Auckland and Harbour Cruise...New Zealand

Haere Mai ~ Welcome to Auckland...the City of Sails.

So let's begin to get to know Auckland...

It is famous for its beautiful twin harbours and the scenic Hauraki Gulf Islands, New Zealand's largest city combines the very best of city and country living. 

There is something for everyone to enjoy in this cosmopolitan city.

Auckland City centre is situated 21 kilometres (14 miles) from the airport and takes approximately 45 minutes. I'll just briefly mention the weather...it's not a problem if like me you come from Melbourne because I hardly noticed any difference plus it's just as changeable! 

The city feels safe and I was extremely impressed with how polite everyone seemed to be.

Auckland offers a great deal from a sparkling harbour, scenic offshore islands, rugged ranges, wineries and beautiful beaches...

The heart of Auckland's CBD is based around Queen Street and surrounding streets. 

The Sky Tower seen in the photo below is the Southern Hemisphere's tallest!

As we wandered around the city we came upon the Auckland Diwali Festival of Lights celebrations. 

Diwali is an ancient Hindu festival and one of India's best loved festival. It is a time for celebration for people in India and Indians living abroad, where families light lamps, candles and fireworks to symbolise the triumph of light over darkness, and the renewal of life.

Traditional and comtemporary dance and music...plus activities, entertainment, food and many stalls selling colourful wares.

It's a pity you can't smell the aroma being carried on the breeze....
All the food presented was vegetarian. We tested the samosa and they passed the test ;D
(Samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savoury filling such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils,
and can have ground chicken or lamb as an option)

Everyone had dressed up in their finery....can you believe the length of this braid?

Walking down Queens Street to the Harbour...

I don't think you can see very well from this shot but there's a flame coming out of the rock on the left...it was rather blowy at the time I took this...hence I got sprayed with the water from the fountain. 

 

After walking around enjoying the sights... 

We decided to try out the harbour cruise

Unfortunately, not on any of these vessels...
we caught the standard ferry but it did a great tour and the commentary from the Captain was quite entertaining....

It was rather blowy and it certainly blew the cobwebs off...so much so my hubby had to hold onto his toupee!
LOL...couldn't resist that...now I'll see if he reads this post...
he'll go up like a rocket if he does ;D

In fact we took two cruises...one of which stopped off at Devonport Island.

 Devonport is a picturesque seaside village only minutes away from downtown Auckland.
The stunning peninsula is a magnet for artists and craftspeople plus the very impressive collection of beautiful
restored Victorian villas.
Some even for sale which caught our eye... ;D

There are also a number of attractive little churches on the way to Mt Victoria.

Devonport is home to the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Victoria Picture Palace & Theatre is the earliest purpose-built cinema still in existence in the Southern Hemisphere. Now there's a few facts thrown in!

You can also explore Devonport's military history at North Head and the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum.
Yes...you guess it we HAD to visit the museum...but there was a time limit set before I walked over the doorstep.
(I have photos but haven't down loaded them yet...I'll do this tomorrow if I get a chance ~ sorry
I've been using two cameras and my phone to capture everything...
this holiday malarky can be both stressful and tiring!

Then arriving back after our cruise we needed a little light refreshment...
easy to say but it's not easy to choose when there are so many great cafes and bars to choose from...

We decided on an Irish bar in the end...very lively and the smell drew us in...

Well fed and watered we finally wandered back to our accommodation...
which I'll have to tell you about on another day.
I'm aware that this post has been rather long...but hey when you're on holiday you have to pack a lot into your day

I hope you do too...have fun and I'll see you soon.

We're leaving Auckland and moving on again...come and join us!

Up up and away...New Zealand here we come!

So are you ready for the off?

The house is clean and tidy, the dog has been dropped off with friends, plants watered, bags packed, fridge and freezer full to capacity with enough supplies to feed a village never mind just for one unfortunate not going away, cases shut, passports at the ready, taxi waiting and you've even checked in online...

nothing more to do but to get excited and off we jolly well go....

But where are we going? 

Oh didn't I tell you? We're off to New Zealand on the A380!

psst...don't tell anyone else, but we're going business class. 

I know I spoil you but you're worth it!

 I know the sun's only just rising but we've got things to do and places to go....so climb aboard.

 So this is my seat...not bad eh?

I could get used to this!

Hey when did we take off? Does anyone hear the engines? 

(the A380 is incredibly quiet)

See you later Melbourne...

Look at all that leg room...and there's even secret storage for your shoes!

Ahh....breakfast ~ well the first course anyway....

No trolley cloggy up the aisle so it's easy to stretch the legs to keep the circulation happy...

and voilà...there's the bar!

 

I couldn't take a wide shot of the bar because quite a few guys were enjoying the beverages available...

and yes it was only 10.30am! 

