So, here we are, back in Auckland. We've completed the "littlest Hobo" road trip portion of our visit to NZ (the part where we just keep moving on), and are spending the last few days in our favourite motel in Auckland, the Grange Motor Lodge.
Seriously, the people who own this motel are lovely - not only did they fold the bath mat into a giant bow in our shower as a "welcome back!", but they also gave us tips for things to see and do in Auckland. And they gave us some bananas, which I don't like, so I insist that JQ must eat all of them herself to show the proper appreciation. So if you're planning a trip to Auckland, it is a lovely place to stay.
Oddly enough, when I Google "things to do in Auckland", I get day tours to Waitomo, Rotorua and Hobbiton in the top ten. But those aren't actually IN Auckland; they're in Waitomo, Rotorua and Matamata. There are also a number of nearby island excursions, which I will consider as actually IN Auckland.
Anyway, suffice it to say, we are a bit undecided as to what to do. We decide to first go to Mt Eden and walk to the top, where we will get some good views of Auckland. When we park the car, JQ is disappointed to see that the snack shop there only sells ice cream, no coffee. Not even coffee-flavoured ice cream. Oh no! 😲 Will she make it to the top without the extra boost of being caffeine-powered? Who knows?
Mt. Eden is a volcano, dormant if the amount of green grass in the crater is any indication. I Googled, and that crater is 50 ft deep. You're not supposed to go down into the crater (so of course, we saw someone doing that), but just follow the paths along the outside edges. And yes, you do get a great view of the surrounding area.
At the top, there is a directional finder which points you in the direction of home. The closest we could get was Vancouver, and it's 11,362 km away. That's a little ways.
JQ now decides she wants to visit a beach, since she missed out on the one in Wellington, so we drive out to Mission Bay Beach. When we're close to the beach, we nab some free street parking and go exploring.
I have to say, it's definitely not as soft and appealing as the beach in Tauranga (but perhaps no beach is as soft as that one! it was the best!). The shoreline is a bit crunchy and pebbly until you get close to the water, but it is still quite lovely. Big skies and islands on the horizon. So many seashells on the seashore, it is faintly amazing to me how many there are. They are washed up on the beach in lines that must be different tide levels.
For lunch, we walk back to the main drag, where there is a plethora of sidewalk cafes to choose from (unless you have a delicate constitution with many food requirements, in which case there are a handful). We cruise on by several different places, me checking the menu for prices, and JQ checking the menu for "contaminants", and we finally find a place we can both agree on. I buy expensive bacon and toast; JQ buys expensive salad.
Our server is a Canadian, spending his second year in New Zealand on a work visa. He also spent a year prior to that in Australia. Man, if I were doing it over again, I think I might do the same. Take a few years, and just live and work in Australia and New Zealand. You'd have time to really explore the country.
Using the wifi at the restaurant, I scout out the areas nearby and find a few more parks that we can check out. So we continue driving along the coast and and then turn on to Cliff Road. If you are envisioning this as a road that runs along a cliff side, then congratulations! you are psychic!, because that's exactly what it is. 😉 Achilles Point is supposed to be located somewhere along this road, as well as several beaches.
We park our peasant car in front of rich people's houses that are so fancy-schmancy that they have names, like "Horizons" and "Cliff View". Cliff View on Cliff Road. Come on, guys, where's the originality? That's like calling your house "8th Street View on 8th Street." Can you not ante up a little bit? How about "I M Rich, U A Beach."
Not subtle enough? Hmm.
Thought for the day: If your home had a name, what would it be? Think about it.
Anyway, we are ambling along and we see a sign for Ladies Bay, and some steep stairs leading down to the water. Let's go! So down we go, la la la. Oh, there's a naked guy walking around here. I turn to give JQ a heads-up, and sure enough there are other people sitting by the cliffside, clothing optional, with most opting to not wear clothing.
For multiple reasons, JQ and I stick mostly to the coastline, climbing over the big rocks and looking out at the water.
