Another few days in Auckland

Another few days in Auckland

                                        

A view of some of the buildings on there water front.

Whilst I was at the i-site yesterday, I also booked a kayaking excursion to Rangitoto Island. It is a volcanic cone sitting in the harbour and its neighbouring Island of Motutapu, connected to it by a causeway. Then it was a paddle across to Waiheke Island and a quick wine tasting experience in the vineyard on the island before paddling back via Motutapu and Rangitoto and back to base in Auckland Harbour.

One of the giant cruise ships that we had to avoid in our three metre kayaks. I wanted photos but took none as my camera is not water proof. I fully intended having a photo of me in my wet suit, wearing a spray deck and holding a paddle either before setting out or afterwards but there was too much going on and I forgot.

The smaller ferries were easier to avoid but they move much faster than cruise ships and container ships so you have to be very alert to avoid collisions.

This is the Maritime Museum. The picture is rubbish but it looked such a better shot when I was positioning myself and focusing but I must have hit the wrong button. It is meant to show the name of the museum above the building on the left and the full length of the hull of the New Zealand boat that won the America's Cup to the upper right.

I visited the Maritime Museum down by the water front and there was a lot to see, complete with an exhibition of a lot of different types of rope knots, some of which I knew but many that were just obscure.

                                                  

There were models of old ships...

...and newer ships...

...plus all sorts of sea faring stuff...

...including uniforms...

...and several examples of small boats, both ancient, traditional and modern.

I made a return visit to the i-site but it was closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays...why?

But I did get to see one brave woman make the bungee jump from the top of the tower and stop just metres before hitting the landing platform seen in the centre of the photo.

                                                  

Its a tall tower, a view looking back up to the circular jumping platform 192 metres above us.

I made my way to Auckland Domain, a large parkland area near the centre of the city which also houses the Auckland Memorial War Museum. 

It has several hot, temperate and winter gardens.

A view of some palms with the Sky Tower in the background.

The northern facade of the museum.

The cenotaph outside the north entrance.

The Hall of Memories on the top floor where the names of the fallen are inscribed.

It was also the most unusual war museum that I have ever visited as on the same floor was a presentation of photographs taken by Robin Morrison of his trip around the South Island more than four decades ago. 

On the next floor down therevwere no war memorabilia, but exhibitions of Maori Natural history, volcanoes and plate tectonics, Ancient Worlds and some exhibits of the Arts of Asia, plus an bizarre section dedicated to the Weird and Wonderful showing unusual fauna and an Imaginarium that was totally wasted on me as I didn't understand anything and was way out of my comfort zone.

On the ground floor were exhibits relating the to the Pacific Ocean area, Stories of Auckland, two Tyrannosaurus skeletons, a male and a rare female skeleton that both completed the national history section upstairs and a Maori historical section, that included some weapons of war but also included several traditional meeting houses.

And lastly, there was an exhibition entitled Secrets of Stonehenge. So I concluded that the Auckland Memorial War Museum was less then one third related to war  but the majority of the exhibits were Natural History. So don't be put off by the name, but just go and make a visit.