But I suppose the sun was setting in some part of the world?

Crisps, nuts and cakes just in case breakfast wasn't enough...

It's such a pity that we've only got approximately 4 hours 3 minutes to enjoy all of this...

 whoops...we're about to land so see you again soon for the next installment.

Hello New Zealand....

Feel the Heat

I can't believe how cold it is here in Melbourne at the moment. I know that its winter, but seriously its really not what you expect when thinking of Australia. Oh for an open fire or a wood burner right now.

Yesterday I decided to not venture out of the house. The rain was pouring and it was blowing a hoolie, so I decided to reorganise my photo's instead. It was whilst browsing that heat started to radiate from the page. So I thought I'd share some with you.

After all this blog is supposed to be about travel and the globe so here's some pics from our trip to the Inland Sea in Qatar.....feel that heat?

Yes, those are our tyre tracks.....

I feel so much cosier already - how about you?


No exactly like the donkey rides on the beach...


I think the three wise men might have stopped off for a coffee?

Muffin's Mission from Middle East to Melbourne

I thought it was time to introduce 'Muffin' and her expat experience to you.... yes, as you can see she rules the roost and has a certain air about her.

Once we knew we were leaving the Middle East and that Australia was on the cards there wasn't a moments hesitation, she had to come too. Remember Dogs aren't just for Deserts they're for life! No way would we want to leave our youngest even with so many offers of good homes, and although Muffin only knew heat, sand and the muezzin call to prayer we wanted to give her a chance of a proper doggy life ie trees, dog walks, lamp posts, and fire hydrants.

Here is Mufftypup socialising at her leaving 'do'! Saying goodbye to all her puppy pals. She's always been a party animal.


After months of prep, paperwork and thankfully a brilliant pet relocating company we were ready to head off. The only trouble was that the airline had indicated that they wouldn't transport any snub-nosed animals, either cats or dogs. So a quick rethink was called for and drastic measures taken. How to make a Shih Tzu appear to have a proboscis?!!?!?! Not an easy feat as you can see from the photos. Hairdressers would be sued for this kind of make-over.


It was a very tense time waiting to see if she was detected and busted or would she be successful in her mission. After flight delays and long hauls we received the call that she'd finally made it.

Welcome to Melbourne Muffy.... Just one hurdle - quarantine!

After the initial excitement and desperate wags powerful enough to light up a large suburb she crashed and slept in my arms for two hours.

Obviously overdone the duty free! See once a party animal always a party animal.

The trouble came when time was called and I had to leave her once more. Not an easy task, let me tell you.

Disclaimer....the following picture comes with a warning and may cause some distress but no animal was harmed in the making of this film.

Yes that's her in the centre of the pen but she did her time and finally.....

Free at last, FREE AT LAST....

"What's all this green, soft stuff and it smells sooooooooo good"? Can't beat that cool breeze blowing through your hair.

Living the Dream.....

It's all too much this paparazzi performance....wake me up when its dinner time.

Once a diva always a diva.

Exerts from an Expat

Well, who would believe it?

I'm in my 20th year of being an expat.

Considering I never really had the urge to travel in the first place this is such a surprise!

(Middle East)

My annual holidays were enough to satisfy my curiosity about different continents, cultures and customs. How could this have happened? I don't remember making the definite decision to follow this lifestyle but I suppose at various times there must have been some agreement.

(South Africa)

My other half says "yes... but we've seen life" when questioning some of the destinations. This is true, but always seems to be announced when we've just experienced or witnessed a previously unimaginable sight, smell or event.
The fact remains that sometimes I think I'd rather not have seen that much 'life' up close and personal.

I'm not sure if this will be the final destination on the tour or whether there could be a few encores! But then I suppose thats the exciting part - not knowing what's coming next!

(Canada)

Hmm, I really wouldn't mind if I never see another packing box until my own personal one arrives.

(Australia)

We've just received our freight from two previous destinations which have been in storage for many years. The idea being that 'we' can finally edit our belongings, obviously we are talking the royal 'we' meaning basically 'me'!

(South Africa)

We are finally getting to declutter. Isn't this supposed to be a liberating, rejuvenating experience? Well, tell that to my cut and frayed fingers, black and blue limbs and the loss of our garage walls - now fully lined with the excess boxes.

I've just got to get through the emotional turmoil of making decisions on each box - whether its finally time to shed my children's baby clothes, school books, three boxes alone of photographs, and fashion statements that went out with the arc. Or are they retro now???

(Maldives)

If theres any easy way of dealing with these major decisions other than we haven't needed or even known we still had these possessions then obviously we don't need them. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone out there?

Looking back at some of our photographs though, I think it may well have been all worth it!