JQ spies a little zip-lock plastic baggie collection sitting stuffed in a hole on the big rock we're standing on, and is annoyed at people's litter. She contemplates taking it away for recycling. Um, I think that hidey-hole might be a drug drop-off point; we should probably not mess with that at all.
While we're looking out at the ocean like tourists (because that's what polite tourists do when they happen upon a nudist beach), one of the younger guys strolls by a short distance away to stand by the water's edge. "Would it be rude," I ask JQ, "if I took a picture?" She says it is rude.
Oh come on - what about my blog readers?! They are getting tired of this boring we-travelled-here and JQ-sleeps-a-lot travelogue stuff. I think they would really appreciate some more mature content now and then. Won't someone think of my blog readers?? I'm not talking about dick pics here (because seriously, guys, no one likes those - they are really not photogenic at all), but who could object to a nice seaside view with a PG-13 butt shot?
As much as I want to give you guys a lovely photo of our (mis)adventures, I also very much do not want to get caught snapping a stealthy photo. And the guy kind of turns around a bit to see if we're looking.
Who, us? Oh, no, never. 😜
JQ is muttering away at me. She is incensed at that guy, prancing around like a peacock so that we'll notice him, and he probably has a tiny dick anyway-- No, actually there seemed to be a substantial amount there. Oh...? Well then that's even more annoying, because he knows he's good looking and-- (You guys are really wishing I had that picture right now, right? Yeah, me too.)
Well, something tells me it's time to leave Ladies Bay, which I think is a bit of a misnomer as it is mostly filled with naked men. I wonder: does this mean that Gentlemen's Bay (located just around the bend past Achilles Point) is where the female nudists congregate? Probably not.
Up we go, back up the steep stairs. Back up top, we continue walking past all the fancy houses to Achilles Point. JQ peeks over the edge to see if we can see any of our nudist friends. Nope, they're screened from view by all the brush and greenery, which is probably why they've chosen that spot. (JQ looks it up later on the Internet, and Ladies Bay is a well known spot for local nudists, and always surprises hapless tourists. It's probably the highlight of their day when we blunder down there.) 😄
Achilles Point, in case you're wondering (I was!), is not Auckland's secret weak spot - it is named after a warship from WWII. It's a rocky point of land that juts out from the corner of the coastline, so you get a great wide viewpoint here, with a totally G (suitable viewing for all audiences) view of the bays and the islands.
We return to our car, then continue to drive down the coastline, just exploring and looking at the houses. When we see a steep narrow road winding downward, we decide to take it. It leads to a parking lot, with a line through the middle that says 'Residents'. We debate which side of the line is for residents, and which is for all others (we often have trouble interpreting New Zealand's pavement markings), and I eventually just park in the easiest space I can find.
Another steep walk downward, through a combination of stairs and switchbacks, with tall trees shading overhead. Except for the part when one of the trees obviously fell and completely pulverized the steel railings. Yikes - that'd be one swift squish! Part of the tree is still there, and you can see the city sawed off a number of branches (the big ones are still lying there, but the path is clear).
JQ is super-excited to see a neighbourhood kitty cat that she can pet and fuss over. I am less excited to see it outdoors, since it is probably hunting down New Zealand's rare birds (cats have hunted several NZ bird species to extinction since their arrival with Europeans). I think the strays and feral cats are much bigger problems, but still - keep your cat indoors, people!
At the bottom of the trail, we are at Karaka Bay, and a sign states this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. There are big beautiful trees reaching out from the bank and draped over the beach. One of them has a single-rope swing attached, which we both use (although the single rope tends to turn you in circles as you swing, and it can get a little barfy if you get dizzy). You can see the picture above - it's a pretty big tree!
We're now driving around at the time of day when it's going to be hitting rush hour. So, rather than navigate the motorways during rush hour, we head for a mall that our motel people recommended. It is a pretty large place, and many of the stores are different from back home, so that's diverting for a while.
