochure detailing “The Old Devonport Walk.” The brochure indicated that we could do the walk (about 3-4 miles) in about an hour. Brochures lie! We did do the entire walk, but to take a few moments to stop and look at the sights listed and take several of the short detours suggested took more than two hours. By that time we were famished and footsore.

As we walked from the ferry terminal to the beginning of our historic stroll around town, it was easy to see why Devonport remains a favorite of locals and visitors alike.

At the beginning of our walk, we stopped to look back across the bay to Auckland.

The Auckland skyline with the SkyTower in the center (people actullay bungee-jump off the top of this building!). To the left of the SkyTower is an office building dubbed by locals as the “toilet seat” building. Use your imagination…

A short stroll among the many small restaurants and bars led us to a cafe/bar serving fish and chips and NZ green-lipped mussels. We were home! Bonnie had the fish and chips and said it was among the best she had had in recent memory – fried just right. I had a huge bowl of green-lipped mussels in a Thai coconut sauce that was like no other I have ever had. Green-lipped mussels are quite unlike the smaller black mussels so common in Europe and the United States. The black mussels are usually about 2-3 inches long and it takes about 3-4 mussels to make up an ounce of mussel meat. The green-lipped mussels are about 6-7 inches long and each mussel inside weighs about 1-1 1/2 ounces. I must have had close to a pound of mussel meat by the time I got to sopping my two slices of the accompanying toasted French bread in the coconut sauce. YUM!

We wandered a bit more among the shops and restaurants – bought the obligatory kitchen magnet – and hopped the ferry back to Auckland. Although we sort of expected most specialty shops to be closed for the holiday, we took a short walk from the ferry terminal up Queen Street to see if “our” cheese and ice cream shop was open. Alas, it was not to be – but we did find it and the location is now imprinted on our memory for next time. I say our cheese and ice cream shop because the last time we were here, the food tour wound up with a cheese and ice cream tasting at this shop. The cheeses were wonderful and we discovered lemongrass and ginger ice cream. Oh well, next time.

Back on the Silver Whisper we wound down from a long day walking and eating and made ready for tomorrow in the Bay of Islands and some wine tasting. Stay tuned…