We caught a shuttle to the airport, took a bus into downtown Auckland, took a ferry to Davonport Island…and then basically reversed ourselves to get back to our hotel. Not end of story.
The airport is located south of Auckland quite some distance. Think San Francisco. And Auckland does not sparkle, however. We were a bit disappointed but after Queenstown, most won’t rise to the occasion.
We decided to go to the ferry building on the advice of the bus driver. That’s where we purchased tickets to Davonport Island which included a tour of the place as well. That ended up being a good choice because it rained on and off. The weather here is extremely volatile. Sunny one minute. Downpour the next. We call them cloud bursts. They call them rain bombs which is a totally apt description.
So, Davenport is a 12 minute ferry ride but it is a world apart. And we got a guide that is like fourth generation giving us the tour. Steve. He explained that this island of 8,000 people only has one cop. He works M-F from 8 to 4 and half the time they can’t find him because he’s out on his boat fishing….just no crime on this island. And no graffiti. And houses worth millions. Steve says that once you move to Davonport, you stay in Davonport. Part of tour included dropping us at a battery from WWll. There was a movie about the island in which the military played a prominent roll throughout time. And then there were tunnels. So, we went into a tunnel and came upon three young women vamps being shot…that is photographed on film by some young filmmakers. I inquired what they were shooting. “Part of a music video,” one said. “For what?”, I asked. “The Scarlett Lashes, a band.” You should have seen them. They had light make up with deep purple lips purposely drawn on their lips…one of the women was barefooted. The others were fully dressed and in high, high heels. Black was the predominate color. Remember. This is down in an underground tunnel. A bit surreal. Didn’t take a picture. It just didn’t feel right. I’ll try to find something out about them and report back.
Then we left the tunnel, rejoined Steve and another couple from Sydney and completed the tour which included seeing the entire NZ naval fleet…of 4 ships. Here’s a pic. So, one cop and 4 ships. I like that. They use their money mostly for themselves. An interesting concept. And Steve thought we, the USA, was the world cop and “isn’t that a shame?”, he inquired. He reminded of us Mayberry, albeit a very affluent Mayberry.
Then we asked where to eat lunch. Steve said, “Platter”. He drove us there and we had the best seafood chowder we’ve ever had in a restaurant. Yummy. And it rained the entire time we ate. As we walked back to the ferry, the rain stopped and it didn’t start up again until we were going to meet our airport bus. Then the rain bomb hit. There’s a reason it is green.
Me and thee on the island with Auckland in the background. Some art in the park in the rain. The rugby mania ball.
Back in our room, we are getting ready to head back to Sydney tomorrow. And it’s going to 80 degrees there. We will defrost and visit the botanical gardens and hopefully catch up with our new AU friends for lunch. And there is one more day there before jetting back to Los Angeles and then driving back home on Saturday. Sure hope we remember how to drive on the right side of the road!!
We are very ready to be home in Cayucos. And anxious to see our friend!! Oh, we have more than one. Well, that’s a relief.
Leave Comment