JQ and I have some fun playing dress-up-and-take-pictures. JQ thinks we are possibly being rude. (Geez, it's rude to take pictures of people without their clothes, and it's rude to take pictures of people in their clothes. I just don't get it.) 😜
JQ did take a picture of me in an ugly yellow macrame sweater, but she's hoarding it on her cell phone. If she ever sends it, I will update the blog with the pic. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss that fashion triumph!
😀
Oddly enough, when I Google "things to do in Auckland", I get day tours to Waitomo, Rotorua and Hobbiton in the top ten. But those aren't actually IN Auckland; they're in Waitomo, Rotorua and Matamata. There are also a number of nearby island excursions, which I will consider as actually IN Auckland.
Anyway, suffice it to say, we are a bit undecided as to what to do. We decide to first go to Mt Eden and walk to the top, where we will get some good views of Auckland. When we park the car, JQ is disappointed to see that the snack shop there only sells ice cream, no coffee. Not even coffee-flavoured ice cream. Oh no! 😲 Will she make it to the top without the extra boost of being caffeine-powered? Who knows?
Mt. Eden is a volcano, dormant if the amount of green grass in the crater is any indication. I Googled, and that crater is 50 ft deep. You're not supposed to go down into the crater (so of course, we saw someone doing that), but just follow the paths along the outside edges. And yes, you do get a great view of the surrounding area.
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JQ now decides she wants to visit a beach, since she missed out on the one in Wellington, so we drive out to Mission Bay Beach. When we're close to the beach, we nab some free street parking and go exploring.
I have to say, it's definitely not as soft and appealing as the beach in Tauranga (but perhaps no beach is as soft as that one! it was the best!). The shoreline is a bit crunchy and pebbly until you get close to the water, but it is still quite lovely. Big skies and islands on the horizon. So many seashells on the seashore, it is faintly amazing to me how many there are. They are washed up on the beach in lines that must be different tide levels.
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| Smiling eggs & toast |
Our server is a Canadian, spending his second year in New Zealand on a work visa. He also spent a year prior to that in Australia. Man, if I were doing it over again, I think I might do the same. Take a few years, and just live and work in Australia and New Zealand. You'd have time to really explore the country.
Using the wifi at the restaurant, I scout out the areas nearby and find a few more parks that we can check out. So we continue driving along the coast and and then turn on to Cliff Road. If you are envisioning this as a road that runs along a cliff side, then congratulations! you are psychic!, because that's exactly what it is. 😉 Achilles Point is supposed to be located somewhere along this road, as well as several beaches.
We park our peasant car in front of rich people's houses that are so fancy-schmancy that they have names, like "Horizons" and "Cliff View". Cliff View on Cliff Road. Come on, guys, where's the originality? That's like calling your house "8th Street View on 8th Street." Can you not ante up a little bit? How about "I M Rich, U A Beach."
Not subtle enough? Hmm.
Thought for the day: If your home had a name, what would it be? Think about it.
Anyway, we are ambling along and we see a sign for Ladies Bay, and some steep stairs leading down to the water. Let's go! So down we go, la la la. Oh, there's a naked guy walking around here. I turn to give JQ a heads-up, and sure enough there are other people sitting by the cliffside, clothing optional, with most opting to not wear clothing.
JQ spies a little zip-lock plastic baggie collection sitting stuffed in a hole on the big rock we're standing on, and is annoyed at people's litter. She contemplates taking it away for recycling. Um, I think that hidey-hole might be a drug drop-off point; we should probably not mess with that at all.
While we're looking out at the ocean like tourists (because that's what polite tourists do when they happen upon a nudist beach), one of the younger guys strolls by a short distance away to stand by the water's edge. "Would it be rude," I ask JQ, "if I took a picture?" She says it is rude.
Oh come on - what about my blog readers?! They are getting tired of this boring we-travelled-here and JQ-sleeps-a-lot travelogue stuff. I think they would really appreciate some more mature content now and then. Won't someone think of my blog readers?? I'm not talking about dick pics here (because seriously, guys, no one likes those - they are really not photogenic at all), but who could object to a nice seaside view with a PG-13 butt shot?
