Auckland is really, really pretty. Obviously, there's the sea and the islands, with boats everywhere (this is the City of Sails); but it is also so green, with tree- and plant-lined streets, especially my favourite agapanthus; and the houses are gorgeous, a bit like Key West in Florida, with pastel-coloured clapboard and fretwork, and huge verandahs. It is fairly modern - the bus commentary got excited by the houses in one district being "over 100 years old!", which made us Brits on the bus smirk annoyingly; but they've managed to make it modern without being ugly (which they haven't always managed elsewhere we've been, e.g. Florida).
This might be something to do with it being very pricey - the bus was expensive, the supermarket was expensive, the sites are expensive. And the sites themselves aren't that brilliant - we spent a pleasant few hours in the aquarium, especially the circular shark tunnel, but the one in Great Yarmouth is better; and we enjoyed our brief stop at the Auckland Museum to see the Maori artefacts and have a go on the volcano simulator (a pretend sitting room where you see an eruption in the bay through the "window", and a cloud of ash rolls rapidly towards you while the sofa shakes), although there wasn't really enough there to warrant the ticket price (well done UK for free museums!). But the real star of Auckland is the landscape, and you can see why people love living here.
This was particularly evident from the Sky Tower. I usually enjoy a high-up view, but this was spectacular. The islands were laid out before us, the water criss-crossed by the white trails of the ferries; the city in the foreground with the cones of volcanoes poking between the buildings and greenery. We sat and stared, while Jemima hopped about on the glass floor panels (once she'd got over the initial fear, she loved seeing the city 200m below).
And then, another reason why Auckland is great (albeit also expensive): the food. So far, apart from the dubious Aquarium lunch, we'd had good experiences; but then Kevin led us to a nearby Indian, Cassia, for dinner, as I'd mentioned feeling in that kind of mood. We went through an unprepossessing hole in a wall to find an industrial but attractive modern-looking restaurant - this was not a normal curry house. Luckily, as it was quite early, they had a table; and we ordered a selection as suggested. Oh my. Exciting, interesting, beautiful and delicious: little plates of roast carrot and macadamia nuts with a tomatoey sauce and a sprinkle of something dairy; and tandoori kingfish with pickled cucumber and a coriander and coconut foamy sorbet thing (Jemima loved the fish and, surprisingly, the pickled cucumber - we had to order a second plate because she ate most of the first); and then a main course of pork belly vindaloo (the crispy skin! The flavourful thick paste/sauce cross!); with korma-y pumpkin and broccoli, rice, and the best naan ever. In fact, the best Indian ever. (And a lovely waitress originally from Preston who gave us free dessert, I'm not quite sure why.) Anyway, my greed took over again - but the stomach ache was worth it. And it was worth the steep price tag - two meals for £8, as per Hong Kong, this was not. But it was good. I'd happily eat only there for a week; but luckily for my waistline and our holiday spending, we only have one more day in Auckland before we start the motorhome chapter of our trip. So today it was Auckland by land; and tomorrow it's Auckland by sea. (And hopefully some more good food.)
Bus views:
You can see the Sky Tower poking up from the Auckland skyline across the bay:
The Aquarium:
Lunch had a view at sea level across the bay:
Jemima's favourite is the sting ray, and this one was enormous:
Back on the bus, Eden Park, home of the All Blacks (one for dad - I'm afraid I didn't manage to get a photo of the agapanthus for mum, or any pictures of the pretty houses...):
The Auckland Museum:
An enormous war canoe carved from a single log, which could fit 100 men:
The Sky Tower
You can see the greeny-brown volcano cones sticking up near the horizon:
Dinner:
You can see our tandoori fish with picked cucumber in the foreground...:
That stingray!!! And I've just had supper but that curry description made me hungry!! Xxx
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it was SO good... 😀 Xxx
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