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| Look away, look away, Ladies Bay |
Who, us? Oh, no, never. 😜
JQ is muttering away at me. She is incensed at that guy, prancing around like a peacock so that we'll notice him, and he probably has a tiny dick anyway-- No, actually there seemed to be a substantial amount there. Oh...? Well then that's even more annoying, because he knows he's good looking and-- (You guys are really wishing I had that picture right now, right? Yeah, me too.)
Well, something tells me it's time to leave Ladies Bay, which I think is a bit of a misnomer as it is mostly filled with naked men. I wonder: does this mean that Gentlemen's Bay (located just around the bend past Achilles Point) is where the female nudists congregate? Probably not.
Up we go, back up the steep stairs. Back up top, we continue walking past all the fancy houses to Achilles Point. JQ peeks over the edge to see if we can see any of our nudist friends. Nope, they're screened from view by all the brush and greenery, which is probably why they've chosen that spot. (JQ looks it up later on the Internet, and Ladies Bay is a well known spot for local nudists, and always surprises hapless tourists. It's probably the highlight of their day when we blunder down there.) 😄
Achilles Point, in case you're wondering (I was!), is not Auckland's secret weak spot - it is named after a warship from WWII. It's a rocky point of land that juts out from the corner of the coastline, so you get a great wide viewpoint here, with a totally G (suitable viewing for all audiences) view of the bays and the islands.
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Another steep walk downward, through a combination of stairs and switchbacks, with tall trees shading overhead. Except for the part when one of the trees obviously fell and completely pulverized the steel railings. Yikes - that'd be one swift squish! Part of the tree is still there, and you can see the city sawed off a number of branches (the big ones are still lying there, but the path is clear).
JQ is super-excited to see a neighbourhood kitty cat that she can pet and fuss over. I am less excited to see it outdoors, since it is probably hunting down New Zealand's rare birds (cats have hunted several NZ bird species to extinction since their arrival with Europeans). I think the strays and feral cats are much bigger problems, but still - keep your cat indoors, people!
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At the bottom of the trail, we are at Karaka Bay, and a sign states this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. There are big beautiful trees reaching out from the bank and draped over the beach. One of them has a single-rope swing attached, which we both use (although the single rope tends to turn you in circles as you swing, and it can get a little barfy if you get dizzy). You can see the picture above - it's a pretty big tree!
We're now driving around at the time of day when it's going to be hitting rush hour. So, rather than navigate the motorways during rush hour, we head for a mall that our motel people recommended. It is a pretty large place, and many of the stores are different from back home, so that's diverting for a while.
JQ and I have some fun playing dress-up-and-take-pictures. JQ thinks we are possibly being rude. (Geez, it's rude to take pictures of people without their clothes, and it's rude to take pictures of people in their clothes. I just don't get it.) 😜
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JQ did take a picture of me in an ugly yellow macrame sweater, but she's hoarding it on her cell phone. If she ever sends it, I will update the blog with the pic. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss that fashion triumph!
😀
Bahahahahaha. I agree! ;p
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that's exactly what it means, re ladies bay, gentleman's bay. Thinking that a 'gentleman's club' is usually a prettier term for a strip joint....
Or, you could be making that all up. With no pictures, I'm not sure I believe your adventure happened as described. Maybe you're just throwing it in there to spice things up.
You made the clothes look better than on the mannequins - on them, I was 'whaaa?' Esp the coat of many colors paired with plaid overalls. Whoever dressed the mannequins is quite edgy - one of those that like to mix patterns, or in the case of the stripes - the pants AND the jacket is a bit of overkill, but you two look pretty good in them! And I like the coat of many colors on Jacq! Though perhaps it's because it is such a deviation from the norm...
JQ will be able to verify my account of Ladies Bay - while our conversation is not quite rendered verbatim, it is essentially accurate. I just left out the part where I try to convince her to walk along the shore and pretend to twist an ankle, while I wait with a camera at the ready.
DeleteWe felt a lot of the clothing was "whaaa?" And yes, I agree, the pants and jacket together are far too much. I hope JQ sends me that missing photo. I'm pretty sure you'll love that getup! :-)